Tag Archives: Tourism Malaysia

Tourism Malaysia showcased its remarkable achievements in leveraging data to navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and redefine the tourism landscape at the ForwardKeys event during the World Travel Market 2023. Speaking at the event, Mr. Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, Senior Director of AERO at Tourism Malaysia, emphasised the pivotal role of data in charting the course for Malaysia’s tourism revival. “Data has been our guiding light during these challenging times,” he said. “It has been instrumental in not only assessing the readiness for the reopening of tourism but also in shaping our marketing strategies in response to evolving traveller preferences.” Key Messages: Pandemic Recovery through Data: Mr. Yusof highlighted how data-driven insights were crucial in determining the readiness to reopen tourism activities after the Movement Control Order (MCO). Surveys involving the domestic population provided valuable information that shaped guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The surveys revealed a high demand for domestic travel, leading to the staged reopening of tourism activities. For international markets, surveys with overseas tourism stakeholders informed the establishment of travel bubbles and the eventual reopening of international borders on April 1, 2022.   Data-Driven Marketing: The data collected during the pandemic became the cornerstone of Tourism Malaysia’s marketing efforts. It played a pivotal role in developing new marketing narratives for both domestic and international markets. This data was also instrumental in redefining services and product offerings within the tourism sector.   Identifying New Markets: Mr. Yusof underscored the importance of data partnerships with various government agencies and organisations, such as the Department of Statistics, Central Bank of Malaysia (BNM), Immigration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economics (KE), academic institutions, and international bodies. This collaboration …

Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) signed two Memorandums of Cooperation (MoC) with Tourism Malaysia, at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023. The MoC will provide a framework in which Tourism Malaysia will be able to collaborate with SAUDIA through its travel service provider “SAUDIA Holidays” and ultimately drive more tourism to the destination. The mutually beneficial agreement will help further advance SAUDIA’s objectives to strengthen its international presence and bring the world to Saudi Arabia, offering convenient connections and flexibility, increasing tourism to and from the Kingdom and generating greater awareness about Malaysia and its destinations to Saudi residents. This will include a one-year promotion on new products and destinations in Malaysia while Tourism Malaysia will provide 24/7 support and assistance for bookings through “SAUDIA Holidays”. Mrs. Manal Alshehri said: “It was important for us to be able to give more travel opportunities to Saudi nationals and residents to discover new destinations easily, and it is now possible thanks to Tourism Malaysia. We look forward to starting a fruitful with two eminent entities in the tourism industry.” Honourable Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia said: “This collaboration aims to boost the tourism industry and strengthen economic ties between Malaysia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We hope that SAUDIA continues to work together with Tourism Malaysia to promote Malaysia as a fascinating holiday destination, highlighting unique cities such as Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.” The MoC was signed between SAUDIA and Tourism Malaysia which took place at the airline’s stand at ATM, in the presence of Mrs. Manal Alshehri, VP Passenger Sales at SAUDIA and Dato’ Dr. Ammar Abd. Ghapar, Director General Tourism Malaysia.

Tourism Malaysia boost its promotion activities in Iran by participating in the 16th Tehran International Tourism Exhibition (TITEX) which was concluded last week. This provided a platform to reconnect and further develop more partnership in positioning Malaysia as a preferred destination for Iranians. This four-day exhibition features networking sessions between travel experts, tourism and hospitality sectors that are based in Iran. Tourism Malaysiais participation in TITEX this year sees six tourism industry players from Malaysia including travel agensts, hotels and airlines namely BetterBooking Travel & Tour, Toranj Tour and Travel Company, Gulliver Tour and Travel Company, Siahrood Holiday Sdn. Bhd., IOI Cluster Hotels and Air Arabia. Malaysia’s participation in the exhibition provided an avenue for Malaysia tourism industry players to network and solicit for new business with the Iran counterparts. It is also a platform to update industry players of Malaysia’s latest tourism developments and strengthen awareness on Malaysia as an ideal holiday destination for this market. Furthermore, TITEX will also gave visitors an insight to the many exciting packages and to promote some of the country’s latest attractions and destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands and Penang for shopping, family fun and theme parks. Last year’s road show to Tehran which was led by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’ Hj Zainuddin Abdul Wahab in May  2022, together with Malaysian travel trade players and officials validated that Malaysia maintains as one of the top of the mind travel destinations for this region. Tourism Malaysia’s promotion campaign as such is a continuous effort to boost inbound tourism to a greater height in the hope to achieve 15.6 million international tourist arrivals with MYR 47.6 billion in tourism receipts …

As Tourism Malaysia pledges as platinum partner at the fifth edition of the Gulf Travel Show to be held on 28th and 29th September 2022, Rebak Island Resort and Marina from Langkawi joins the tourism board at the show. Tracy Lee – Sales Manager – Rebak Island Resort & Marina, Langkawi shared, “Welcome to your very own private island, surrounded by secluded beaches and vibrant jungles. Accommodation is spread out in chalet blocks with large sea view rooms for couples and spacious suites for families. Honeymooners may enjoy our signature moondeck, private beach front and marina boardwalk thematic dining. Groups or individuals could indulge in our ancient million year old nature trail or take an adventurous hike to our IG ready red rock beach.This property is located 15 minutes by ground transfer from Langkawi Airport to Cenang Terminal followed by a 07 minutes complimentary shared boat ride to Rebak Island. The Middle East market supports 30% of our business, which it is important to us maintain networking with our existing partners and making new ones too.”  

Tourism Malaysia, the promotion board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia, is participating once again in the Arabian Travel Market with the country’s tourism trade partners, to promote Malaysia to the Middle Eastern market. Showcasing the latest attractions and destinations for shopping, family fun, eco-adventure, honeymoons, luxury holidays, Malaysia will also underscore its reputation as a safe travel destination. The prestigious annual event is once again being held at Dubai World Trade Centre, from 9th to 12th May. This year, the Malaysian delegation is led by The Honourable Minister Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia. The Malaysia Pavilion consists of 64 delegates representing 32 organisations, eager to meet key industry buyers from the Middle East. Malaysia reopened its borders to international tourists on 1st April 2022. Commenting, Dato’ Sri Nancy said, “It was indeed a significant milestone for our tourism industry as we welcome more international visitors, first time and returning visitors alike, to further boost our economy. Now that our borders are fully open again, we are confident that we will witness a strong rebound in tourism numbers, to bolster the recovery of our economy. We estimate two million international tourist arrivals this year generating more than RM8.6 billion (AED7.5 billion) in tourism receipts.” Pre-pandemic, in 2019, Malaysia received 397,726 tourists from MENA region. Saudi Arabia was Malaysia’s top market, accounting for 121,444 tourists, more than 30% of arrivals, from the West Asia and North African regions, an 8.2% increase over the previous year. The Malaysian delegation is comprised of hotels and resorts, travel agents, tourism product owners, and representatives from state tourism boards. During the four-day event, they will …

Tourism Malaysia announces its participation at the 2021 edition of the annual Arabian Travel Market (ATM 2021). Set to take place from Sunday, May 16 to Wednesday, May 19 at the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC), the Arabian Travel Market marks Tourism Malaysia’s first physical event since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the importance of the relationship between the two nations for Malaysia’s tourism sector. H.E Ambassador of Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates, Mohd Tarid Bin Sufian, stated, “Malaysia has been one of the strongest supporters of the Arabian Travel Market since its inception. Malaysians share many common cultural and religious ties with the people in the region including in promoting tolerance and unity. Discovering Malaysia would bring people closer together and understanding as exemplified by the leaders of the two countries through the exchange of visits including by the Majesty the King Al Sultan Abdullah of Malaysia and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Prime Minister of Malaysia to the UAE as well as by His Highness Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of Armed Forces of the UAE to Malaysia recently. These cooperation are further bolstered with Malaysia participation in the coming EXPO 2020, where we aimed to further promote tourism, create more business opportunities and boost bilateral relations with the UAE.” He added “When Malaysia opens its borders, it would welcome again visitors by putting in place the new norms for the hospitality industry to comply with relevant SOPs for Covid19 in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the people and visitors alike. See you soon!” Actively supporting the preparations of Tourism Malaysia for the upcoming Arabian Travel …

After the second successfully concluded Gulf Travel Show 2021, Tourism Malaysia held the draw to select a total of 26 winners from media and travel agents that attended the event. The event was held at the Tourism Malaysia Dubai office attended by the officials Shahrin Mokhtar: Director, Mirza Ghalib: Deputy Director, Amir Hanif: Marketing Manager, Felisa Faisal: Marketing Executive and MC for the event Mohamed Lotfy: PR & Communications.

The second edition of the Gulf Travel Show 2021 with Tourism Malaysia as diamond partner ended its first day with over 1,200 meetings and 800 visitors which included travel agents, tour operators, tourism boards, airlines, hotels, travel management companies, international agencies and media. Today, the final day of the show, promises to get bigger and better. San Jeet, Director, DDP group in his welcome message says, “Although this is a virtual show our aim remains the same of connecting people, building relationships and helping them grow their business. We also have 50 industry leaders who are sharing their views on the future trends and the new business model.” Some of the key highlights of the day included panel discussions with renowned personalities in the industry. Ambassador WTTC, Gerald Lawless, kicked off an insightful session on the New Era of hospitality with Raki Phillips – CEO RAKTDA, Tim Cordon – Area Senior Vice President Middle East and Africa Radisson Hotel Group, Marc Descrozaille  COO – Middle East & Africa Region: Gulf (excl. KSA) and Sub-Saharan Africa Accor and Alexander Suski – Commercial and Business Development Director  – ISHRAQ Dubai LLC. Tourism Malaysia conducted two very interesting sessions about rediscovering their destination under two different topics. The first was Discover the Hidden Gems of Malaysia moderated by              Razaidi Abd Rahim, Director, Tourism Malaysia India / Chennai with Thilakavathy Munusamy – Sales & Marketing Director -Legoland Malaysia Resort, Steve Woon, Senior Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Lexis Hotel Group and Yunus Sampeh, General Manager, Borneo Trails Tours and Travel. The second was based on Discover the Hidden Gems of Malaysia moderated by Amir Muhammad Hanif, Marketing Manager, Tourism Malaysia – Dubai Office with …

The inaugural virtual press conference was held on the opening day at the Gulf Travel Show 2021 conducted by Tourism Malaysia. It started off with the promotional video for Malaysia Truly Asia, which transported you virtually from pristine beaches to amazing nature getaways, cultural splendor at Sarawak village, street food and fine dining options, theme parks with the longest water slide, and the famous Petronas tower describing the breathtaking destination of Malaysia. Mohamed Lotfy – PR & Communications from Tourism Malaysia Dubai office welcomed the media and introduced the speakers for the press conference. Opening remarks were made by Manoharan Periasamy – Senior Director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division – Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, greeted the Middle East and Indian media for their presence. “It is good to connect with all of you for the first time from Middle East and India together at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show. We participated in November 2020 for the first time at the Gulf Travel Show and due to the positive feedback received from the travel trade we pledged our support as a diamond partner at this second edition with 10 selected partners from Malaysia showcasing their many offerings for two whole days. It is a great opportunity to be with the industry players from Middle East and India as they are two of the key source markets; Middle East in top 5 and India in top 10. For this year, we are promoting the hashtag  #WeMissYou to the market indicating that we miss the tourists coming to our beautiful country and can’t wait to see them again at the Malaysian shore soon. Malaysia has already placed strict …

Tourism Malaysia pledged partnership for the second consecutive time at the second edition of the Gulf Travel Show on 31st March and 1st April 2021 as diamond partners. Tourism Malaysia will have its own pavilion with 13 booths consisting of Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Tourism Malaysia Jeddah, Tourism Malaysia India with 3 DMC/Tour Operator partners, and 7 hotels and resorts from different areas in the country. This platform will allow them to share the necessary precautions that they have implemented to ensure the safety of all travellers that will come when the borders open. Manoharan Periasamy, Senior Director of International Promotion Asia & Africa Division – Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board said, “India and Middle East market has been a key source market for us mainly due to the historical and traditional ties we have with them. Summer has always been a key Middle East market driver as we receive many travellers during this period whilst the month of May is the peak for Indian tourists. Over the past year, the pandemic however did hinder the situation, but now we are preparing once again to welcome our friends from India and the Middle East to a safer destination that would provide them what they require in terms of a secure, family-friendly holiday escape. Our partnership for the second consecutive time with the virtual event Gulf Travel Show provides us the opportunity to renew partnerships and seek new connections that will help us when the time is right.” Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Dubai shared, “Tourism Malaysia Dubai, Jeddah & India join forces with major tourism partners to spearhead Malaysia promotion in Virtual Gulf Travel Show 2021. Tourism Malaysia has become …