Middle East tourists to Malaysia grow 17%
Dubai (May 1) : Malaysia attracted 147,646 tourists from Middle Eastern countries last year,
an increase of 17 per cent over the previous year.
The number of UAE nationals visiting Malaysia grew by 40 per cent
to 29,606 in 2005, according to Tourism Malaysia statistics.
With 53,000 tourists, Saudi Arabia remained the most important market
for Malaysia. "This year we are looking for 30 per cent more Arab tourists
than last year," tourism minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.
Malaysia is holding a region-wide promotional campaign to attract visitors
during this summer holiday season.
A group of 81 exhibitors is participating at this year's Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
"The aim of this mission is to promote Malaysia as the ideal holiday destination
to the people in this region," the minister said.
"The number of visitors from the Gulf region has risen phenomenally
over the last few years, which explains Tourism Malay-sia's enthusiasm
to woo more visitors from here," he added.
The country is making aggressive efforts to project a tourist-friendly image,
especially for those from Arab-speaking countries.
"At Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), we have announcements in Arabic.
We have encouraged employment of more Arab-speaking staff at travel agencies and hotels
and urged the shopping complexes to put up signs in Arabic," Adnan said.
Malaysia has also launched a "Feel-at-Home" campaign specifically
to target Middle East tourists.
A Kuala Lumpur street has been given the Arabic name 'Ain Arabia'.
The area is a showcase of various Arabic and Middle Eastern food and cultures.
Visiting Arab families are handled by a special immigration lane at KLIA.
UAE nationals do not require visas to travel to Malaysia
and can stay up to three months after arriving in the country.
The total number of tourist arrivals in Malaysia reached 16.43 million in 2005,
resulting in earnings of $8.72 billion.
"Our aim is to achieve 20 million visitors and $12 billion in tourism revenues
in 2007," the minister said. The target for this year is 17.5 million tourists.
"We have successfully achieved our past growth expectations,
and are set to continue that trend," he added.
In 2007, the country is celebrating 50 years of independence from Britain.
To commemorate the occasion, the government has declared 2007
as "Visit Malaysia Year."
- GULF NEWS