UTRECHT, 12 JANUARY 2024 – Tourism Malaysia, through its office in The Hague, is steadfast in its enduring dedication to present Malaysia to the Dutch market by participating in the 53rd edition of the Vakantiebeurs Holiday Fair.

This event is scheduled to take place from the 10th to the 14th of January 2024 at Jaarbeurs, Utrecht, Netherlands. Collaborating with co-exhibitors Sabah Tourism Board, Mike Bikes, and local tour operators Pangea Travel and Reisbrigade, Tourism Malaysia aims to promote Malaysia as a premier holiday destination for Vakantiebeurs visitors.

Vakantiebeurs stands as the largest travel event in the Netherlands, drawing over 60,000 visitors annually. With a dedicated trade day and four consumer days, the fair provides an excellent platform for engaging with the local travel industry and inspiring consumers in their quest for the next holiday destination.

This significant visitor turnout offers an invaluable opportunity to elevate Malaysia as a preferred and safe destination among Dutch travellers.

Throughout the Vakantiebeurs fair, Malaysian food sampling and captivating cultural performances are organised to attract and engage visitors.

Focused on showcasing Malaysia's commitment to ecotourism and sustainable tourism, Tourism Malaysia will present existing and new tourism products and destinations, emphasising the country's rich biodiversity and vibrant local communities. The three highlighted niche tourism segments include Malaysia birdwatching packages, houseboat packages, and archaeotourism and geotourism packages.

The featured destinations are Perlis, Endau Rompin, and, in collaboration with the Sabah Tourism Board, the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark. The recognition of the Kinabalu UNESCO Global Geopark positions Sabah as the third place in the world to have a UNESCO triple crown site.

On the trade day, Tourism Malaysia booth was officiated by H.E. Roseli Abdul, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of the Netherlands attended over 80 industry partners, including airlines, tour operators, travel agents, and travel media.

In his speech, the H.E. Ambassador mentioned, "Netherlands is one of Malaysia's essential markets from Europe after the UK, Germany, France, and Russia. From January to October 2023, Malaysia received 58,014 tourists from the Netherlands. We are confident that we can restore Dutch tourists' arrivals, average length of stay, and spending in Malaysia to pre-pandemic levels."

Tourism Malaysia has set a target to welcome 27.3 million tourist arrivals and generate RM102.7 billion in revenue for the year 2024 and gearing up to Visit Malaysia Year in 2026. The next Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) has been set for 2026, and the government has targeted 35.6 million foreign tourist arrivals.

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About Tourism Malaysia

Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as 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.

The next Visit Malaysia Year, set to take place in 2026, will commemorate the sustainability of the nation's tourism industry, which is also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG).

Furthermore, Tourism Malaysia actively endorses the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), working towards the realisation of the IMT-GT Visiting Year 2023-2025, with the shared aim of promoting the region as a unified tourism destination. For more information, visit Tourism Malaysia’s social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.

For enquiries, please contact:

Said Zulkifli Said Ahmad
Assistant Director
International Promotion Division
(Americas/Europe/Oceania)
saidzulkifli@tourism.gov.my
Tel: +603 8891 8367