TOURISM MALAYSIA PROMOTES MYFest 2015 IN KOLKATA

TOURISM MALAYSIA PROMOTES MYFest 2015 IN KOLKATA

Kolkata: Tourism Malaysia has launched Malaysia Year of Festivals (MYFest) 2015 with the theme ‘Endless Celebrations’ to showcase and celebrate the country’s bountiful and diverse cultures and festivities as a tourist attraction. With the Proboscis Monkey as the mascot, the MyFest 2015 campaign will continue to boost the tourism sector and ensure that the Malaysian tourism industry remains robust

after the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign. This year promises abundance of excitement with a long line up of cultural themed events, family fun events, shopping festivals and lots more in Malaysia.

As part of its efforts to raise awareness on the celebration of MYFest 2015 in India, Tourism Malaysia has embarked on a Sales Mission from February 9 until February 17. Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General (Planning) Dato’ AzizanNoordin is leading the delegation to Kolkata. He is accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, State representatives and members of the travel trade fraternity. While the primary objective of the Sales Mission is to strengthen Malaysia’s standing as a dream travel destination and increase tourist arrivals from India, Dato Azizan Noordin is also looking forward to driving strong support from both the Indian media, travel trade and airlines fraternity for the ongoingMYFest 2015.

“India has always been an important market for us; the sixth top tourist generating market to the country. And the numbers continue to be encouraging. Until October 2014, we have registered 6,43,335 Indian tourists, which is a 20.7%, increase for the same period last year (5,32,964). This year we are expecting to welcome to 800,000 Indian guests,” said Dato’ Azizan.

“In MyFEST 2015, the year-long calendar is packed with festivities of every genre; for instance cultural festivals, shopping extravanganzas, international acclaimed events, eco-tourism events, arts, music showcases, food promotion and other themed events. With 165 direct flights from various destinations in India per week, coming to Malaysia has become very convenient and we are hopeful of our Indian guests staying longer in order to enjoy the festival offerings nationwide”, added Dato’ Azizan.

During the Sales Mission in Kolkata, Tourism Malaysia will also organise a travel mart for the travel trade players to meet and network. This is a platform to showcase Malaysia’s diverse tourism offerings and highlight the scope for collaboration between travel agents in Malaysia and India.

The Sales Mission also aims to strengthen the presence of Malaysia in the South Asian market, and to keep India’s travel trade, media and corporate sector updated on the current issues and tourism development in Malaysia, especially during the MYFest campaign.

Malaysia’s tourism sector continued to be a significant contributor to the country’s economy in 2014. Tourist arrivals grew by 9.6% to 22.8 million compared to 20.8 million or the same period in 2013.  MYFest 2015 is expected to see around 29.4 million tourists visiting the country and generating receipts up to RM89 billion.

 From Kolkata, the Sales Mission will move to Mumbai, Chennai and will conclude in Hyderabad.  

MAJOR RECOGNITIONS/ACCOLADES IN 2010 - 2015

1.            Asia’s Best Golf Destination 2014’at the World Golf Awards 2014

2.            Best Family Destination (2014) at the Lonely Planet Travel Awards 2014

3.            No. 10 in Lonely Planet Best in Travel 2014

·         The only Asian country to have made the list.

4.            CNN’s World’s 100 best beaches (2013)–  Perhentian Kecil island, Terengganu (No.13), Juara Beach in Tioman Island, Pahang (No.21), and TanjungRhu in Langkawi, Kedah (No.49) – compiled from various sources (travellers, colleagues, readers, on-site visits and research).

5.            1^st Prize – UNWTO Ulysses Award 2012 – for  Innovation in Public Policy and Governance for Malaysia Homestay Experience Programme

6.            Kuala Lumpur – 4^th – Best Shopping City in the World (2012 & 2013) through a surveydoneby global newsnetwork – CNN

7.            2^nd Best Shopping Destination in Asia PacificbyGlobe Shopper Index – Oct 2012 - createdbythe Economist Intelligence Unit.

8.            No. 1 – World’s Top Muslim-Friendly Holiday Destination

·           A survey by Crescentrating – Singapore-based Muslim travel consultancy – released on 16 Jan 2013.

9.            No. 4 – 2015 World’s Top Retirement Havensby Internationalliving.com – annual global retirement index 2015.

10.        10^thWorld’sFriendliest Countries 2012byForbes Online, based on HSBC’sExpat Explorer Survey.

11.        12^thmostcompetitiveeconomy in theworldfordoingbusinessbased on World Bank’s  “Doing Business” Report (2013 edition).

12.        No. 7 – Top 10 Meetings Destination in Asia Pacific (KL – No. 5) – according to  International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Rankings 2011:

13.        Kuala Lumpur – World’sNo. 3 lowcostcity

14.        Asia’s Leading Sports Tourism Destination and Asia’s Leading City Destination

at the World Travel Awards 2011

15.        One of the world’s top ten countries for 2010by Lonely Planet in its “Best in Travel 2010”.

16.        One of the “Best Value Destinations for 2010” – (after New York, London & Tokyo) by Lonely Planet.

17.        Kuala Lumpur – one of 31 places to visit in 2010by New York Times

18.        2^nd place for Best International Tourism Destination (2009 & 2010) – by Global Traveler magazine, in US, in their annual Global Traveler Tested Awards. 

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).

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.