The race to woo more tourists.

18th March, 2013

The race to woo more tourists.

KUALA LUMPUR: WITH the 15th edition of the Formula 1 Grand Prix taking place from Friday to Sunday, Tourism Malaysia  is set to take advantage of the spike in tourist arrivals to embark on another promotional blitz. The 1Malaysia Grand Prix Sale, launched at the Pavilion in Jalan Bukit Bintang here recently, features 23 days of shopping mania with great discounts and promotions at participating outlets until April 7.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who launched the event, said she was proud of the fact that last year Malaysia received some 25 million tourists who spent RM60.6 million, of which shopping contributed 30.7 per cent (or RM18.56 million) of the total tourism revenue. "The 1Malaysia Grand Prix Sale is one of the promotional activities in the run-up to Visit Malaysia Year 2014. The government is targeting to receive 36 million tourists and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020," said Ng.

In a symbolic gesture, Ng flagged off one of three Ferraris stationed at Pavilion when launching the event. This was followed by a fashion show, with models displaying the latest creations from leading fashion brands.

Among the participating malls in the on-going promotion are Sunway Pyramid, where most outlets are offering discounts of up to 70 per cent and a chance to win F1 GP grandstand tickets, and Fahrenheit 88, which is having its 100 Pairs Giveaway special. The latter promotion has shoppers who spend RM100 in a single receipt at any specialty store, or RM300 at Uniqlo or selected branded outlets, standing to win a pair of shoes, with up to 100 pairs of footwear worth RM20,000 to be given away.

After the promotion ends, shopaholics can look forward to the 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival (June 29 to Sept 1) and the 1Malaysia Year-End Sale (Nov 16 to Jan 5 next year). The 1Malaysia GP Sale is jointly organised by Tourism Malaysia and Bukit Bintang-KLCC Tourism Association.

By: RICKY YAP | streets@nstp.com.my

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Step up efforts to promote islands.

13th March, 2013

Step up efforts to promote islands.

JOHOR BARU: THE Johor Tourism Department has to step up efforts to promote 14 islands in the state as tourist destinations in a bid to attract more visitors. Last year, the state recorded 22.3 million visitors, which was an increase of about 33 per cent in comparison to 16.7 million in 2011.

Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Hoo Seong Chang said the department will focus on promoting the beaches and islands to tourists. "Johor has at least 14 islands including Pulau Tinggi, Aur, Pemanggil, Sibu, Tengah, Rawa, Kukup and Besar with resorts offering pristine beaches," he said at the launch of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair at the Danga City Mall here recently.

"European tourists have returned to visit our islands. They are also fascinated with the wetlands of Kukup Island which has been recognised as a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance."

He said the department is encouraged to speak to travel agents and the international media to provide them with information on the state's tourist attractions and gather feedback. "This is important in preparing for the run up to Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Meanwhile, Tourism Ministry Johor office director Mohamad Isa Abdul Halim said that travellers are not affected by the upcoming 13th General Election. "Although polling date has yet to be announced, there was no drop in travel bookings in the state," he added.

Also present were MATTA Johor chairman Kenny Ngi and fair organising deputy president Steven Chung.

By: MAHANI ISHAK | johor@nst.com.my

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Tourism carnival boost for LIMA 2013.

13th March, 2013

Tourism carnival boost for LIMA 2013.

PUTRAJAYA - In conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA 13) exhibition from March 26 to 30, the Tourism Ministry will be hold a Lima Tourism Carnival. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said among the events are tax-free goods sales, sales of delicacies from all over the state as well as a 2014 Visit Malaysia Year exhibition.

"We will also hold the 1Malaysia Clean Campaign quiz and competition and the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival," she said at a media conference on LIMA, here today.

She said there will also be an exhibition on careers in spa therapy and foot massage to attract more youths to be involved in the field. "To develop further lifestyle tourism, the country needs about 6,000 local residents, to be skilled in the field of spa therapy," she said.

Apart from the Tourism Ministry, Lima will also its own attractions such as aerobatic display, exhibition of Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft at the Mahsuri International Exhibition hall and the Maritime Sector at Awana Porto Malai. Air shows will be held each day from 12.30pm to 2pm on March 26, 27 and 28 and two sessions on March 29 and 30 from 10am to 11.30am and from 2.30pm to 4pm at the Langkawi International Airport. – BERNAMA

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

ITB Berlin Generates More Publicity For Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

8^th March, 2013

ITB Berlin Generates More Publicity For Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

KUALA LUMPUR - The Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 has been strongly promoted by the Malaysian Delegation led by Tourism Malaysia Director-General, Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab at the 47th International Tourism Exchange (ITB) Berlin, Germany which will end on this Sunday (March 10).

With the theme "Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia", theVMY 2014 promotional campaign was launched last month by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and includees a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014.

Tourism Malaysia in a statement Friday said the five-day annual travel trade show offered Malaysia an excellent platform to market and create awareness of VMY 2014 and its promotional campaign this year to the travel trade fraternity and media in Germany and Europe.

The Malaysian delegation comprised 91 participants from 48 organisations, including 24 hotels and resorts, 17 tour operators, the country's national carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS), the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), as well as the other representatives from state governments.

Malaysia's presence at ITB 2013 marks the country's 39th year of participation in the event, which clearly showed its continued interest and focus on the German and European markets.

At the ITB, The Malaysia Pavilion was officially opened by the Malaysian Ambassador to Germany Datuk Ibrahim Abdullah to showcase the best of travel products, destinations and services in Malaysia. He also hosted a Malaysia Evening on March 7 (Thursday) at Steingenberger Hotel to show the country's appreciation to Germany and international travel trade fraternity and the media for their continued support on tourism promotional effort.

With the presence of international media, ITB helps generate more publicity for Malaysia and further strengthen the presence of the country as a top-of-mind holiday destination. In addition, Tourism Malaysia also seeks to promote Malaysia as a business tourism destination, in line with the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan 2020, aims to acheive its target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion by the year 2020.

Last year, tourist arrivals to Malaysia continued to enjoy an upward trend, reaching 25 million, which was an increase of 1.3 percent compared to the previous year. In 2012, a total of 131,277 German tourists visited Malaysia. Correspondingly, receipts from German tourists had also increased on last year by 7.7 percent to the tune of RM397 million. This year, Malaysia has set a target to attract 145,000 German tourists to the country.

Copyright@BERNAMA