World's longest tube water slide at Escape theme park in Penang is now open

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 9 -- The world's longest tube water slide at the Escape theme park in Teluk Bahang here is now open to the public.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said for years, Escape theme park has been the leading tourist attraction in Penang and the opening of the new attraction of the 1,111 metre-long water slide will further strengthen its position as number one theme park in Malaysia.

He said a study conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) recently revealed that 10.9 per cent of international and domestic tourists came to Penang to visit Escape.

“The study shows a remarkable statistic and testament to the importance of Escape to both Penang and Malaysia's tourism growth ambitions,” he said at the official opening of Escape phase 3 - Gravityplay and the Guinness World Records Longest Tube Water Slide here today.

Chow said that the Penang Immigration Department's statistic also showed that the number of visitor arrivals recorded from January to August this year had steeply increased by 207.7 per cent to 89,535 from only 29,101 recorded over the corresponding period of last year.

Also present at the opening ceremony was Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, senator Lim Hui Ying and Penang Escape theme park founder and chief executive officer Sim Choo Kheng.

Meanwhile, Sim said today is the culmination of years of struggle to turn the dreams into reality.

“From conceptualisation to the support we received from the Penang Development Corporation, I am grateful for all those who have contributed to making Escape what it is today - a world-class tourist destination with world-record-setting attractions that generate more smiles per hour for everyone who visits Escape,” said Sim who also admitted having invested RM60 million in the last seven years to build the theme park.

Earlier, Escape Penang also inked a memorandum of understanding with GSPARX Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TNB, to build a photovoltaic facility that will supply renewable energy to Escape.

Sim said this initiative will make Escape the first theme park in Malaysia to go completely carbon neutral.

“At Escape, our eco-friendly parks co-exist with the natural habitat. We want our visitors to experience play amongst the beautiful terrain and rain forest we have here in Penang. This initiative with GSPARX will allow us to be fully self-sustainable and completely carbon neutral, how mother nature intended it to be,” he said.

He also added that the physical construction on an estimated 0.6 hectare of land will complete in over a year and will help reduce the monthly electricity bill of up to 15 per cent.

-bernama.

https://www.escape.my

Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival @ Bandar Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur ( 9 ~ 10 November 2019 )

Jom beramai-ramai ke Festival Toyota Gazoo Racing dan laungkan sorakan kepada selebriti kegemaran anda pada 9 dan 10 November di Bandar Malaysia (Dahulunya dikenali sebagai Lapangan Terbang Sungai Besi).

Masuk adalah percuma! Jangan lepaskan peluang ini dan jumpa anda disana. 

Dapatkan maklumat lanjut disini: https://toyota.com.my/…/race-2-bandar-mal…/event-highlights…
-toyota.com.my

Tourism Malaysia Organises TOURISM MALAYSIA CARNIVAL Themed "BIG DEALS, GREAT FEELS”

PUTRAJAYA, 7 NOVEMBER 2019 – A total of 34 exhibitors comprising 14 hotels, 15 tourism product owners and five travel agencies are taking part in the Tourism Malaysia Carnival from today until 9 November 2019 at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s Sanggar Pujangga Hall in Precinct 5, here. 

It is part of Tourism Malaysia’s initiative with the local tourism industry players to organise a hard-selling concept directly to consumers. The three-day carnival is also held to honour the industry players who have partnered with Tourism Malaysia in organising the Networking Day, Thursday Talk and Networking Trip programs throughout the year.

The Deputy Director General (Planning) of Tourism Malaysia, Zulkifly Md. Said says that the carnival’s main objective is to establish good relations between Tourism Malaysia and the local tourism industry players such as hotels, theme parks, tourist products, travel agencies and homestays. 

“In addition, the carnival will provide product knowledge to the civil servants and the public in the Putrajaya and Cyberjaya area on new or existing products in the market. At the same time, we want to encourage the local community to take a planned domestic trips during the school holidays, which will start at the end of November,” he adds.

Themed “Big Deals, Great Feels”, the carnival offers special discounts and holiday packages in Malaysia at attractive rates.

Visitors to the carnival will have the opportunity to participate in the lucky draws, learn about tourist destinations and attractions in Malaysia, witness a cooking demo by Tourism Ambassador (Food) Dato’ Hj. Chef Ismail Ahmad on the opening day, as well as mingle with local celebrity, Fahrin Ahmad on the last day of the event.

Entrance to the carnival is free and open to all especially those working, studying and residing in Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the surrounding areas.

The Tourism Malaysia Carnival was first organised in 2018 involving 32 exhibitors. More than 1,400 people attended the two-day event. A total of 2,140 domestic holiday packages worth RM331,000 were sold during the carnival.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Hype Motorsports Hotel Port Dickson - Soft opening on 15 December 2019 (Updated)

-Hype Motorsports Hotel Port Dickson.

Tanjung Piai Ramsar site draws international nature lovers

PONTIAN, Nov 6 -- The Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup National Parks in Johor, both located in the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency, are well known in the local ecotourism sector, and their status as “Ramsar” sites have also made them the choice of nature lovers locally and abroad.

The two National Parks have the distinction of being among the seven Ramsar sites in the country.

Ramsar sites are wetland areas designated under the Ramsar Convention in 1971 through an intergovernmental treaty signed on the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands.

The Tanjung Piai national park is a 526-hectare mangrove forest which is home to 20 species of native mangrove and another nine related species. It stands out for having coastal mangroves on the southernmost tip of the country and mainland Asia.

Meanwhile, Pulau Kukup with an area of of ??647 hectares surrounded by about 800 hectares of wetland is the second largest mangrove island in the world with 47 species of mangroves recorded.

Johor Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Liow Cai Tung said several efforts were being carried out by the state government to “market”Johor including both its National Parks to international and local tourists.

"It was in 2003 that the Tanjung Piai Johor National Park was recognised by the Ramsar Convention as a Ramsar Site, making it a unique selling point for the state government to market to tourists, especially those interested in eco-tourism or nature lovers," she said in an interview with Bernama recently.

She added Pulau Kukup was another destination promoted by the state government as an ecotourism site.

In conjunction with Visit Johor 2020 Year, she said Tourism Johor had introduced 20 events and 20 destinations which it would promote.

Liow said Pontian, Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup had been chosen for the “Festival Hujung Benua’ (‘End of the Continent’ Festival) adding there would be collaborations with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to record videos at interesting sites.

Liow added that various corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes had been carried out by the government, private sector and NGOs such as gotong-royong and tree planting projects including garbage collection to foster a love for the environment.

“We are also partnering with Singapore through the Passport 2 Nature programme in which the Pulau Kukup National Park will work with the Singapore Tourism Board and the state government in efforts to upgrade the national park facilities and to further enhance its image as an ecotourism site.

"I hope the efforts made by the state government, the private sector, NGOs and the local community including the promotional activities, will enable the public to know more about Tanjung Piai so that more people will come here," she said.

The Ramsar site is an important area for the conservation of aquatic birds and the wetlands which play a role in protecting mangrove forests such as the Pitta Mangrove, Blue Flycatcher Mangrove and the Whistler Mangrove which are globally endangered. They have become global tourist attractions, bringing revenue to the state government and the people of the Pontian district and the residents of the Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency.

Meanwhile, Liow also reminded tourism industry players and product owners to work together to promote the industry by creating attractive packages to enable travelers to enjoy a variety of travel products and not focus on one product or attraction only.

“The state government will work with 'product owners' to create videos that tell their background or history in captivating ways as tourists love interesting stories about a place or product.

“Food is such an important component of the tourism industry, especially traditional food which are unique to the place such as burasak, a must-eat meal when visitors come to Pontian,” she said.

-bernama.

Sabah Tourism, Royal Brunei Airlines to collaborate on promo initiatives

Datuk Christina Liew (standing, fourth left) witnessing the signing ceremony of the memorandum of understanding between Sabah Tourism Board and Royal Brunei Airlines.

KOTA KINABALU: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint tourism marketing and promotion efforts has been inked between Sabah Tourism Board (STB) and Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) in London on Monday (Nov 4).

STB general manager Noredah Othman represented the board, while RBA country manager for the UK and Ireland, Adiel Mambara, signed on behalf of the carrier during the ongoing World Travel Market 2019 held at the Malaysia Pavilion at ExCel London.

In a statement issued here, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the document signed would pave the way towards cooperation beneficial to both parties.

"We seek to strengthen the friendly relationship between STB and RBA.

“We have a desire to enhance cooperation in marketing and promotion," said Liew who witnessed the signing ceremony.

Liew led an eight-member Sabah delegation to the World Travel Market in London.

The team included STB Chairman Ken Pan Ying On and STB Director Datuk Alex Decena.

-thestar online.

https://www.sabahtourism.com

Malaysia Airlines Launches Fly Malaysia Campaign At World Travel Market, Inviting The World To Experience Malaysia

photo: Tourism Malaysia

KLIA, 5 November 2019: Malaysia Airlines has launched the Fly Malaysia campaign at World Travel Market in London, yesterday, celebrating the country’s proud history and reaffirming the airline’s status as a national icon.

The campaign will run until the end of December 2020, funding a range of activities to promote Malaysia in key overseas markets and boost domestic and international arrivals. It will heavily support Tourism Malaysia’s Visit Malaysia 2020 initiative, which is uniting industry players behind a shared

goal of welcoming 30 million tourists to Malaysia in the year 2020 to enjoy the country’s warm hospitality and cultural attractions.

Among others, the campaign will be promoted with a range of “Home of Hospitality” videos which will see well-known social media influencers discuss what they love most about Malaysia. These will run concurrently to numerous social media initiatives, pushing the Fly Malaysia message out to a wider audience. In addition, there will be extensive campaigns promoting the Malaysian experience in target markets around the world through travel partner cooperation, consumer activations, more press visits and the launch of MH Holidays.

Malaysia Airlines has been welcoming passengers on board since 1947, serving the nation with a network of more than 1000 destinations via a range of airline partners. A brand promise of Malaysian hospitality sits at the heart of all that the airline does with passengers experiencing this wherever they are flying, serving as a constant reminder of all that Malaysia has to offer.

Izham Ismail, Malaysia Airlines’ Group CEO, said: “It is with great pleasure that we launch the Fly  Malaysia campaign, celebrating the people, culture and history of our country and confirming Malaysia Airlines’ proud status as the national carrier. We have been flying passengers around the world for over 70 years, and look forward to welcoming many more aboard in 2020 and beyond to experience Malaysia with this campaign.”

Alongside strong links with Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines has also announced an expanded partnership deal with Tourism Malaysia for 2020 along with state cooperation deals with the Sarawak Tourism Board. Malaysia Airlines also became the Global Airline Partner for the Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council and the SuperGT racing series, making it set to welcome record numbers of visitors to experience Malaysia in 2020.

The World Travel Market is a three-day conference held in London bringing together travel professionals, key industry buyers, journalists, digital influencers, students and tourism ministers to discuss business, innovations and trends in the travel industry. Last year’s event sparked a million meetings, resulting in around £3 billion in contracts. To take advantage of Malaysia Airlines’ great prices guests can book their tickets at Malaysia Airlines’ participating travel agents or visit Malaysia Airlines’ website at www.malaysiaairlines.com/uk/en.html

-Malaysia Airlines.

Malaysia Hypes Up VISIT MALAYSIA 2020 Promotion At WORLD TRAVEL MARKET London

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, 5 NOVEMBER 2019:Malaysia returns to participate in World Travel Market in London this year with a strong message to promote Visit Malaysia 2020.

Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau says, “This year’s participation in WTM is significant as we promote the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign with targets of 30 million tourists and RM100 billion or approximately 18 billion pounds in terms of tourist receipts. This campaign focuses on ecotourism, arts and culture, befitting with the National Ecotourism Plan 2016-2025 and the National Culture Policy.”

More than 100 events have been lined up for next year’s celebrations to showcase Malaysia’s diverse culture and traditions. These include the Malaysia Open House (Chinese New Year, Aidilfitri, Deepavali and Christmas), Thaipusam, Tadau Kaamatan and Gawai Festival (Harvest Festival), George Town Festival, Rainforest World Music Festival, Regatta Lepa and Selangor International Indigenous Arts Festival, to name a few.

One of the key events lined up is the Asia Golf Tourism Conference (AGTC) on 30 March to 2 April 2020 organised by International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO). Malaysia has been positioned as an exciting and affordable year-round golf destination, and this conference is expected to raise Malaysia’s profile further.

Malaysia is also excited to host two other high-profile business events in 2020 namely PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Summit. Both these events are expected to shine the limelight on Malaysia.

In terms of attractions and offerings, Malaysia’s 13 states offer varied experiences. Melaka’s historic sites, Penang’s gastronomic offerings, Pahang’s thick rainforests, Sabah’s natural landscapes, and Sarawak’s exotic cultures – these are some of the exciting possibilities awaiting tourists to Malaysia next year.

In addition, numerous new hotels will be open to accommodate tourists. Among the new hotel openings are Anantara, One&Only Resort and Hard Rock Hotel in Desaru Coast in Johor; Sheraton Imperial; Conrad Kuala Lumpur; and Pavilion Hotel managed by Banyan Tree. Three AC Hotels under the Marriott brand are also expected to open soon.

As part of the promotions in London, Tourism Malaysia has launched the Visit Malaysia 2020 Bus and Taxi Wrap campaign to provide the visibility needed to push Malaysian holidays and destinations in this market.

Strengthening the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign is the concurrent campaign for Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel, also happening in 2020. Malaysia has received strong interest as a health and wellness destination recently, welcoming 1.2 million healthcare travellers in 2018 alone. 

“The Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel campaign will showcase Malaysia as a world-class destination for healthcare and wellness for all, through excellent health services and unique tourism experiences. Our expertise in Malaysia covers the areas of oncology, cardiology and fertility treatments,” says the Chairman of Tourism Malaysia.

To facilitate travel to Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia is working with international airlines to increase connectivity. Currently, the London-Kuala Lumpur route is served by Malaysia Airlines totaling 14 flights and 5,166 seats per week. 

Through the Joint International Development Tourism Programme (JITDP), Malaysia has signed an agreement with Etihad Airways to increase accessibility to Malaysia. Further partnerships with other airlines are also in the pipeline.

Similarly, Tourism Malaysia is engaged in discussions with key industry players including TUI, Kuoni and British Airways to develop more holiday packages and drive traffic to the tropical holiday destination.

“Malaysia is spearheading all these developments to signify our genuine interest to grow and promote Malaysia as a top tourist destination and give assurance to industry players here of ourcommitment to tourism growth,”

“In fact, the Malaysian Government recognizes the importance of tourism industry to the economy and the Prime Minister has given his full backing for the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, calling it a national mission that the citizens, public and private sector must engage in and support,” he adds.

“We are all excited to be here at WTM once again to meet our partners and forge new relations. This is an important platform for us to promote Malaysia’s extensive tourism offerings and introduce our new and upcoming tourist attractions that we believe will satisfy the needs of the UK and Europe market,” he says.

The Malaysia Pavilion is located at AS 600, ExCel Exhibition Centre, and houses some 50 of Malaysian sellers including hotels, tour operators, tourism product owners, state tourism boards, and airlines.

-Tourism Malaysia.

http://www.malaysia.travel

Tourism Malaysia Carnival @ MOTAC Hall Putrajaya ( 7 ~ 9 November 2019 )

A total of 34 organizations such as hotels, theme parks, travel agencies and homestays will present their products and sell packages at special rates to visitors.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Sarawak homestays reap RM3.63 million in rental this year

KUCHING, Nov 2 -- Homestay operators in Sarawak netted a total income of RM3.63 million in rentals from January to September this year, which is the third highest after Pahang and Sabah.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry deputy secretary-general (Culture) Saraya Arbi said the collection was made through 43 homestays, involving 950 rooms and 620 operators.

We expect the collection to reach RM4.5 million by the end of the year, she said after opening a homestay conference organised by the ministry at Plaza Merdeka here yesterday.

She said 7,011 foreign tourists and 40,860 domestic tourists had stayed at homestays in the state in the first nine months of this year.

In conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2020, Saraya said homestay operators should introduce more activities to attract more tourists to stay at their respective places.

“Sarawak has people of various ethnic groups and culture that attract tourists, especially from Europe and China, to come,” she added.

The ministry, she said, is aware of the setbacks faced by some homestay operators, especially in the remote areas.

They have problems marketing their products through the digital platform as their area lacks good communication infrastructure, she added.

-bernama.

Cuti-cuti Malaysia Travel Fair 2019 @ IOI City Mall Putrajaya ( 1 ~ 3 November 2019 )

-Tourism Malaysia.

Malaysia poised to attract two million medical tourists next year - MOF

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 -- The country's healthcare and medical sector is expected to attract two million medical tourists next year, propped up by the Malaysia Year of Healthcare Travel 2020 (MyHT2020) campaign launched by the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC).

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah said the campaign, run in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, would be promoting the importance of physical and mental well-being by inviting everyone to seek health and wellness treatment while enjoying Malaysia's tourism attractions.

"We hope with this campaign, we will gain momentum and secure more travellers. We are expecting two million healthcare travellers, bringing in revenue receipts of RM2 billion and contributing RM8 billion to the gross domestic product (GDP)," he told reporters after launching the MyHT2020 here today.

Also present was MHTC chief executive officer Sherene Azli.

Amiruddin said the forecast number represented a significant increase from last year's 1.2 million healthcare travellers, who generated RM1.5 billion revenue receipts and contributed RM6.4 billion to the GDP.

"In terms of revenue, Malaysia healthcare tourism’s compound annual growth rate has been an encouraging 17 per cent from 2015 to 2018," he said.

Amiruddin said healthcare travel made up some 7.6 per cent of total tourism revenues and was expected to grow strongly going forward.

Amiruddin said MyHT2020 would also be playing the role of a catalyst to turn Malaysia into a high-income earning nation.

"MyHT2020 will be a stepping stone towards creating larger demand for healthcare in Malaysia, hence creating a bigger need for healthcare professionals," he said.

Meanwhile, Sherene described Malaysia as a "healthcare marvel” as it offered a “truly unique” patient experience through the combination of award-winning healthcare services coupled with the country’s long-standing reputation as a preferred holiday travel destination.

She said over the years, the country's healthcare offerings had been presented as a comprehensive package with all the right ingredients for healthcare travellers -- world-class quality, easy accessibility, and competitive affordability.

"Malaysian healthcare, once known as the 'Hidden Jewel of Asia', has been internationally recognised (with Malaysia named) as the Destination of the Year for healthcare travel by UK-based International Medical Travel Journal and the Best Country in the World for Healthcare by US-based International Living," she said.

In conjunction with the event, MHTC also signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia Airlines Bhd to strengthen the healthcare travel industry service offerings.

MHTC, an agency under the purview of the Finance Ministry, was established in 2009 to facilitate and grow the country's healthcare travel industry.

In his 2020 Budget speech to Parliament recently, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said that the government would allocate RM25 million to MHTC to strengthen Malaysia's position as the preferred destination for health tourism in ASEAN for oncology, cardiology and fertility treatment.

-bernama.

https://www.mhtc.org.my

Tourism Malaysia Organises Engagement Session With Sarawak Tourism Industry Players And Media Representatives

KUCHING, SARAWAK, 30 OCTOBER 2019 – Tourism Malaysia has organised an Engagement Session with Sarawak tourism industry players and media representatives today to share its goals and objectives for the tourism industry of Sarawak in conjunction with the soft launch of Visit Malaysia 2020 in the state. 

The networking programme, attended by about 100 industry players and media representatives from all over Sarawak, is a platform to bring together tourism operators with product operators and hoteliers as well as Tourism Malaysia under one roof to get the feedback and suggestions from everyone to enhance and improve the tourism industry of the state.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi said, “This engagement session is a great platform for building close relationships and smart partnership between tourism industry players especially for new tourism products owners and hoteliers with government agencies, while contributing to the growth of the tourism industry in Sarawak.”

According to Datuk Mohamaddin, it is indeed timely for the government to leverage on this opportunity while stepping up promotions of Visit Malaysia 2020. Malaysia aims to welcome 30 million tourists from all over the world next year to experience the beauty and wonders of Malaysia. 

During the engagement session, Senior Deputy Director, Strategic Planning Division Tourism Malaysia Zakaria bin Mohd. Nani has briefed the audiences on GAMELAN Malaysia, the Malaysian Tourism Promotion matching grant fund followed by a presentation by Tourism Malaysia Director General Datuk Musa Yusof on the outlook for tourism industry in Malaysia. 

GAMELAN, is a RM5 million special tourism fund is aimed at assisting tourism industry players in their international tourism promotion and marketing programmes to increase international tourist arrivals, while boosting domestic tourism.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Ministry to launch VM2020 at year-end

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 -- The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will launch the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VM2020) at the end of this year, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said the soft launch of the VM2020 would be held in each state beginning January 2020.

He said various efforts would be constantly made to further strengthen the VM2020 campaign with the cooperation of all parties including the media, international bloggers and MPs.

"The soft launch with the cooperation of each state is to increase the publicity of VM2020, and we will also host a reception at selected airports and national entrances to welcome tourists on the first day of VM2020.

"We will also host familiarisation programmes with international media, bloggers and influencers as well as travel agencies. A special briefing session on the implementation of the VM2020 campaign will be held on Nov 19," he said when replying to Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) during Question Time.

Muhammad Bakhtiar said the campaign would focus on promoting the country's racial unity and cultural diversity.

In conjunction with VM2020, he said the ministry, in collaboration with the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), had secured 38 international business events next year.

"Through this collaboration to promote VM2020, we will be able to witness the participation of 49,699 international and local delegates, and will generate an estimated RM590 million in economic impact.

-bernama.

Tourism Malaysia Organises Meet & Greet Session With SHELL MALAYSIA MOTOGP 2019 Riders

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 OCTOBER 2019 – In the build-up to the Malaysian MotoGP race, which will be held from 1 to 3 November, Tourism Malaysia is organising a Meet & Greet Session with the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP) 2019 Riders at Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTic), here, today.

There will be talks and an exclusive meet-and-greet session with riders from the PETRONAS Yamaha Sepang Racing Team namely Franco Morbidelli (MotoGP), Adam Noorodin (Moto2), Khairul Idham Pawi (Moto2), John McPhee (Moto3), and Ayumu Sasaki (Moto3). Fans can also meet riders from Red Bull KTM Ajo Riders i.e. Brad Binder (Moto2), Jorge Martin (Moto2) and Can Oncu (Moto3). 

The Onexox TKKR SAG Team comprising Remy Gardner (Moto2) and Tetsuta Nagashima (Moto2) will also be present to meet fans. 

Among the objectives of the event are to create awareness about the motorsport events in Malaysia such as the MotoGP, FIM Endurance World Championship (FIM EWC) and FIA World Touring Car Cup (FIA WTCR), as well as giving motorsport fans the opportunity to meet their racing heroes.

The Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof says that the event is part of Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to support the motorsport events in Malaysia.

“Tourism Malaysia is happy to support MotoGP because of the huge potential it has in attracting spectators from all across the region and world. The Malaysian leg of the race has garnered a popular following both among Malaysians and international fans. MotoGP spectators attendance alone has achieved more than 1.81 million people from 1999-2018,” he adds.

According to him, Tourism Malaysia has partnered with Sepang International Circuit (SIC) to place sporting events as part of the Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) calendar of events. He believes events like these bring benefits not only to the tourism industry but also to the general economy in Malaysia.

A total of 13 exhibitors involving SIC, Onexox TKKR SAG Team, Royal Enfield, Satin Alpha Biker Club, WSF Motor Touring Malaysia, Mata Eyewear, DSL Setia, The Rift, Hype Hotel Port Dickson, Sbkcrew.com, HJC Helmets, Ole-Ole and Redbull are also taking part in the event.

Visitors to the event will also have the opportunity to take part in the e-sport simulation game or virtual reality game as well as quizzes on domestic tourism.

Tourism Malaysia have worked with international tour agents to help promote and sell MotoGP packages in various markets overseas. A total of 5,467 MotoGP packages worth RM4.72 million have been sold this year.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Desaru Coast dives into lifestyle events market to boost visitorship

Desaru Coast in Johor, Malaysia, is being groomed as a lifestyle and events destination to attract more visitors; Desaru Coast Adventures Park pictured

Desaru Development Holdings One, the master developer of Desaru Coast, is grooming the young integrated destination in southern Malaysia to host events and festivals to attract visitorship and more eyeballs at a swifter pace.

While Desaru Coast is home to five-star international hotel brands, a conference centre, a water park, two championship golf courses, a retail village and a 17km pristine beachfront, it remains relatively unknown to overseas travellers, partly due to it being only a three-month-old development.

To promote the destination, Desaru Development Holdings One is working with partners to curate its own signature events, including the Desaru Coast Gourmet Series, which will feature an international food festival in 2020.

CEO Roslina Arbak revealed that plans are also underway for a series of concerts and music festivals featuring local and regional acts next year.

These events will join the Ombak Festival which debuted in July 2019 to celebrate local arts and culture. Coinciding with the launch of Desaru Coast, the Ombak Festival attracted 16,000 visitors, mainly locals. More activities will be presented in the second edition next year to attract a larger number of regional visitors.

Arbak added: “Our events strategy in future includes working with independent partners to host international events. This follows our recent success in welcoming the inaugural Desaru International Bike Week 2019. Held last month, the four-day event attracted more than 50,000 bikers over four days.”

The developer is committed to hosting the Ironman Multisport Festival Desaru Coast for the next three years, with the first edition commencing on April 17-19, 2020.

It is also leveraging the government’s national initiative, Visit Malaysia 2020, as well as the Johor state government’s Visit Johor 2020 campaign, to develop joint marketing activities to raise awareness of Desaru Coast, positioning it as a premium tourist destination.

-TTG Asia.

https://desarucoast.com

Tourism Malaysia Meet and Greet Session in Conjunction with Malaysia MOTOGP 2019 @ MaTiC Kuala Lumpur ( 30 October 2019 )

In conjunction with the Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix 2019, Tourism Malaysia will be organizing the Tourism Malaysia Mini Carnival and Meet & Greet Session with the riders from Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, Red Bull KTM Ajo Team and ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team.

Program details are as follows:

Date: 30 October 2019 (Wednesday)

Venue: Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTIC) Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur

Tourism Malaysia Mini Carnival

Time: 10.00 am – 6.00 pm

Meet & Greet Session

Time 11.30 am – 3.00 pm

This event is part of Tourism Malaysia effort to enhance the promotion of Visit Malaysia Year 2020 through collaboration with Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team, Red Bull KTM Ajo Team and ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team.

The above teams mentioned teams will assist Tourism Malaysia to promote Malaysia globally through 19 MOTOGP race worldwide.

-Tourism Malaysia.