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MATTA Congratulates Newly Appointed Director General of Tourism Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 December 2018: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) welcomes the appointment of Datuk Musa Yusof as the Director General of Tourism Malaysia effective 3 December 2018.

MATTA President Datuk Tan Kok Liang says, “We wish to extend our heartiest congratulations to Datuk Musa Yusof for being appointed as the new Director General of Tourism Malaysia by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.”

“With his years of experience in Tourism Malaysia, the appointment of Datuk Musa augurs well for the tourism industry in the country especially in marketing, international promotions and local market segmentation.”

“My first engagement with Datuk Musa was some 10 years ago during his tenure as the Director of Domestic Marketing Division. He has been very supportive of MATTA’s promotion activities such as B2B events and overseas sales missions and also MATTA Fairs. Our recent overseas sales mission to China and India would not have been a resounding success without the full support of Datuk Musa during his tenure as Senior Director, International Promotion Division (Asia/Africa).”

“I find him eager to work closely with industry players in terms of guidance and assistance in making Malaysia the preferred travel destination. His encouragement and continuous support over the years has led to driving our nation’s tourism industry forward.”

“As Malaysia’s leading and largest travel association, MATTA is looking forward to work closely with the new Director General to enhance domestic and international promotions with new directions and strategies to attract more tourist to Malaysia and bring the tourism industry to a higher level.”

“The Malaysia’s tourism industry is trailing behind neighbouring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Philippines. The tourist arrivals for ASEAN countries have recorded positive growth in 2017, with 7.8% increase for Thailand, 6.2% for Singapore and 11% for Philippines. Whereas visitor arrivals to Malaysia dropped by 3% with 25.95 million tourists in 2017, compared to 26.76 million in 2016.”

“The target of 30 million tourist arrivals for Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2020 is crucial and in need of urgent attention; and international promotion campaigns must be executed in a concerted manner. It is necessary for Tourism Malaysia to enhance its promotion efforts by collaborating with tourism industry stakeholders such as MATTA to ensure the effectiveness of tourism promotion activities.”

“Funding such as incentives for local travel agencies keeping in tandem with the digital economy could encourage modernisation of promotion activities that will bring multiplier effects for the Malaysian tourism industry.”

“MATTA will continue to support the new Director General and trust that he will bring Tourism Malaysia to greater heights,” concluded Tan.

DATUK TAN KOK LIANG President MATTA Term 2017 - 2019

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Datuk Musa bin Yusof has been appointed as the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, effective 3 rd December 2018. His appointment was announced by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi at the Malaysian Parliament. Datuk Musa bin Yusof succeeds Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, who officially retired from the post on 2 nd December 2018.

In his announcement, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture expressed appreciation to Datuk Seri Mirza for his 36 years of service to Tourism Malaysia. He said, “We have lost a figure who has made great contributions to the growth of Malaysia’s tourism industry. We wish him all the success and hope that his vast experience in tourism will continue to benefit and elevate Malaysia’s tourism industry.”

In reference to the incoming Director, the Minister also said, “I hope Datuk Musa will bring Tourism Malaysia to greater heights and assist the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture in our efforts to achieve our targets. I also hope that under this new leadership, we can enhance the cooperation among all agencies under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Cutlure, and work together as one to achieve excellence.”

Datuk Musa joined Tourism Malaysia (known as Tourist Development Corporation of Malaysia or TDC at the time) on 7 th July 1990 as Assistant Director of Enforcement & Facilitation Division. During his tenure at Tourism Malaysia, he took on several key positions including the Special Officer (Tourism) to the Honorable Minister of Culture, Arts & Tourism of Malaysia, YB Dato’ Sabbaruddin Chik (1997-1998). He was also the Director of the Tourism Malaysia Paris office from 1998 to 2003.

His experience in Tourism Malaysia includes market development, corporate, international promotion, promotional support and domestic marketing. He was Senior Director, International Promotion Division (Asia/Africa) prior to his appointment as Director General.

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Tourism Malaysia adopts strong role at PATA summit

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia 1 June 2023: Tourism Malaysia is heading Malaysia’s participation at the Asia Pacific’s premier thought leadership event, which for the first time, combines a travel mart component under the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Annual Summit and Adventure Mart 2023 hosted in Pokhara, Nepal this week.

Chairman of the PATA Malaysia Chapter since 2019, Datuk Musa Hj Yusof, who is also deputy director-general (promotion) of Tourism Malaysia and a PATA board member, is representing Malaysia at PATA Board Meeting and Government Meeting and joining 32 other country members in PATA Chapter Congress today.

Datuk Musa is one of the panellists to address the topic of “Managing Crises and Challenges in the Post-Pandemic World” by sharing the best practices for tourism businesses and destinations in responding to the effective crisis management and communication for a safe reopening and the recovery of tourism.

Held alongside the summit’s conference themed “Sustainability through Tourism”, PATA Youth Symposium, on the other hand, provides opportunities for young people to engage with current industry leaders under the Mentorship Session, and Tourism Malaysia is represented by Mr Zaidi Kassim, Senior Assistant Director from Corporate Communications Division.

PATA has been actively promoting travel and tourism in the Asia and Pacific region by supporting the growth of its members’ businesses in both the public and private sectors to expand their networks regionally and globally. Besides being the targeted channel for brand exposure, PATA also helps to strengthen the tourism industry through trade events, industry research and professional development programmes.

Datuk Musa said: “Tourism Malaysia’s active participation in PATA augurs well to strengthening its primary role as the leading agency for promoting national tourism at both international and domestic levels. Meanwhile, the added value from

strategic collaborations and the sharing of the latest trends by experts in the tourism industry is also driving preparations towards the success of Visit Malaysia Year 2025.”

Tourism Malaysia has been a PATA Government Member for 64 years since 1959 and hosted the PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) in 2020 at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

The upcoming PATA Destination Experience Forum and Mart (PDFM) 2023 will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, from 21 to 23 June and hosted by Sarawak Tourism Board.

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Tourism Malaysia

Datuk Musa Yusof Appointed as New Tourism Malaysia Director General

Datuk Musa bin Yusof has been appointed as the Director General of Tourism Malaysia effective 3 December 2018. His appointment was announced by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi at the Malaysian Parliament.

By Tourism Malaysia on December 10, 2018 2 minutes read

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KUALA LUMPUR (Dec 6): Malaysia's tourism sector is anticipated to fully recover by next year, with the number of tourist arrivals seen surpassing pre-Covid-19 levels, driven by better flight connectivity and increased visitors from China and India, said Tourism Malaysia deputy director general (promotion) Datuk Musa Yusof.

Speaking at the Bursa Malaysia-HLIB Stratum Focus Series XVI (16th) event titled “Tourism: Welcoming A New Dawn” on Wednesday, Musa cited revenge travel in the post-pandemic era, which reflects a surge in tourist activity as individuals explore multiple destinations for their holidays.

“More eco-friendly infrastructure and sustainable options are also increasingly sought after among tourists, who are more often than not, business travellers seeking leisure time, and recently after the pandemic, digital nomads who can ‘work from anywhere’,” he said.

Following a remarkable increase to 14.4 million tourist arrivals in the first nine months of 2023, Malaysia has revised its full-year forecast upwards by 18.63% to 19.1 million, up from its initial forecast of 16.1 million, said Musa.

“We hope the 2024 [tourist arrivals] figure will be higher than pre-Covid-19 levels,” Musa said without disclosing the forecasts.

“We will head towards the third phase of our strategic plan: Strengthen & Boost, which will also be the year where we gear up for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026, a benchmark that is hoped to bring us even further than our pre-pandemic success”.

In 2019, Malaysia recorded 26.1 million international visitors, before dropping by 83.4% to 4.33 million in 2020 — the year when the Covid-19 outbreak first emerged. The following year, in 2021, the number plummeted further to a mere 130,000.

With the announcement of Malaysia's transition from the Covid-19 phase to the endemic phase by the previous government under Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's administration, tourist arrivals rebounded to 10.1 million in 2022.

According to Musa, Tourism Malaysia will continue to foster smart partnerships and collaborations with both local and international industry players to further boost demand for Malaysia’s tourism offerings.

He said, focus on targeted and fast conversion markets will be heightened for more effective marketing as well as the development of niche products and services, such as Muslim-friendly tourism, medical tourism, sports and the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme.

Ringgit depreciation to boost tourism

Meanwhile, the current depreciation of the Malaysian ringgit against the US dollar will also boost the country’s tourism sector, said Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) head of research Jeremy Goh.

“In terms of currency depreciation, we are actually the second after Thailand in the Southeast Asia region, so in that perspective, we are relatively cheaper. Our hotel costs are also cheaper, compared to Singapore and Indonesia.

“[Weak] ringgit is actually positive for tourism — everything comes relatively cheaper for foreigners. Bear in mind, our number one source of tourists is Singapore. So, as we can see, the strong recovery in tourism last year is not driven fully by the Chinese tourists,” said Goh.

At the time of writing, the ringgit slipped 0.09% to 4.6675 against the US dollar. Year to date, it has fallen 5.87% against the greenback.

According to Tourism Malaysia, the post-pandemic top 10 ranking of tourist arrivals to Malaysia is led by visitors from Singapore, followed by Indonesia, Thailand, China, Brunei, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia and the Philippines.

Asked on the risks for the tourism sector due to a rise in Covid-19 cases and high transportation costs amid recession fears, Goh said: “I think people around the world have started to treat the virus as endemic, so we have to accept that and life goes on. On the transportation cost, RON95 petrol is the cheapest in Malaysia. We will see how the government will roll out the targeted subsidy, and what kind of mechanism [the government will announce]. But it is still too early to comment on this."

The government is expected to roll out a targeted subsidy programme for RON95 petrol in the second half of 2024, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli announced last week. He cited a system in which the top 20% of income earners are recipients of the 53% of blanket fuel subsidies, which is neither sustainable nor fair.

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Tourist arrivals to pick up significantly next year

Thursday, 07 Dec 2023

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Malaysia is considered a “value for money” destination especially due to the weakening ringgit against regional currencies.

PETALING JAYA: The tourism sector is projected to pick up significantly next year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in terms of international tourist arrivals.

Tourism deputy director general (promotion) Datuk Musa Yusof said this is due to better flight connectivity and the potential increase in visitors from India and China.

He added that post-pandemic, there has been a surge in demand for ecotourism, experiential travel as well as culture explorations.

“Travel is no longer a luxury but a necessity,” he told reporters after the 16th Bursa-HLIB Stratum Focus Series entitled, Tourism: Welcoming a new dawn yesterday.

Malaysia is considered a “value for money” destination especially due to the weakening ringgit against regional currencies.The majority of tourists from the Asean region also preferred travelling to neighbouring countries.

In the first half of this year, the country has welcomed 9.16 million international tourists, placing second after Thailand in the South-East Asian region.

From January to September, the country recorded a total of 14 million tourist arrivals.With the upswing in arrivals, the government has revised tourism target to 19.1 million by year-end 2023, from the initial 16.1 million.

“We are working together with the public and private sectors to understand the current demands and travelling behaviours so that we can map out our strategic direction,” Musa said.

Tourism Malaysia aimed to place the country as the preferred tourist destination through its Malaysia Truly Asia and Cuti-cuti Malaysia brands.

He added that it would also continue to foster smart partnerships and collaborations with both local and international industry players to further boost the demand for Malaysia’s tourism offerings.

Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB) Bhd head of research Jeremy Goh said the government’s target of surpassing 26.1million of international tourist arrivals in the coming years is “highly conservative”.

“If we compare post-pandemic in December 2022 tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic in December 2019, there is already a 92% recovery to pre-pandemic levels.

“And this is without Chinese tourists coming in because they have not reopened their border in December last year,” he said on the sidelines of the forum.

He added that the number of tourist arrivals would likely surpass what the government’s target.

“The ringgit is one of the weakest performing currencies in the region year-to-date, and while that may be a negative for us, it is actually positive for the tourism sector,” he added.

Tags / Keywords: Tourism , Malaysia , PostPandemicTravel , Ecotourism , CultureExploration , ValueForMoney , AseanTourists , TouristArrivals InternationalTourism

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Home » News » What’s drawing Aussie travellers to Malaysia? Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General tells all

What’s drawing Aussie travellers to Malaysia? Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General tells all

Making his grand appearance Down Under for the Tourism Malaysia Roadshow, Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General Datuk Musa Yusof caught up with the Aussie travel trade after a long-awaited time apart.

Bringing with him 14 suppliers for this five-day roadshow, Datuk Musa said it was so important to physically meet up with the Aussie travel industry in person. Throughout the roadshow Tourism Malaysia introduced new projects like airline collaborations, campaigns with tour operators and famil trips.

“Australia has always been an important source for Malaysia’s tourism industry, and I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to all the partners and hope we can continue to work closely together towards a successful and sustainable development of our global travel industry,” Datuk Musa said.

Attendees at the Adelaide roadshow (Tourism Malaysia)

Amongst those sustainable developments is Tourism Malaysia’s drive towards ecotourism, a vital tourism niche that is luring Aussie travellers. Well known for its nature-based activities and ecotourism destinations, many Aussies are visiting Malaysia to discover some of the world’s oldest rainforests hosting thousands of species of flora and fauna.

Iconic spots like Mulu National Park, the Belum Rainforest and the Ranta Abang Turtle hatchery are drawing Aussie wildlife lovers, while adventure travellers are going jungle trekking and rafting to discover Malaysia at their preferred speed.

“Travellers, including Australians, are increasingly interested in destinations that prioritise environmental conservations, community well-being and cultural preservation,” Datuk Musa said. This is driving Malaysia to promote its eco-friendly tourism practices, support local communities and flaunt its rich cultural heritage.

Attendees at the Sydney roadshow (Tourism Malaysia)

Tourism Malaysia team at the Sydney roadshow (Tourism Malaysia)

Travellers enjoying Malaysia’s wide offerings in spades are bleisure – part business, part leisure – travellers. These are travellers extending their business trips to enjoy a few days of RnR before returning to Australia. Datuk Musa said this is a high-priority traveller and that Tourism Malaysia is working with its travel partners to entice more Aussie business travellers to explore Malaysia.

Another initiative Malaysia is undergoing to lure high-end travellers is its partnership with Luxury Escapes. Datuk Musa said this is to ensure that there’s constant high-yield traffic coming into the country.

“We are working with luxury travel providers like Luxury Escapes to develop exclusive and bespoke experiences that showcase Malaysia’s rich culture, which may include guided tours and helicopter rides over scenic landscapes,” he said. One of these more lavish holiday activities is visiting high-end shopping malls that offer personalised services and experiences suited best for affluent travellers.

But it’s not just the lavish travellers taking in this Southeast Asian gem. Datuk Musa told Travel Weekly that Malaysia is a destination for everyone, and this is seen through its array of popular value-for-money spots and activities that allure Aussie travellers.

But this concept of ‘Malaysia for everyone’ extends to its own population through initiatives like the Malaysia Homestay Programme. This is a community-based programme that engages rural communities to get involved with tourism, allowing them to generate income and directly participate through their businesses.

“Hence, Australian tourists get the chance to stay, eat, and play with a Malaysian host family to experience an authentic kampung – or village lifestyle – in Malaysia,” Datuk Musa said.

Theses new initiatives are just some of the exciting ongoings happening in the Malaysia tourism space. To find out more about this and the Tourism Malaysia Roadshow, click here .

Email the Travel Weekly team at [email protected]

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MALAYSIA IS BACK – TOURISM MALAYSIA DIRECTOR GENERAL LEADS NEW ZEALAND TRAVEL TRADE MISSION

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, 11 April 2019: Malaysia is back in New Zealand as it prepares for Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM 2020), a landmark campaign that’s targeted to bring in 30 million international tourists and approximately NZD$35.5 billion (RM100 billion) in tourist receipts. The Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof, is leading a travel trade mission to Auckland on 11 April to reinforce the message that Malaysia is an important holiday destination for New Zealand travellers. The delegation consists of 10 organisations including one state tourism board, one tourism agency, one travel agent, one airline, 4 hotels and resorts, and 2 product owners. Major players and sponsors are Terengganu Tourism, Desaru Coast, Legoland, Malindo Air and Malaysia Airlines.

Datuk Musa says, "Malaysia has long-standing ties with New Zealand that extends to the Peace Corps, education and cultural exchanges as well as presenting an attractive holiday proposition to New Zealanders."

He adds, “New Zealand, like Malaysia, is a multi-ethnic and diverse population living in relative peace and harmony. We hope that this mutual connection will serve as a basis to strengthen our tourism relations with each other.”

He also noted that Malaysia’s blend of "culture, cuisine and nature" appeals strongly to New Zealanders’ innate sense of adventure which is made accessible by language, customs and some familiar aspects of Malay culture.

Malaysia offers a multi-faceted holiday that takes visitors from the shopping heavens of one of the world's most modern cities that is Kuala Lumpur, to the farthest reaches of Borneo's native jungles with its abundance of unique flora and fauna, to pristine waters where they can explore a magical underwater world or secluded island. Malaysia also presents an exceptional value-for-money proposition where the Kiwi dollar goes a long way in value and, in doing so, offers the opportunity to elevate both the standard and length of stay of their Malaysian holiday.

Datuk Musa adds, “Our main focus is to strengthen our economy and develop better policies to attract good investments for the nation to prosper. I encourage you to consider Malaysia as your ideal partner for your tourism growth and business expansion and look forward to seeing more tourism investments and partnerships in Malaysia.”

Datuk Musa will hold a special media briefing to address the trade players in Auckland, covering Malaysia’s tourism performance and future developments as well key tourist attractions (see below “Key Highlights of Malaysia’s Tourism Products”).

New Zealand is an important tourist source market for Malaysia. In 2018, a total of 50,698 New Zealanders visited Malaysia, which contributed to the overall 25.8 million international tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Malaysia aims to bring in 60,000 New Zealanders to Malaysia next year. There are currently 7 flights/week offering 2,009 seats from New Zealand to Malaysia.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF MALAYSIA’S TOURISM PRODUCTS:

Located on the eastern peninsula of Malaysia, the State of ‘beautiful' Terengganu is considered to be a "bucket list" item for visitors to Malaysia. A diverse and vibrant mix of history, culture, nature and eco experiences, Terengganu is world renowned for its turtle sanctuaries and pristine, white sandy beaches and islands.

www.beautifulterengganu.com

Sarawak is a kaleidoscope of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals. It is home to one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and the largest cave chamber in the world. There is adventure around every corner, from the breezy highlands to the quiet beaches. Some 27 ethnic groups celebrate their unique cultures and festivals throughout the year, an eclectic blend of modern and traditional life, food, music and religious practices that can be found nowhere else. In Sarawak, there is always ‘More to Discover’. www.sarawaktourism.com

Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Finance, that has been entrusted with the responsibility of developing the country’s healthcare travel scene. It was founded in 2009 to facilitate and grow Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry under the brand “Malaysia Healthcare” with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination. Since then, MHTC has worked to streamline industry players and service providers into a more focused development strategy to raise Malaysia’s profile in healthcare travel on an international stage. It is an example of a successful model of public-private partnerships (PPP) in growing the healthcare travel sector in Malaysia.

Potential healthcare travellers can also obtain information on seeking healthcare in Malaysia including medical treatments, accommodation and travel at these websites:

• www.medicaltourismmalaysia.com
• www.mhtc.org.my

Desaru Coast

Desaru Coast is a new integrated destination resort in Malaysia with a portfolio of globally renowned hotels and resorts, namely Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, as well as One&Only Desaru Coast. Desaru Coast is also home to Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark - one of the world’s biggest waterparks; Desaru Coast Conference Centre - a fully equipped conference facility; The Els Club Desaru Coast – 45 holes of golf in total with two distinct clubs; Ocean Course and Valley Course; and Desaru Coast Riverside – a 23-acre waterfront landscaped retail and lifestyle village. Desaru Coast spans over 3,900 acres along a pristine 17 km beachfront that faces eastwards over the clear ocean waters. The destination is set amid a rich bio-diverse location.

www.desarucoast.com

LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort

LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort brings together a LEGOLAND Theme Park, Water Park, SEA LIFE and Hotel in one LEGO® themed location. It is the ideal family holiday destination with more than 80 hands-on rides, slides, shows and attractions offering adventure, education and fun for action-packed day trips or short holidays. The Resort is specifically designed for families with children aged 2 to 12. SEA LIFE is the world’s largest aquarium brand and the latest addition to the Resort.

www.legoland.com.my

Malaysia Airlines – Your Preferred Airline to Malaysia & Beyond

Malaysia Airlines (MH) is the national carrier of Malaysia, currently operating 57 weekly services from Australia & New Zealand to its hub in KL International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur. Beyond KLIA, Malaysia Airlines connects 62 destinations in 20 countries with a modern fleet of Airbus A380-800, A330-300, A330-200 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The network includes extensive domestic and regional coverage across Malaysia. No other Malaysian carrier offers a comparable domestic, regional or global network solution when thinking about travel to, from and within Malaysia.

As a member of one world®, Malaysia Airlines and its partners in the global alliance offer a seamless travel experience to more than 1,000 destinations across the world.

For more information, please visit malaysiaairlines.com

Malindo Air is a Malaysian airline with main hubs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and city airport Subang Skypark in Selangor, Malaysia. The airline took to the skies in March 2013 and the fleet has grown exponentially to 13 ATR72-600 and 29 Boeing 737 as of Jan 2019. The airline also obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Today, the airline operates over 800 flights weekly across a continuously growing network of about 57 routes covering 17 countries in the region of Asia and Australia. Also an IATA airline member, Malindo Air codeshares with Turkish Airline, Lion Air, Batik Air and is an interlining partner to Xiamen Air, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Turkish Airline, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Oman Air.

For updates on Malindo Air’s latest activities and promotions, please connect with us via Twitter ( https://twitter.com/malindoair ), Facebook ( facebook.com/MalindoAirMalaysia ) or Instagram ( instagram.com/malindoair) .

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & 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. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

New Zealand Media Enquiries:

Mr Rosli Reshid Mohd Saini Director [email protected] +6493096290

Travelling locally is the new trend for Malaysian tourists, says MATTA president

K UALA LUMPUR: Travel local is the new cool trend now, as more Malaysians are exploring their backyard extensively, says The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president

Nigel Wong said travellers had been keener to explore local destinations, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic, creating new tourism ideas and attractions.

"More Malaysians are exploring their backyard extensively, viewing their own country through new lenses.

"This has resulted in a surge of creativity, especially amongst domestic and inbound tourism stakeholders.

"Even more encouraging is the refreshing enthusiasm demonstrated by many of our leaders in driving not only the conversation but also the execution of bold strategies that will elevate tourism within their territories, as well as nationally," said Wong at the launch of the 54th edition of the MATTA Fair at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Mitec) here on Saturday (March 23).

The event was graced by the Regent of Perlis Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail and his consort Raja Puan Muda of Perlis Tuanku Hajah Lailatul Shahreen Akashah Khalil.

Also present were Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Yasmin Mahmood, Tourism Malaysia director-general Manoharan Periasamy, MATTA Fair organising chairman Datuk Tan Kok Liang, who is also Malaysia Tourism Federation president, and other dignitaries.

While the pandemic had changed the world, Wong said the changes were more obvious in some industries, such as travel and tourism.

"It has forced us to rethink and reimagine the way we travel, to grow up, to mature, to embrace the fact that we are inextricably connected globally.

"It also acknowledges that we must embrace this paradigm shift to ensure that our tourism sector, which Malaysians do very well, will be sustainable and thrive.

"One significant trend to emerge post-pandemic is the update in domestic tourism," he said.

Citing the example of Perlis, which is promoted as this fair’s Favorite Malaysian Destination, Wong said the fact that the state is a Unesco Geopark itself made it a "truly hidden gem in plain sight."

"It's not only famous for its harum manis mangoes, its unique and harmonious blend of Southern Thai and Malay cultures, its rolling fields and national parks - evokes a sense of returning to a time when life was simpler," he said.

Perlis Geopark, spanning 1,001 square kilometres, is at the tip of Peninsular Malaysia's west coast. It comprises 819 square kilometres of land and 182 square kilometres of coastal area.

Positioned in the northernmost part of the peninsula, the geopark borders Thailand to the north and Kedah state to the south.

Adjacent to Perlis Geopark was the globally recognised Satun Unesco Global Geopark, while to the west is the Langkawi Unesco Global Geopark.

Noting that transportation was a key driver of tourism, Wong said all must recognise and acknowledge that travel is a two-way street.

"Both public and private sectors must stop being inward-focused and push towards a more open environment, where both the inflow and outflow of tourists are encouraged and efficiently managed."

Calling on all stakeholders to come together and play their part in tourism promotion, Wong said the MATTA Fair, which has been held nationwide in almost every state, is still "the best way of promoting travel and tourism."

"Each MATTA Fair in Mitec covers some 37,000 square meters of exhibition space and attracts nearly 150,000 visitors, averaging a turnover of approximately RM300mil each edition.

"Out of that, RM90mil came from domestic tourism sales – all over three days," he said.

In his opening speech, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin said Perlis is privileged to be highlighted as "Malaysia's Favorite Destination" in this MATTA Fair.

"I hope that MATTA will further enhance the promotion of Perlis as a beautiful, peaceful and unique tourist destination.

"Please come to Perlis to discover its 'undeniable charm.'

"On that note, Perlis is also eager to see investments in having either four or five-star hotels, to support the positive increase in tourist numbers flowing in each day exceeding four million visitors in 2023," he said.

Tuanku Syed Faizuddin also called on all tourism players, including the state governments, to redouble their efforts and cooperation to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2026 campaign.

He said the campaign targets the arrival of 26.1 million foreign tourists and will bring optimal economic impact towards elevating the country as one of the major tourist destinations in the international market.

Admission into the MATTA Fair is free, and it was open from 10am to 9pm until Sunday (March 24).

To ease the convenience of visitors, free shuttle bus service is provided at two locations - KL Sentral and Sunway Putra Mall - that depart for Mitec every 10 minutes from 8am to 10pm.

Much larger spaces are dedicated to dining, and a greater variety of cuisines are also available to ensure that those fasting can break their fast in more comfort.