SHANGHAI, 24 November 2014: Tourism Malaysia was invited to promote the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme in Shanghai, China, recently to a niche clientele of Bank of China who represent some of the city’s top business people. Mr. Tan Yang Thai, Consul-General of Malaysian Consulate-General in Shanghai was also invited to attend the summit.

Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, delivered a presentation on the benefits of becoming a MM2H participant at the MM2H National Summit organised by Bank of China, citing Malaysia’s sound living environment, quality lifestyle, friendly citizens and politically stable environment as the backbone of the programme.

She said, “As a country with Malaysian Chinese accounting for 24% of its population and with well-preserved Chinese culture, Malaysia makes an ideal environment for Chinese participants to easily integrate into the local society.”

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 dependants. The MM2H visit pass is initially issued for a period of ten years, and is renewable thereafter.

Between January and September 2014, the total number of MM2H participants stands at 2,506, with China participants recording 47.1% of the share (1,180 participants), making it the top ranking country in the 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