KUALA LUMPUR, 25 MAY 2013 - Tourism Malaysia has brought in a total of 248 travel agents and media under the Malaysia Mega Familiarisation Programme from 23 countries, namely Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Philippines, Turkey and Vietnam to cover the Colours of 1Malaysia (CO1M) 2013.

The participants attended a tourism seminar at The Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur today, where they were welcomed by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, YBhg Dato' Mirza Mohammed Taiyab before presented with a certificate of participation.

During the seminar, the participants were briefed by Tourism Malaysia's Director of Communications and Publicity, Mr. Mohmed Razip Hasan on the country's latest tourism development followed by the Senior Marketing Manager (Americas, European & Ocenia) of Sabah Tourism Board, Ms. Noredah Othman on Sabah's attractions. The Kuala Lumpur City Hall's Head of Tourism Unit, Ms. Noraza Yusof also delivered a presentation to highlight Kuala Lumpur's latest tourist attractions and developments. There was also a briefing on Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014.

The Kuala Lumpur City Hall's Tourism Unit has also given this Mega Fam programme their great support by sponsoring the outdoor product updates and workshops for the participants where they have the opportunity to explore the Dataran Merdeka Heritage Park, tour the Tun Abdul Razak Heritage Park, attend a culinary class at the Textile Museum Café, visit the observation deck on the 86th floor of the PETRONAS Twin Towers and explore the KLCC Park, participate in the ARCH handicraft workshop and tour the Kuala Lumpur City Gallery, participate in batik canting workshop and visit the Textile Museum, and ride on the KL Hop On Hop Off bus.
After that, the participants returned to the Renaissance Hotel where they were feted with lunch. Later, they will be attending the launch of the Colours of 1Malaysia 2013 at Dataran Merdeka.

The following day, the Mega Fam participants will proceed to their post tours to selected tourism products and destinations around the country.

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD
(MINISTRY OF TOURISM, MALAYSIA)
No. 2, Tower 1, Jalan P5/6, Precinct 5, 62200 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8891 8000; http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my
www.facebook.com/friendofmalaysia; twitter.com/tourismmalaysia; blog.tourism.gov.my

For more information on Mega Fam programmes, please contact:
Yazlina Yahya
Mega Fam Secretariat,
Communications & Publicity Division, Tourism Malaysia
7th Floor, Tower 1,
No. 2, Jln P5/6, Precinct 5,
62200 Putrajaya
Tel: +603 8891 8000
Fax: +603 8891 8788
E-mail: megafamsecretariat@tourism.gov.my

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 and Culture, Malaysia. While the Ministry of Tourism and Culture implements tourism policies, conducts studies and offers incentives for industry players, Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at the domestic and international level. Driven by its aspiration to promote Malaysia as a destination of excellence in this region, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception and has emerged as a major player in the nation's socio-economic landscape. In 2012, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts.

In 2014, Malaysia will celebrate its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) with the theme "Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia". The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started this year with a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014. It will contribute to the Government's target to receive 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) 2020.

Press contact:
Media Relations Unit:
Mr. Razaidi Abd Rahim, Senior Asst. Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: razaidi@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Ms. Anis Rozalina Ramli, Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my