Malaysian Minister in Doha to woo tourists
Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor (second right) addressing a news conference yesterday as Malaysian Ambassador to Qatar, Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari (second left) and other officials look on. (SHAIVAL DALAL)
The Peninsula (Doha) ? Malaysia has embarked on aggressive strategy to raise the number of Qatari tourists by 60 per cent to over 16,000 visitors this year as 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007' campaign gathers steam.
Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told a news conference held at the Intercontinental Hotel yesterday, that last year Malaysia received 10,000 Qatari tourists and that he was confident this number would increase substantially this year, especially with the anticipated increase in Qatar Airways flights from the current nine a week to fourteen from Doha to Kuala Lumpur.
"Last year we received over 150,800 visitors from the GCC, showing a 22.2 per cent growth as compared to 2005. We believe that this growth will also continue this year and what is more the year 2007, we are having 'Visit Malaysia Year 2007' with over 240 events throughout the year, 50 major events and five international mega events" said Mansor who is in Doha as part of a GCC wide road-show tour which took him to Dubai, Jeddah and Bahrain.
Malaysia is on an aggressive promotional strategy to attract 300,000 tourists from the Middle East in 2007. The South East Asian country's concerted efforts, which have involved public and private stakeholders to further its tourism goals, include the increase in the number of flights servicing Qatar-Kuala Lumpur route to meet the expected demand of an affluent Middle East market.
Malaysia attracted more than 180,000 tourists from the Middle East last year and has organised an aggressive campaign dubbed 'Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007' to promote it as a prime tourist destination and consequently increase the number of tourists.
Mansor said that his country was also looking to attract the large expatriate community estimated at 20 million working in the region with plans to set up packages with tour operators and travel agents to entice them to use Malaysia as a holiday destination.
He said that this year the country expects a surge in the number of visitors, as it celebrates its 50th independence day with over 240 year-round festivities set to take place, which will highlight the country's rich culture and heritage. Some of the cultural festivals include Colours of Malaysia and the Eid-Al Fitr Celebration in addition to world-famous sporting events such as Formula One Grand Prix, Le Tour De Langkawi, Monsoon Cup and other amazing showcases such as the Malaysia International fireworks Exhibition.
Malaysia offers an unforgettable destination for GCC tourists with its perfect blend of breathtaking destinations and luxurious services and packages at competitive costs. Aside from a shared Islamic belief, Malaysia has famous theme parks perfect for families such as Sunway Lagoon and Genting Highlands, amazing beaches in Langkawi and Penang, a newly launched gigantic Ferris wheel called 'Eye of Malaysia' that provides spectacular views of Kuala Lumpur and luxurious shopping malls slated to hold mega-sales to mark its 50th Independence Day, said Mansor.