KUALA LUMPUR, 26 AUGUST 2019:A total of 25social media influencers and key opinion leaders from nine ASEAN countries are taking part in the Malaysia-ASEAN Tourism Influencers Key Opinion Leaders Programme(MAIKOL) from 26 August until 1 September 2019. The initiative is an effort to leverage on regional social media influencers and their fan-base to promote tourist destinations in Malaysia, especially as a build-up to the Visit Malaysia 2020 promotion campaign.

Organised for the first time, the programme is a mix of sightseeing, hands-on activities and self-explorationby the influencers to provide a well-rounded experience of Malaysia and showcase some of the destination’s hidden touristic gems. In line with the theme of this event, “Unforgettable Experience in Malaysia,” Malaysia’s unique experiences, high quality and value-for-money productsand services will be highlighted to showcase the many possible holiday ideas and activities in Malaysia.

Ybrs. Encik Zulkifly Md Said, Deputy Director General (Planning) Tourism Malaysia says, “We are excited to follow theparticipants’ adventures and experiences throughout the programme on their social media platforms. From the sharing and re-posting of their entries, weanticipate to gain between 2 million and 4 million audience reach as the outcome of MAIKOL.”

Participants will travel in separate groups to explore all 13 states in Malaysia. The group will also witness Malaysia’s Independence Day celebration in Putrajaya on 31 August.

It is anticipated that 30 to 40 stories will be generated by the participants, consisting of feature articles, postings, live feeds and stories on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and blogs.

Fully utilising the power of social media, hashtags such as #MalaysiaTrulyAsia, #VM2020 and #MAIKOL2019 will be used throughout the programme to gain more traction for the publicity.

Key to the success of this programme is the partnerships between Tourism Malaysia and the private sectors. AirAsia and Sunway Group, as principal airline and venue sponsors of the programme respectively, have come together to provide strong support.

AirAsia Regional Commercial Head Amanda Woo says,“AirAsia as a truly Asean airline is excited to be onboard for this programme. With our network across 10 Aseancountries and beyond, now everyone can visit Malaysia. Our strong domestic network also allow visitors to travel interstate conveniently. As we approach Visit Malaysia 2020, we hope to continue working closely with Tourism Malaysia and other stakeholders to drive Malaysia’s tourism growth and to connect Malaysia with the world.”

Chief Executive Officer of Sunway Malls and Theme Parks, H.C. Chan says, “We are delighted to support Tourism Malaysia's effort in promoting Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020. We hope this campaign will further drive tourist arrivals into Malaysia, boosting the tourism industry of our nation. Ultimately, this will also benefit the many attractions in Malaysia such as our vibrant Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, which houses the nation's first theme park Sunway Lagoon, one of the largest shopping malls in Malaysia, Sunway Pyramid, 5-star Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa and more.”

Meanwhile, state tourism stakeholders, hoteliers and tourism product owners have also stepped forward to collaborate on this programme and ensure its success. (Kindly see attachment for full list of sponsors).

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.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

For press information, contact:

Muadz Samat Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division muadz@tourism.gov.my Tel: +603 8891 8755

About AirAsia

AirAsia, the world’s leading low-cost carrier, services an extensive network of over 150 destinations across Asia Pacific. Since starting operations in 2001, AirAsia has carried more than 500 million guests and grown its fleet from just two aircraft to over 200. The airline is proud to be a truly Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) airline with established operations based in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines as well as India and Japan, servicing a network stretching across Asia, Australia, the Middle East and the US. AirAsia has been named the World’s Best Low-Cost Airline at the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards 11 times in a row from 2009 to 2019. AirAsia was also awarded World's Leading Low-Cost Airline for the sixth consecutive year at the 2018 World Travel Awards, where it also won the World's Leading Low-Cost Airline Cabin Crew award for a second straight year. Follow AirAsia on Facebook (AirAsia), Twitter (@AirAsia), Instagram (@airasia), YouTube (AirAsia), Weibo (@????) and WeChat (????).

About Sunway City Kuala Lumpur

Sunway City Kuala Lumpur is a premier lifestyle destination with a vast array of entertainment, leisure and lifestyle attractions seamlessly integrated across 800 acres offering all-inclusive convenience. It hosts events and festivities galore throughout the year, and in conjunction with the National Day, Sunway seeks to further promote unity among Malaysians with a common favourite factor, food. The campaign has started with the launch of Sunway's first Augmented Reality mobile game "Jom Makan ‘Em All" (available on Facebook Filter) and will end with an activation event at the ArtboxMalaysia at Sunway City Kuala Lumpur on September 13, 2019.