Malaysia Week kicks off in Chiang Mai

BANGKOK: Tourism Malaysia is organising a Malaysia Week in Chiang Mai to promote the best that the country has to offer in food, education and tourist attractions. The five-day event starts today and will further tap the northern Thailand’s tourist potential, said director of Tourism Malaysia’s Thailand office Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof
He added that representatives from Malaysian higher learning institutions; food-producing companies, travel agencies as well as hotel operators would take part in the promotion to be held at Central Plaza. “We are targeting not only tourists from Chiang Mai but also the big expatriate community in the province,” he said.

In terms of education tourism, Malaysia’s geographical proximity to Chiang Mai as well as its accredited quality and cost-effective education could be the main factors to entice Chiang Mai’s middle-income people to send their children to Malaysia for tertiary education, added Iskandar Mirza. Chiang Mai will be AirAsia’s third hub in Thailand after Bangkok and Phuket starting in January next year, and this is likely to further facilitate the mobility of people in the province.

Iskandar Mirza said many tourists from Chiang Mai visit Malaysia between November and March. He said a teh tarik demonstration; a Sape (Sarawak traditional musical instrument) performance, a jigsaw competition, quiz and guess-the-name of tourist attractions contests would be held during Malaysia Week. Some 1.4 million Thais visited Malaysia last year and this year’s projection of 1.5 million visitors could be achieved, said Iskandar Mirza.
-thestar online.