Visit Melaka Year 2019

Melaka is historically significant with place in history as the birthplace of Malaysia began. In the 16th century, Melaka enjoyed a reputation as the foremost maritime trading centre in the region. Merchants came from as far as Arabia, China, India and Europe to conduct trade in silk, spices, gold and porcelain.

Today, Melaka has a lot more to offer based on the 13 sub-sectors tourism product, namely History, Culture, Recreation, Sports, Shopping, Convention, Health, Education, Agro, “Makan-Makan”, Melaka My Second Home, Youth Tourism and Eco Tourism. With its chosen slogan “Visit Historic Melaka Means Visit Malaysia” and “Melaka World Heritage City UNEXCO”, Melaka has so much to offer and has become the melting pot of all the races (Malays, Chinese, India, Portuguese, Peranakan, Chitty and others).

As Melaka is blessed with various cultures, the Visit Melaka Year 2019 (VMY 2019) campaign seeks to showcase and celebrate Melaka's bountiful and diverse cultures and festivities as a tourist attraction. The promotion of various local festivities and cultural element will be further boost as tourism offerings in VMY 2019 campaign.

VMY 2019 is set to make historical Melaka the top-of-the-mind tourist destination, encouraging tourists to stay longer in order to enjoy the festival offerings as well as it historical and man-made attractions. Themed "A Gateway to Historic Malaysia", the year-long calendar is packed with festivities of every genre; for instance cultural festivals, shopping extravaganza, international acclaimed events, eco-tourism events, arts, music showcases, food promotion and other themed events.

From historical heritage sites to its cultural richness, Melaka has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNECSO) as the Historic Cities of Malaysia, together with Georgetown, on 7th July 2008. This reflects the succession of historical and cultural influences arising from its roots as a trading port linking East and West.

VMY 2019 campaign also leverages on smart partnerships that nurtures stakeholder engagement, support and participation. The symbiosis enables Melaka's tourism efforts to be competitive and to remain one of the prime contributors to the socio-economic development of the nation's second smallest state, making it part of a state's mission. It is envisaged that government agencies, the private sector, non-government agencies and industry players will come together and make the VMY 2019 campaign a success.

The official logo of Visit Melaka Year 2019 is a colourful portrayal of typical traditional Melaka wooden house adorned with colourful Nyonya tiles staircase.

2019 is a crucial period for our state's tourism – they are the lead up to the much-anticipated Visit Malaysia 2020. We expect to welcome about 20 million tourists to Melaka with tourist receipts reaching RM24 Billion.

The initiative not only aims to rally all industry players towards this common goal, but is a call to welcome tourists from all over the world to experience Malaysia’s warm hospitality and diverse tourist attractions.

Melaka is a food heaven! On top of being an ideal destination filled with wonders of ancient buildings and colonial structures, Melaka is also a land of gastronomical delight. Tantalize your taste buds with all these mouthwatering selections of food; spicy, sweet, tangy and sour local specialties all over the streets of Melaka.

In addition, new attractions are also being launched to provide tourists more choices of attractions such as Encore Melaka, a world-class, immersive theatre performance boasts innovative and stunning video projection mapping and multi-stage hydraulic sets, as well as advanced lighting and acoustic techniques. It is Asia’s largest theatre that seats more than 2,000 people on a one-of-a-kind 360-degree rotating audience platform.

-Tourism Melaka.