CAPE TOWN, 16 April 2015 – The Chairman of Tourism Malaysia Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen is paying a working visit to South Africa from 14 to 20 April, in conjunction with the World Travel Market (WTM) Africa, to publicise the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015 and promote Malaysia as a top-of-mind travel destination.

Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng hosted a networking dinner for Cape Town’s travel agents today at the Bo-Kaap Kombuis Restaurant to keep them abreast of Malaysia’s latest tourism attractions and developments.

Through the visit, Tourism Malaysia aims to strengthen the presence of Malaysia in South Africa and build a stronger relationship with South African travel agents. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng also publicised the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015 and encouraged local travel agents to work closer with their Malaysian counterparts to develop more creative and innovative holiday packages to Malaysia.

During her trip, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng will also have a series of meetings and interviews with the media.
Last year, Malaysia recorded a total 22,667 tourists from South Africa, signifying an increase of 0.9% compared to the previous year.

WTM Africa is Africa’s leading B2B exhibition for inbound and outbound Africa travel and tourism. First organised in 2014, WTM Africa creates personal and business opportunities, providing exhibitors, visitors, and buyers, with a diverse array of offerings, which include networking opportunities and interactive conferences and panel discussions.

For more information, please contact Tourism Malaysia’s Officer of the International Promotion Division (Africa Unit) Noraini Jalikin (Ms.) at +603-8891 8316 or via email at norainijalikin@tourism.gov.my.

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.

Malaysia celebrated its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The promotion of the country continues with the MALAYSIA YEAR OF FESTIVALS (MyFEST) campaign in 2015 with the theme “Endless Celebrations” emphasising the various festivals celebrated by its multicultural society. Both campaigns are key drivers towards achieving the country’s target of 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