By Muhammad Rafiq
DUBAI/KUALA LUMPUR: Tourism Malaysia is actively re-building international tourism demand by taking Thai Travel Agents Association (TTAA) and also media from the Thailand market on its familiarisation trip (FAM Trip) to promote Malaysia as a safe holiday destination and welcome more international travellers following the national borders reopening.
A total of 97 participants from the Thai Travel Agents Association’s (TTAA) members, tour operators and media were invited for a four-day, three-night (4D 3N) stay in Kuala Lumpur, Genting Highlands and Melaka from 18 to 21 July 2022.
The participants were brought on a tour to the country’s administrative centre in Putrajaya and the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, hosted a dinner for the delegation in Kuala Lumpur today to reconnect and foster closer partnership after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participants also had the opportunity to visit Resorts World Genting, a premier leisure and entertainment resort in Malaysia, and Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, which has just reopened after a once-in-a-generation transformation.
Other highlights include a visit to Dutch Square, St. Paul’s Church, Jonker Street, A Famosa and Malaysia’s oldest traditional Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Melaka – the historical state in Malaysia inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
YB Dato’ Sri Nancy said, “Thailand is one of Malaysia’s essential short-haul markets. In 2019, we welcomed 1,884,306 arrivals from Thailand, and almost 70 per cent of Thai tourists were repeat travellers. They came to Malaysia for holiday, shopping and to visit friends and relatives.”
“We look forward to welcoming more international travellers to our shores, and we hope that the curated experiences under this FAM Trip will encourage our travel trade partners to experience our tourism products firsthand and ultimately promote and sell our products effectively.”
ASEAN countries have been the major contributors to Malaysia’s international tourist arrivals. Since the country’s border reopening on 1 April 2022, Tourism Malaysia has organised several FAM Trips for the Singapore and Indonesian markets to promote Malaysia as a preferred travel destination in this region.
