KUALA LUMPUR, 18 February 2016 – The Minister of Tourism and Culture Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and senior officials of the ministry are meeting at the Tourism Malaysia Directors Retreat 2016 for their annual consultations. The retreat kicked off on 16 Feb at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) for three days and will continue in Melaka from 19 to 21 Feb.

It involves overseas directors, state directors, marketing officers of Tourism Malaysia, and representatives from its overseas PR Agencies. The retreat aims to coordinate Tourism Malaysia’s marketing efforts in promoting the country’s tourism in 2016 to achieve its target of 30.5 million tourist arrivals and RM103 billion in receipts.

Programmes during the retreat 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.

The meeting also presented members with the latest updates on Malaysia’s tourism development and tourism products, current performance, ongoing promotional efforts, marketing strategies and also activities to be carried out on a global scale.

In his keynote address, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri urged overseas offices to look for creative ways to collaborate or forge smart partnerships with the travel trade players, and work closely with the media, including the social media community, to boost tourist arrivals to Malaysia, particularly in the light of the current economic situation.

With Tourism Malaysia’s new advertising and promotional campaign to be rolled out soon, along with various upcoming tourist attractions, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri is confident that the country is in good standing to achieve its target for 2016.

Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri also officially announced and launched Tourism Malaysia’s new consumer and corporate websites today. The websites are in line with Tourism Malaysia’s continuous efforts to improve and move forward to cater to the needs of consumers and travellers. It reflects Tourism Malaysia’s emphasis on digital marketing and it is also to keep up with the development of information technology and social media.

The objective of the rebranding is to push forward its consumer website with a new URL (www.malaysia.travel) and differentiate it from its corporate website (www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my).

“I believe this rebranding exercise will help lift Tourism Malaysia’s online status to the next level and promote the country’s tourism more efficiently and effectively,” said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri.

Tourism Malaysia’s consumer website was introduced in 1998. It has gone through several improvements, and the last time was in 2013. Last year, it recorded 11.6 million visits, which was an increase of 110.9% against 5.5 million in 2014. Its pageviews increased by 10.6%, from 11.3 million to 12.5 million.

The website has also garnered a few accolades, namely Agency of the Year Award for Best Web Design and Digital Innovation Award for Most Engaging Website, both by Lonely Planet Magazine India Travel Awards 2014. It was also listed in the ‘20 Best Design Tourism Websites in the World’.

Tourism Malaysia’s corporate website is a collaborative project between its Information Technology Management Division and Corporate Communication Division. The new corporate website is easy to navigate, and has a modern, elegant, and responsive design. It is also accessible from portable devices. In addition, it also provides an online registration for travel trade players to register their interest in participating in Tourism Malaysia’s events. This is an effort to strengthen the relationship and cooperation between the public and private sectors in promoting the country’s tourism.

“All these efforts are carried out to ensure the continuous growth of Malaysia’s tourism industry and that it remains resilient in the face of various challenges, both at home and globally. It is also to ensure that we will be able to achieve our tourism target for 2020,” said Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri.

On 17 Feb, members of the meeting attended the Malaysia Tourism Awards 2014/2015 at PWTC, and they are scheduled to visit Freeport A’Famosa Outlet in Melaka on 19 Feb, besides enjoying a cruise and a guided heritage walk on 21 Feb. Representatives from PR Agencies will also get to visit Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA on 21 Feb and watch the musical theatre ‘MUD: Our Story of Kuala Lumpur’ and visit Sunway Lagoon Theme Park the next day.

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.

Through the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area), 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 and achieve the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020.

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 Relations Unit:

Shukri Hanafiah, Senior Deputy Director, Corporate Communication Division

Tel: +603-8891 8767

Email: shukrihanafiah@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:

Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division

Tel: +603-8891 8759

Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my