PUTRAJAYA, 17 Feb 2016: Tourism Malaysia has partnered with National Geographic to promote Malaysia in two exciting documentaries featuring Sabah and Sarawak.

The documentaries, hosted by naturalist Nick Baker and world-record-breaker Australian sailor Jesse Martin respectively, feature the beautiful nature and culture of Borneo. The South East Asia premiere screening will be on Monday, 22 February.

In Exploring Malaysia with Jesse Martin, host Jesse Martin takes viewers on an inspirational nautical adventure along Malaysia Borneo’s north-eastern coast. Martin explores the region’s rich seafaring cultures, and immerses himself in the lives of the sailors, sea gypsies, fishermen and marine conservationists who inhabit Sabah’s coastline and share his passion for life on the open sea.

Jesse Martin is an Australian sailor and the youngest person to sail around the globe, non-stop and unassisted. This episode will air on 22 February at 8 pm with repeats on Sunday, 28 February at 9:45 am and Monday, 29 February at 11:35 am.

Meanwhile, Exploring Malaysia with Nick Baker sees the host Nick Baker embark on a subterranean adventure into the magnificent cave systems of Sarawak to discover how the local people and wildlife have adapted to a landscape that is “riddled with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese”. In the documentary, Baker explores the caves of Gunung Mulu National Park and Niah National Park.

Nick Baker is an English naturalist and also a television presenter who has hosted numerous documentaries. The episode will air on Monday, 22 February at 8:30 pm with repeats on Sunday, 28 February at 10:10 am and Monday, 29 February at 12 pm.

The documentaries have been aired in India on 5 February and in Australia on 10 February. Both Exploring Malaysia episodes will also air in Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Europe (UK only) over the next few months.

This is not the first time that Tourism Malaysia has collaborated with National Geographic. They have previously worked together to produce a documentary, Nick Baker’s Eco Malaysia, which went on to win the intermedia-globe Silver TOURISM award for the ‘Documentaries: Nature and Wildlife’ category in May 2015.

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.

Through the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area), 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 and achieve the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020.

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:

Shukri Hanafiah, Senior Deputy Director, Corporate Communication Division

Tel: +603-8891 8767

Email: shukrihanafiah@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:

Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division

Tel: +603-8891 8759

Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my