LONDON, 3 November 2014 – Tourism Malaysia is launching the Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015 (MyFEST) at this year’s highly prestigious World Travel Market (WTM) 2014 in London.

“World Travel Market, being one of the leading travel trade events in Europe, is the perfect platform to promote MyFEST. It is a continuation of Visit Malaysia Year 2014, and intends to give visitors a magical holiday experience with a special emphasis on the various festivals celebrated by Malaysia’s multicultural society,” says Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism and Culture Secretary General, Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng, who heads the Malaysian delegation to WTM on behalf of the Minister of Tourism & Culture, the Hon. Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz.

To kickstart the promotion of MyFEST in Europe, a total of 100 double decker buses and 200 taxis will ply London’s famous routes this November sporting full-body exterior wraps featuring some of Malaysia’s beautiful and iconic landmarks and landscapes, along with the MyFEST logo. A similar campaign will be launched in International Tourisme Bourse (ITB), Berlin in March 2015.

Online advertising channels will also be initiated via the i-Tourism Travel Buddy Mobile app, which will promote the VMY and MyFEST campaigns, as well as tourist destinations in Malaysia, through Google, Yahoo! and Bing search engines. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Mobile Ads as well as E-Mail blasting (EDM) will also be utilised for MyFEST promotions in Europe.

The WTM is also the platform to launch a 60 second vignette on Malaysia. It is a sneak preview of a special two-episode documentary called Exploring Malaysia, hosted by musician and world traveller Nick Saxon and naturalist Nick Baker, which is due to be aired on the National Geographic Channel early next year.

While in London, Tourism Malaysia will also be participating in the Lord Mayor Show 2014 parade, happening on 8 November. The 2.8km parade celebrates the appointment of London’s new mayor, Mr. Allan Yarrow, who was born in Malaya 60 years ago before the formation of Malaysia.

The parade presents a unique opportunity to promote Malaysia, as over half a million people are expected to witness the event, with coverage from over 55 local newspapers such as the Financial Times, Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Evening Standard, and many others. There will also be an exclusive 90-minute broadcast by BBC, which has a viewership of over 2 million people.

Datuk Dr Ong will also host a ‘Malaysia Night’ cocktail dinner, to thank the participants of the WTM 2014, Europe travel trade and media for their contribution and support to the Malaysian tourism industry.

Background info:

This is the 31st time that Tourism Malaysia is participating in the WTM since its inception in 1983. The WTM is the primary business-to-business travel platform for the European market, where European tour operators can meet and liaise with their global counterparts. Last year, a total of 4,400 tour operators participated in the exhibition, which attracted over 45,000 visitors. 

The Malaysian delegation consists of a well-rounded and extensive representation of Malaysia’s tourism industry with a total of 160 participants from 55 organisations, comprising of state tourism authorities, hotels, tour operators, Malaysia Airlines and product owners.

The United Kingdom is one Malaysia’s top ten tourist generating market. Last year, the UK market brought in a total of 413,472 tourists to the country, which was an increase of 2.8% compared to 402,207 tourists which came in 2012.

For more information, please contact:-

Tourism Malaysia
Datin Normasila Musa,
America, Europe and Oceania Division
Tel: 03 – 8891 8350
E-mail: normasila@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 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