By Rafiq Vayani
DUBAI: In a bid to improve the tourism sector, Tourism Malaysia in conjunction with the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), Dubai – UAE have unveiled a campaign that will see over 36 million tourists visiting Malaysia and with tourist receipts reaching RM168 billion in 2020.
Dubbed Visit Malaysia 2020, the campaign was officially launched by Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, the Director-General, Tourism Malaysia.The launch was a colourful event to unveil the campaign’s logo which portrays Malaysia’s treasured flora and fauna.
Speaking during the launch, Datuk Mirza said: “This year, Malaysia brings to ATM 2018 the many wonderful and diverse offerings of our country at Sheikh Said Hall No 3, Stand No. AS2220. The Malaysia Pavilion theme is Ethnic Revival, featuring elements of Malaysian Culture infused with a modern approach.”
He added: “Being one of the world’s largest travel meet, ATM is an excellent platform to strengthen our presence in this market. This year’s ATM provides a great opportunity for Malaysia to make several new announcements that will positively impact our promotion efforts here and subsequently echo in other parts of the world”.
He explained that the objective of the campaign is to promote Malaysia as a top-of-mind destination, thus adopting the “Travel, Enjoy and Respect” tagline in affiliation with the World Tourism Organization’s movement to raise awareness on how tourists can become catalysts for sustainable development and responsible tourism.
The tagline is also highlighted in the Visit Malaysia 2020 logo and supports Malaysia’s own conservation policies outlined in the National Eco-Tourism Plan 2016-2025.
As part of the campaign, Tourism Malaysia intends to collaborate with some Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates, Etihad Airways and Mahan Air to boost arrivals from this market.
VMY 2020 promotional campaign aims to put all Malaysians in the state of readiness, to be part and to take the role as the host for Visit Malaysia 2020 and to mobilise support from all walks of life and all sectors in the country.
To boost arrivals from this region, Tourism Malaysia initiated a joint promotional campaign with Dnata Travel. The campaign runs from April to October 2018 promoting “Summer Getaway” packages to Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka, Penang and Pahang. The packages promote Malaysia’s family-friendly attractions, beach resorts, and adventure and wildlife experiences.
Other initiatives that Malaysia introduced to the market include the Muslim travel guide to Penang by Halal Penang and a Malaysia Destination brochure by Explore the Wonders. Meanwhile, Tourism Selangor also launched a special Arabic Tourist Handbook, as well as Media Hub International launched the 6th edition of “Malaysia Travel Guide” in Arabic Language.
Last year, Malaysia was named the Best Muslim Travel Destination 2017 by Mastercard & Crescent Ratings 2017 Global Muslim Travel Index. Malaysia was also listed as the country with the Best Healthcare in the World 2017 by internationalliving.com.
In 2017, tourist arrivals to Malaysia were 25.9 million contracting by 3%. However, tourists receipt increased 0.1% to be RM 82,165 billion. Malaysia received 251,973 tourists from Middle East, and GCC tourists contributed highest per trip spending (per Capita Expenditure) in Malaysia: UAE: RM 7,713.7 (30,222 Tourists arrival from UAE to Malaysia with 682,200 seat capacity), KSA: RM 11,555.4, Kuwait: RM 8191.2, Oman: RM 8,117.6, and Iran: RM 7.009.9.
