Printing Industry To Support Tourism In Malaysia - Mohamed Nazri

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 (Bernama) -- Promoting tourist attractions is one area where the printing industry can play a role in adding value to the initiatives taken by the government to promote tourism in Malaysia, says Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said without the printing industry, the world would not know the beauty of a great country like Malaysia. "Look around you, the attractive colourful promotional materials such as brochures, leaflets, print advertisements, billboards that promote Malaysia's beauty and wonders would not be made possible without advancement in the printing industry."

He said this in his speech when opening the International Printing, Paper and Packaging Machinery Exhibition (IPMEX) 2013, here, today.

Mohamed Nazri said as the country was targeting to attract 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, the government realised that it must change its way of doing business.

"Despite being unique in terms of our cultural diversity and our rich history, promoting the Malaysian brand abroad is becoming a more challenging task in this current environment," he said.

Therefore, he said, the government had embraced new media technology in getting its messages to the public, for instance, the light-emitting diode (LED) signage was increasingly being used as a medium of promotion.

"If you happen to be driving along Jalan Ampang, chances are you might have come across our large screen full-colour LED video displays at the MATIC (Malaysia Tourism Information Centre). We recognise the importance of such new media in extending our reach to the public," Mohamed Nazri said. "At the same time, Internet and other interactive media advertisements are also important channels of information which must be capitalised to boost the tourism sector."

Mohamed Nazri said in view of the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014), Tourism Malaysia had taken promotions online through interactive websites outlining the key attractions in the country. "Indeed, Internet and online platforms are borderless, allowing us to connect and send messages anywhere seamlessly," he said.

IPMEX 2013 is held for four days starting today at the Putra World Trade Centre, here.
-bernama.