Tag Archives: Malaysia

The fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show kicked off with a special press conference with Mohamed Amirul Rizal, Senior Deputy Director, International Promotion (Asia Africa) Division Tourism Malaysia chairing the press conference. In his opening remarks he welcomed the media for attending the event sharing that this is the fifth consecutive time that Tourism Malaysia participated as Platinum partner with the Gulf Travel Show to network with the travel agents and tour operator partners in the Middle East, especially in the GCC. He also thanked everyone for their dedication and commitment to make Malaysia top of mind destination in the region. He reiterated that entry requirements to Malaysia are now eased, and you can travel hassle free to explore the destination. It is no longer necessary to have pre-departure nor on arrival PCR tests nor have a special covid insurance etc. Instead, he stated that Malaysia is hassle free and everyone is welcome to travel without any quarantine or testing as their vaccination drive including children and retirees hit over 86% hence after two years of stringent border controls now it is time to explore the destination which has a lot more to offer to guests especially from the Middle East/ GCC countries. Connectivity is of utmost importance for all destinations, sharing his thoughts on this, “we work with our airline partners such as, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways etc, at present we are looking at further strengthening our network with SAUDIA, Egypt Air and Air Arabia to have more connectivity to our destination from the Middle East. After the pandemic and the borders opened we received about 23,000 visitors from the Middle East from 1st April 2022, however, we …

For the fifth consecutive time Tourism Malaysia joins the Gulf Travel Show 5.0, this time as Platinum partner. The event is set to kick off on 28th and 29th September 2022 under the theme of sustainable tourism. Gulf Travel Show (GTS) is the only event which was built in with a purpose. When it first started out just after the pandemic whilst most borders were still closed, it gave the travel, tourism and hospitality fraternity an opportunity to ensure that confidence is restored in the minds of the people passionate about the industry. It was also a tool which connected online GCC buyers with exhibitors from across the globe. The fifth edition or GTS 5.0 demonstrates its commitment to uphold its social responsibility to ensure less carbon emissions yet bring all players to the table and learn and study the stakes, the many opportunities to make things right after a bout of almost two and a half years of pandemic era. Mirza Ghalib – Deputy Director, Tourism Malaysia – Dubai, “Malaysia is thrilled to welcome back Middle East tourists to visit and experience our country again. It is a timely opportunity for us to network with travel agents and tour operator partners from the Gulf region. As the platinum partner of GTS 5.0, Tourism Malaysia is having its own virtual pavilion with 15 booths of Malaysian delegates consisting of tour operator partners, hotels, and product owners.” Some of the partners from Tourism Malaysia expressed their comments as well. Sam Poh Choo, Director of Business Development & Marketing, The Taaras Beach Resort & Spa and Berjaya Tioman Resort “We look forward to creating awareness in the Middle East market for The …

Malaysia has officially reopened its borders to international tourists starting 1st April 2022. Targeting to attract more than 2 million international tourists this year, Tourism Malaysia, the promotional board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), will embark on a continuous effort to showcase the country’s unique blend of “Truly Asia” heritage to the Middle East and the world. Earlier during the pandemic, Tourism Malaysia launched the campaign #WeMissYou, which was targeted at the Middle East region to invoke feelings of nostalgia among travellers on the magnificent attractions that Malaysia has to offer. Recently, Tourism Malaysia participated in the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022, where it signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Dubai-based Emirates Airline as part of the recovery and development of traffic to Malaysia from key markets across the airline’s network. Through this strategic agreement, Tourism Malaysia will work with Emirates to explore mutually beneficial initiatives that will drive tourism into Malaysia, and offer Emirates more opportunities to serve the market, which include familiarisation trips, workshops, seminars, digital campaigns, in-flight marketing campaigns and other marketing programs. The mission’s goal at the ATM is to re-establish and strengthen the region’s commitment to good tourist cooperation, future partnerships and better cooperation with the travel and tourism industry. Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Malaysia’s Tourism Arts and Culture Minister said: “We will continue to place strong emphasis and focus on the Middle Eastern market in terms of outbound tourism. Hence, we will be stepping up our promotional efforts here. “It is indeed a huge relief for the tourism industry as we welcome more international tourists, newcomers and regulars alike, to further boost our economy. Therefore, we hope for …

Tourism Malaysia has outlined its ambitious plans for growth today during an event held at Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2019 in Dubai. The organisation’s participation is designed to support the objectives of the Visit Malaysia 2020 initiative, which aims to attract more than 30 million tourists and around AED 89 billion in tourist receipts. More than 50 representatives from key stakeholders in Malaysia’s travel and hospitality sectors have travelled to the UAE for the event, where they showcased the latest news and updates on the country’s tourism offerings. The GCC remains a key market for inbound tourism to Malaysia, with total arrivals from West Asia standing at 315,733 during 2018, an increase of 25% on the previous year. The number of visitors from Saudi Arabia increased by 11.7%, while UAE travellers increased by 9.7%. Oman recorded the biggest rise in visitor numbers, at 36.9%. During the same period, visitors from the region contributed more than around AED 2.7 billion to Malaysia’s economy, with tourism receipts rising by 33% compared to 2017. Travellers from GCC countries also recorded the highest average expenditure per person, with visitors from Saudi Arabia spending around AED 10,300, United Arab Emirates around AED 8,300, Oman around AED 7,500, and Kuwait around AED 7,400. Y B Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Malaysia commented, “It is particularly relevant for us to be here during the national Year of Tolerance, which highlights the common values of our two countries by emphasising on the importance of diversity and harmonious coexistence. We look forward to further building on our shared legacy of cultural exchange and extend a warm invitation to travellers from the Middle East to …

Standard Chartered and Hotels.com launched a three-year global strategic alliance that offers Standard Chartered credit cardholders in five countries up to 12% off on hotel bookings around the world on Hotels.com. The alliance will cover the UAE, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. Hotels.com offers hundreds of thousands of properties in more than 200 countries. Neil Daswani, Global Head of Corporate Partnerships, Retail Banking, at Standard Chartered said: “Our clients like to travel well and travel smart – this partnership gives them access to an enormous number of properties and value-for-money deals with a recognised global travel leader.” Abhiram Chowdhry, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Latin America for Hotels.com brand said: “With its well-established position as a premium bank across many Asia Pacific markets, Standard Chartered has a huge base of clients with a strong interest in travel. Our goal is to help streamline their travel planning by enabling the best travel booking experience, including access to useful travel information, great offers and a wide variety of lodging and accommodation options.”