GEORGE TOWN, PENANG, 10 May 2015: Tourism Malaysia Penang has partnered with Penang Global Tourism to promote the Pearl of the Orient as an attractive golf tourism destination with the organizing of the 1st Penang International Golf Tourism Challenge 2015.

The tournament, which takes place on 10 May at the Penang Golf Club, sees 110 golfers from Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea and Japan taking part. Joining the ranks of sponsors for this tournament are corporations such as DRB HICOM, Public Gold, Star Cruises, Firefly, Malaysia Airlines, Garuda Indonesia, Dragon Air and Hop on Holidays Sdn Bhd.

Penang has always been known as a food, culture and heritage paradise. Not only has it been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, but Lonely Planet, the well-known authority on travel, has listed Penang as the top food destination in 2014. With the smart-partnership between Tourism Malaysia Penang and Penang Global Tourism to promote golf, the island paradise is set to welcome more golfers to experience an exciting combination of sun, sea, food, culture and golf.

Background on golf tourism in Malaysia

Golf tourism has been one of the main agendas of Tourism Malaysia, which started promoting golf tourism more than 20 years ago with its home-grown event, World Amateur Inter-Team Golf Championship (WAITGC).

For its initiatives in promoting and developing the golf tourism industry, the tourism board was recognized by IAGTO, the global golf tourism association, with a Diamond Award in April 2015. IAGTO cited Tourism Malaysia’s support for the establishment of the Malaysia Golf Tourism Association (MGTA) as being a key driver for the industry.

Last November, Malaysia was also recognized as the Best Golf Destination in Asia at the World Golf Awards held in Portugal. Today, Malaysia is the host of four major international-class golf tournaments every year, namely the EuroAsia Cup, Maybank Malaysia Open, Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia and CIMB Classic.

All these efforts have borne fruit for Malaysia with RM312 million golf tourism revenue recorded in 2014 compared to RM305 million golf tourism revenue in 2013.

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.

Malaysia celebrated 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:
Corporate Communications and Media Relations 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