KUALA LUMPUR, 15 October 2014: The Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia the Honourable Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, officiated the PATA Hub City Forum at the Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, here, today.

The one-day forum is organised by the PATA Malaysia Chapter (PMC) and PATA International together with the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia, City Hall of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia Airlines.

It is attended by a total of 250 participants comprising local and international travel and trade members such as hoteliers, tourism officers, airlines and airport representatives, tour operators, tourism product operators, and also students.

Themed "ASEAN Economic Community 2015 (AEC 2015) - Where is Tourism Heading?", the main thrust of this forum is to address the impact of ASEAN Economic Community on the ASEAN tourism community.

Covering 10 nations in South-East Asia (including Malaysia), the AEC-2015 aims to transform the region into a single market and production base with a highly competitive advantage to make it a stable and prosperous region.

The forum will look at some of the issues faced by Malaysia in the making of the AEC and explore new paths of growth for the travel and tourism industry. With ASEAN being the largest contributor with 19.1 million arrivals, representing a 74.3% share of the overall tourist arrivals to Malaysia in 2013, it's a timely forum for those in the tourism fraternity. And, in line with the broad objectives of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) and Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP) to increase yield per tourist, the forum will certainly address and shed light on the way forward.

Topics will be presented and discussed at the forum by authoritative individuals and acknowledged experts as follows:-

Panel Discussion 1 - Tourism Development towards AEC2015

Moderator: YBhg Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia

Panelists:

i) H.E Mr I Gde Pitana, Deputy Minister for Resources Development, Ministry
of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia
ii) Mr Sarbini Bin Hussein, Deputy Director Immigration KLIA, Malaysia
iii) Ms. Beatrice Lim, Director-Industry & Regulatory Affairs, Association of Asia
Pacific Airlines (AAPA)

Panel Discussion 2 - ASEAN Smart Travel, Security and Sustainability

Moderator: Ms. Sharanjit Leyl, Presenter, BBC World News

Panelists:

i) YBhg Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid, Chairman of the CIMB ASEAN Research
Institute (CARI)
(ii) Mr. Tom Jenkins, CEO, European Tour Operator Association
(iii) Mr. Alexander Kesper, Team Leader, ASEAN-EU Emergency Management
Programme
(iv) Ms. Sarah Mathews, Destination Marketing Senior Sales Manager Asia Pacific at Trip Advisor

Panel Discussion 3 - Embracing ASEAN Tourism Potential

Moderator: Mr Martin Craigs, CEO, PATA

Panelists:

i) YBrs Encik Rashidi bin Hasbullah, Deputy Secretary General, Ministry of
Tourism and Culture, Malaysia
(ii) Mr. Noviendi Makalam, Director for International Relations, Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia
(iii) Mr. Rolando Canizal, Assistant Secretary, Department of Tourism, Philippines
(iv) Mr. Sam Cheah, President of Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH)

For further information on PATA Hub City Forum, please visit www.pata.org, or email patamalaysia@gmail.com.

Background information:

PATA stands for the Pacific Asia Travel Association. It is an international membership association headquartered in Bangkok and is the world leader of, and authority on, Pacific Asia travel and tourism. PATA's mission is to enhance the growth, value and quality of Pacific Asia travel and tourism for the benefit of the members of PATA.

The PATA Malaysia Chapter or PMC is an extension of the association (PATA) to assist in translating the global objectives of PATA into local action within Malaysia through operating programmes and activities relevant to local communities, and also avail the facilities of PATA to all chapter members.

To date, PMC has a total membership of 83, comprising government sectors, airlines, educational establishments, hotels, tour & travel agents and other organisations and associations related to the tourism & hospitality industry.

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 2013, Malaysia registered 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM65.4 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner and the sixth highest contributor to its Gross National Income (GNI).

Malaysia is celebrating its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme "Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia". The VMY 2014 promotional campaign has started in 2013 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 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 & Publicity Unit:
Azizah Aziz (Ms), Senior Deputy Director, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: azizahaziz@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:
Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my