CELEBRATING DIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA’S COLOURFUL HERITAGE, TRADITIONS, ARTS AND CULTURE

MELAKA, 30 AUGUST 2013 – The National Open House – Aidilfitri Raya  Merdeka 2013,  was greeted with a variety of vibrant and colourful performances of the country’s rich traditions, heritage, culture and arts  at  the Stadium Hang Tuah  here this evening.

The National Open House, organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and  the Melaka State Government, not only feted guests with a variety of local and traditional delicacies but also showcased to foreign tourists the resplendent traditions,  heritage, arts and culture of the Malays especially during the Hari Raya celebrations  besides displaying the strong harmonious spirit and national pride enjoyed by Malaysians throughout the  Merdeka celebrations.

Gracing the national-level occasion  were the Malaysian Prime Minister, YAB Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak and his wife, YABhg Datin Seri Utama Rosmah Mansor; the Yang di-Pertua of Melaka, TYT Tun Datuk Seri Utama Mohd Khalil Yaakob and his wife, YABhg Toh Puan Datuk Zurina Kassim; the Chief Minister of Melaka, YAB Datuk Wira Ir. Hj. Idris bin Hj Haron and his wife, YABhg Datin Wira Hjh Fadilah Abdullah; and the Minister of Tourism and Culture, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Tan Sri Abdul Aziz.

A total of 180 MegaFam participants from 14 countries namely, the United States of America, Australia, Mexico Italy, Germany, Turkey, UAE, Hong Kong, China, Bangladesh, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand were present at The National Open House – Aidilfitri Raya Merdeka 2013.

Apart from the delicious spread of traditional delicacies and food in over 20 stalls, guests also had the opportunity to witness demonstration of traditional cooking of local delicacies including  dodol, rendang tok, ketupat as well display and sale of traditional cakes and cookies. Guests were also feted to several multi-cultural dances and performances especially native to Melaka including marhaban, rebana keras, buluh centung and jamung elektrik.

Among the popular celebrities and artistes who kept the crowds entertained were Ning Baizura, Jamal Abdillah, David Arumugam , Azlan and the Typewriter, Datuk Jalaluddin Hasan, Mia Sara and Anuar Zain.

A live telecast of the National Open House was beamed nationwide by RTM from 9.15pm onwards.

The hosting of the National Open House is in line with the Prime Minister’s call to all Malaysians to make Visit Malaysia Year 2014 a national mission and a resounding success by helping ensure achievement of the targeted arrival of 28 million foreign visitors to the country.

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 2012, Malaysia registered 25 million tourist arrivals and RM60.6 billion in tourist receipts, placing the country firmly as the 10th most popular tourism destination in the world.

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, Senior Editor, Communications & Publicity Division
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my