LONDON, 4 November 2013: As 2013 comes to an end, Tourism Malaysia has stepped up its promotional efforts for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 campaign by promoting it at the prestigious World Travel Market (WTM) 2013 beginning today until 7 November.

The WTM is a leading global event for the travel industry, and is estimated to generate more than £2 billion (RM6.27 billion) for the global travel industry this year.

The Ministry of Tourism & Culture and Tourism Malaysia’s participation at the four-day trade event, which takes place at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in Docklands, London, is expected to boost tourist arrivals from the UK, by providing a platform for buyers and sellers to liaise with each other and encourage better cooperation and formation of more tourism products and tour packages, particularly for VMY 2014.

The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz, will officiate the Malaysia Pavilion at the WTM 2013 today, as well as oversee the launch of the double decker bus wrap-around campaign, which is part of the Come Get the Malaysian Experience campaign, promoting our luxury islands, beach getaways, adventure in nature, luxury and wellness experiences, and heritage and culture.

“These double decker buses will feature the VMY 2014 logo beside a picture of the mascot, the proboscis monkey and the tagline Come Get the Malaysian Experience – Adventure & Nature,  plying  London’s key routes until the end of the month.

“Tourism Malaysia has also introduced the Master Malaysia online training programme to educate the trade especially the frontliners of UK’s travel agencies about Malaysia in four easy modules.

Other efforts to boost arrivals from the UK include working with airlines to increase accessibility from airports throughout the UK including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin,” said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri.

“Malaysia receives a large number of tourists from the UK annually, making it an important market for the tourism industry. Last year, Malaysia received a total of 402, 207 tourists from the UK, and it is estimated that a total of 450,000 tourists will have visited Malaysia by the end of this year. The VMY 2014 campaign is expected to further increase the total tourist arrivals from the UK by 5.6%, to a total of 475,000 tourist arrivals,” he continued

The Minister of Tourism and Culture will host the ‘VMY 2014 Evening’ on 6 November, a special dinner that aims to showcase the VMY 2014 campaign as well as display Malaysia’s appreciation for the travel-trade fraternity and media for their strong support and assistance in helping  promote Malaysia as a premier holiday destination.

This year, a total of 53 organisations and 92 representatives from Malaysia are participating at the WTM, consisting of state authorities, federal agencies, airlines, tour operators as well as hotels and resorts.

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
Tel: +603-8891 8768
Email: razaidi@tourism.gov.my

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