PUTRAJAYA, March 4 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia is undertaking its annual tourism promotion at ITB Berlin this year from 6 to 10 March as usual. Only this time, it will assume the title of Official Partner Country of the important travel trade event. It is seen as a significant promotional effort leading up to the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign for the country. 

This year’s delegation to ITB Berlin comprises of 11 state tourism boards, 32 tour operators, 30 hotels and resorts, two airlines, four tourism service providers and four tourism related agencies. There are a total of 136 participants representing 83 organisations taking part from Malaysia, with major players and sponsors being Malaysia Airlines, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad, Putrajaya Corporation, Selangor, Penang, Sabah, Sarawak, Condor Airlines and Desaru Coast.

The delegation is led by the Hon. Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi, who is accompanied by Dato’ Haslina Abdul Hamid, Deputy Secretary General (Tourism) of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, and Datuk Musa Yusof, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, the agency in charge of tourism promotions.

As Official Partner Country, Malaysia will be given prominence at what is considered a major tourism trade event that has annually attracted 100,000 visitors from all over the world. The highlight will be the “Colours of Malaysia” cultural performance by Istana Budaya during the opening ceremony. Dancers will put up a vibrant showcase featuring royal court dances as well as zapin, sewang, Chinese, Indian, folk, Sabah and Sarawak dances.

The Malaysia Pavilion at Hall 26A, Stand 117, is expected to command attention, too, with the design and built reflecting ancient Terengganu architecture. The result is a characteristically unique structure that is recognizably Malaysia.

Mini cultural performances will also be showcased at the Malaysia Pavilion and other venues. Malaysia has brought along the Sarawak Ring Ladies, who still practice the ancient tradition of wearing copper coils on their forearms and calves as part of their beauty routine. Visitors to ITB Berlin will also be fortunate to see a special exhibition of Sarawak scarves called “keringkam.” These are hand-embroidered scarves made using gold thread and is an important part of Sarawak heirloom legacy. Visitors will get to see these treasured headgear and other ornaments that have rarely been exhibited. In addition, the Mah Meri natives of Selangor will show their skills in stone and woodcarving craftsmanship.

Malaysia will also be promoted via our delicious food. Malaysian cuisine will be served to the public during the ITB Gala Reception on 5 March. Guests will have the chance to sample nasi lemak, satay, soto, rendang tok, lempeng and murtabak. Chefs David Tong Fah Hee and Mohd Khairul Anuar from Ramada Hotel Melaka will be on hand to give visitors a taste of Malaysia.

Media interviews and press conferences are also scheduled throughout the show to offer publicity mileage to Malaysia. Several speaking engagements have been arranged for Malaysia to showcase its tourist attractions. The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) will take to the stage to promote Malaysia as an affordable and quality medical tourism destination, while the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) will promote Malaysia as a bird-watching paradise and highlight the country’s unique cultural aspects.

Representatives from Putrajaya, Selangor, Penang, Sabah and Sarawak will also take to the stage to promote the many tourist offerings in these states.

The signing of a Memorandum of Joint Collaboration (MoJC) will be arranged on 6 March at ITB, which sees Tourism Malaysia, Malaysia Airports and Condor Airlines agree to a collaboration to increase air accessibility between Germany and Malaysia. This follows their successful partnership which saw winter scheduled charter flights between Germany and Malaysia last year.

Malaysia is certainly stepping up its promotions this year in preparation of Visit Malaysia 2020, during which the target is to welcome 30 million tourist from around the world and RM100 billion tourist receipts.

The German market has demonstrated to be a potentially strong market for Malaysia to pursue. In 2018, Malaysia received a total of 128,895 German tourists, representing a 17.4% growth from 2017. Initiatives such as the Condor Airlines winter scheduled charter flights, TUI’s Fly and Drive packages, partnership with ECTAA, live seminar “Dertouristik Campus 2020,” workshops, familiarization trips and other airline and tour operator collaborations are attributed to this growth.

In 2019, Malaysia targets to welcome 147,000 tourists from Germany.

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2018, Malaysia registered 25.8 million tourist arrivals and RM84.1 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

SOURCE: Tourism Malaysia

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Muadz Samat
Assistant Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603 8891 8755
Email: muadz@tourism.gov.my 

--BERNAMA