MUMBAI, 21 Feb 2017: The 2017 edition of Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) was launched in Mumbai today. The event was jointly inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia.

Held annually, OTM is India’s leading travel show focused on outbound travel. It is well-timed to coincide with the start of the peak outbound season and is one of the most popular platforms for marketing to the Indian travel trade, MICE segment and tourists.

The Malaysia delegation is led by YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Tourism Malaysia, state representatives and members of the Malaysian travel trade.

Speaking at OTM, Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri said, "India is a major contributor to tourism in Malaysia. In fact, it is the sixth top tourist generating market for us. In 2015, we had 722,141 Indian visitors and from January to October 2016 we had 540, 530 Indian tourists. This year we hope to achieve 1 million arrivals from the Indian market."

He added, “Our marketing and promotion strategies for this year are to focus on sustainable tourism and the wonderful niche products that Malaysia offers to the Indian market.”

UNWTO has designated 2017 as the “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development” and Malaysia is keen to promote its four UNESCO Heritage Sites, namely, Kinabalu National Park in Sabah, Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak, Melaka and George Town cities and the archaeological heritage site of the Lenggong Valley.

With niche tourism on the rise, Malaysia is also pushing its special interest packages for premium shopping, luxury travels, sports tourism such as golf, and Malaysia as a wedding and honeymoon destination.

At OTM, Tourism Malaysia will also organise various programmes for travel trade players to meet up and network among themselves, providing Malaysia’s tourism industry players the opportunity to strengthen ties with their Indian counterparts.

During his visit, the Honourable Minister will also inaugurate the brand new Tourism Malaysia office in Mumbai at the Bandra Kurla Complex. The office has been relocated to be closer to the immigration and visa offices to make obtaining travel information to Malaysia even more convenient for the Indian tourist.

OTM 2017, from 21 to 23 February, is held in Mumbai, the largest outbound market and the main business hub in India. It is expected to attract close to 1,500 exhibitors from 61 countries and 35 Indian State/UTs, and about 200,000 visitors, making it one of the most important travel events in India.

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. 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 2015, Malaysia registered 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM69.1 billion in receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

Press contact:

Media Relations Unit:

Mohd Libra Lee Haniff, Deputy Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: mohdlibra@tourism.gov.my

Editorial Unit:

Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my