Shopping Expenditure By Tourists Recorded RM18.56 Billion In 2012 - Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 (Bernama) -- Shopping expenditure by tourists recorded about RM18.56 billion last year with total tourist arrivals in Malaysia reaching more than 25 million.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said it was an increase of 5.7 per cent over the 2011 shopping expenditure of RM17.5 billion. He said shopping constituted about 30.7 per cent of total tourist expenditure in 2012 compared with 30 per cent in 2011.

Mohamed Nazri said overall Malaysia's tourism industry was the second largest foreign exchange earner for the country and it would continue to flourish.

"Shopping tourism is a booming sector of the tourism industry and Malaysia intends to tap into this potential," he said in his speech at the launch of the 1Malaysia Year-End Sale at the Esplanade, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in the capital, Sunday.

According to him, Malaysia have more than 320 shopping malls, offering over 100 million square feet of nett lettable area, with a real estate value in excess of RM100 billion. "I have no doubt that Malaysia's shopping tourism will continue to grow rapidly in coming years, on the back of increasing promotional activities, by the government and private sector," he said.

Meanwhile, in conjunction with the 1Malaysia Year-End Sale, Mohamed Nazri said Tourism Malaysia had invited 221 international travel agents and media from 24 countries to experience the vibrance of Kuala Lumpur's shopping scene and the rest of beautiful Malaysia.

They were from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.

The 1Malaysia Year-End Sale had showcased fashion extravaganza organised by Malaysia and Britain during the four-day Kuala Lumpur Fashion Weekend at KLCC, which began last Thursday.
-bernama.