Nov 25, 2015
MALAYSIA WINS ‘BEST ECO-VACATION’ AT NAT GEO TRAVELER AWARDS
PUTRAJAYA, 24 November 2015
– Malaysia added another feather in its cap when it was voted as the
"Best Eco-Vacation" at the 5th National Geographic Traveler Awards – Top
Travel Destinations of 2015 – at a ceremony held in Moscow on 18
November.
A total of 29 countries were nominated for this category and Malaysia, Namibia and Portugal were in the top three positions.
The
Awards is organised by the Russian branch of the National Geographic
Traveler magazine to give recognition to top travel destinations
annually. The prestigious award allows nominees to highlight new trends
based on the preferences of Russian tourists.
Readers
were asked to cast their votes online at National Geographic Russia
website (http://www.nat-geo.ru) from 29 June - 10 November 2015.
This
year, more than 240,000 online votes were cast for 12 categories,
namely Beach Vacation, Family Vacation, Mountain-skiing Vacation,
Sightseeing Vacation, Agrotourism, Wellness Vacation, Eco-Vacation,
Adventure Tourism, Russian Tourism, Discovery of the Year, Gastronomic
Tourism and Exotic Tourism. During the voting process, they also elected
the Best Foreign Airline, Best Russian Airline, Best Hotel Chain, Best
Beach Hotel, and Best Travel Program on TV.
ENDS
For
more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s
tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s
website at http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my/
MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA
is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia.
Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at
all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and
bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international
tourism scene. In 2014, Malaysia registered 27.4 million tourist
arrivals and RM72 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest
foreign exchange earner.
Malaysia celebrated its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The promotion of the country continues with the MALAYSIA YEAR OF FESTIVALS (MyFEST)
campaign in 2015 with the theme “Endless Celebrations” emphasising the
various festivals celebrated by its multicultural society. Both
campaigns are key drivers towards achieving the country’s target of 36
million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as
outlined in the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area).
Through
the Tourism NKEA, collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism
and Culture, other Government agencies and the private sector have been
enhanced to help secure Malaysia’s position as a leading tourist
destination. The targets set under the Tourism NKEA will be achieved
through the implementation of twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs)
clustered under five themes: Affordable Luxury; Nature Adventure; Family
Fun; Events, Entertainment, Spa and Sports; and Business Tourism.
Press contact:
Media Relations Unit:
Chresentia F.B. Sadatal (Ms), Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8776
Email: chresentia@tourism.gov.my
Editorial Unit:
Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my
Photo Caption: Director of Tourism Malaysia Moscow Noor Zulia Mohamed accepting the ‘Best Eco-Vacation’ award.