KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Dec 2014 – Tourism Malaysia organised a series of Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) seminars in Japan from 23 to 30 November 2014. The Malaysian delegation was led by Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, the chairman of Tourism Malaysia, and she was accompanied by the Deputy Secretary General (Management) of the Ministry of Tourism & Culture Malaysia, Dr. Junaida Lee Abdullah, as well as several officials from the Malaysian Immigration Department. Also present were the representatives of the Sabah Tourism Promotion Board, the Malaysian Health Care Centre, and eight MM2H agencies.

The seminar was held in Okayama city on 23 November, followed by Kokura and Kyushu the following day. A total of 300 participants attended the event in each city. On November 27, the seminar was held in Sapporo, with a total of 700 participants, and then again in Tokyo on 29 November with 600 participants. During the seminars, Tourism Malaysia promoted the country as a retirement haven that is safe and politically stable with high standards of living. Malaysia’s tourist destinations and the upcoming Malaysia Year of Festivals, (MyFEST) 2015 were also highlighted.

As part of the seminars also, Tourism Malaysia cooperated with local travel agencies to introduce the ‘MM2H Inspection Tour Package’ to Malaysia. The package is a 5 days 4 nights tour to Malaysia, which includes an MM2H seminar organised by the Ministry of Tourism & Culture and Tourism Malaysia at the Malaysian Tourism Centre (MATIC), Kuala Lumpur on 5 March 2015. A total of 30 bookings have been made from the four cities involved.

Tourism Malaysia received a courtesy visit by the President of Sanyo newspaper as well as an interview in Okayama, while in Kokura, Tourism Malaysia was interviewed by Mainichi newspaper. The Hokkaido  Shimbun newspaper also took this opportunity to interview Tourism Malaysia during the seminar in Sapporo, while in Tokyo, New Straits Times newspaper, BS TBS network, and online media Cheer Up! English also interviewed Tourism Malaysia. Among the topics discussed during the interview session included the country’s security, political stability, as well as the lifestyles and cultural variety of the Malaysian people.

During the promotion in Tokyo on 29 November, Tourism Malaysia and 15 other MM2H-related private companies participated in the “Japan Long Stay Fair” hosted by the Japan Long Stay Foundation, which received 10,000 visitors.

BACKGROUND INFO:

The MM2H programme is a long term stay visa programme to attract participants from all over the world to live and invest in Malaysia upon retirement. It is an initiative by the Malaysian government and allows foreigners who meet certain criteria to stay in Malaysia on a multiple-entry social visit pass. Applicants are allowed to bring their spouse and unmarried children as dependents. The MM2H visit pass is initially issued for a period of ten years, and is renewable thereafter.

Japan recorded the highest number of MM2H participants for two years in a row, in 2011 and 2012. Statistics show that until September this year, Japan was in second place after China, with a total of 3,491 participants since the programme was introduced in 2002.

According to studies by the Japan Long Stay Foundation, Malaysia has been the top choice for long term holidays by the Japanese people for 8 years in a row since 2006.

While Japanese retirees remain the target market for MM2H due to their encouraging response, the youth market has also started to show an interest in this programme.

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