PUTRAJAYA, 12 January 2015 – The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and senior officials of Tourism Malaysia are meeting at the Tourism Malaysia Overseas Directors Meeting 2015 for their annual consultations. The 5-day event, which kicked off on 9 Jan at the Tourism Malaysia headquarters here, involves overseas directors, state directors, and marketing officers of Tourism Malaysia.

The objective of the meeting is to discuss marketing programmes to promote this year’s Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015, as well as to ensure the target arrivals of 29.4 million tourists with a revenue of RM89 billion is fully realised.

Programmes during the conference include proactive sessions and meetings with the Minister of Tourism and Culture, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, and the top management of Tourism Malaysia including its Chairman, the Director General, the Deputy Director General (Promotions), and the Deputy Director General (Planning), as well as various Division Directors.

The meeting also presented members with the Malaysia Tourism Integrated Promotional Plan 2015-2017. The latest updates on Malaysia’s tourism development and tourism products, current performance, on-going promotional efforts, marketing strategies and also activities to be carried out on a global scale were also shared.

In his welcome address, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri urged overseas offices to increase their efforts to promote Malaysia during MyFest 2015 and encouraged them to strengthen ties with the local and international tourism trade players to boost tourist arrivals into Malaysia.

As part of the meeting, the overseas directors were informed of new tourism events for 2015 including the International Mask Festival, the International Aborigines Festival, Iftar@KL during Ramadan, and Putrajaya E-Street Festival in conjunction with the Formula E Race. They were also updated of the royal status of the popular Putrajaya Floria event which will now be known as Royal Floria Putrajaya 2015. Perbadanan Putrajaya gave a special presentation on a new tourism product, the China-Malaysia Friendship Garden @Anjung Floria, Precinct 4, Putrajaya, that was built to symbolise the 40th anniversary of good bilateral relations between Malaysia and China.

The members of the meeting also got to explore the new klia2 airport, watched “MUD – Our Story of Kuala Lumpur” a musical theatre show playing at Panggung Bandaraya, and visit Resorts World Genting for updates on the new developments at the resort which included a briefing on the Fox Studios Theme Park.

On the final day of the meeting tomorrow, there will be special sessions with MITSUI group on the upcoming opening of their premium brands outlet near KLIA, KOPPEMA, the Islamic Tourism Centre, and the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

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 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