AUCKLAND, New Zealand, April 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is back in New Zealand as it prepares for Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM 2020), a landmark campaign that’s targeted to bring in 30 million international tourists and approximately NZD$35.5 billion (RM100 billion) in tourist receipts. The Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof, is leading a travel trade mission to Auckland on 11 April to reinforce the message that Malaysia is an important holiday destination for New Zealand travellers. The delegation consists of 10 organisations including one state tourism board, one tourism agency, one travel agent, one airline, 4 hotels and resorts, and 2 product owners. Major players and sponsors are Terengganu Tourism, Desaru Coast, Legoland, Malindo Air and Malaysia Airlines.

Datuk Musa says, "Malaysia has long-standing ties with New Zealand that extends to the Peace Corps, education and cultural exchanges as well as presenting an attractive holiday proposition to New Zealanders."

He adds, “New Zealand, like Malaysia, is a multi-ethnic and diverse population living in relative peace and harmony. We hope that this mutual connection will serve as a basis to strengthen our tourism relations with each other.”

He also noted that Malaysia’s blend of "culture, cuisine and nature" appeals strongly to New Zealanders’ innate sense of adventure which is made accessible by language, customs and some familiar aspects of Malay culture.

Malaysia offers a multi-faceted holiday that takes visitors from the shopping heavens of one of the world's most modern cities that is Kuala Lumpur, to the farthest reaches of Borneo's native jungles with its abundance of unique flora and fauna, to pristine waters where they can explore a magical underwater world or secluded island. Malaysia also presents an exceptional value-for-money proposition where the Kiwi dollar goes a long way in value and, in doing so, offers the opportunity to elevate both the standard and length of stay of their Malaysian holiday.

Datuk Musa adds, “Our main focus is to strengthen our economy and develop better policies to attract good investments for the nation to prosper. I encourage you to consider Malaysia as your ideal partner for your tourism growth and business expansion and look forward to seeing more tourism investments and partnerships in Malaysia.”

Datuk Musa will hold a special media briefing to address the trade players in Auckland, covering Malaysia’s tourism performance and future developments as well key tourist attractions (see below “Key Highlights of Malaysia’s Tourism Products”).

New Zealand is an important tourist source market for Malaysia. In 2018, a total of 50,698 New Zealanders visited Malaysia, which contributed to the overall 25.8 million international tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Malaysia aims to bring in 60,000 New Zealanders to Malaysia next year. There are currently 7 flights/week offering 2,009 seats from New Zealand to Malaysia.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF MALAYSIA’S TOURISM PRODUCTS:

Terengganu
Located on the eastern peninsula of Malaysia, the State of ‘beautiful' Terengganu is considered to be a "bucket list" item for visitors to Malaysia. A diverse and vibrant mix of history, culture, nature and eco experiences, Terengganu is world renowned for its turtle sanctuaries and pristine, white sandy beaches and islands.
www.beautifulterengganu.com

Sarawak
Sarawak is a kaleidoscope of culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals. It is home to one of the oldest rainforests on Earth and the largest cave chamber in the world. There is adventure around every corner, from the breezy highlands to the quiet beaches. Some 27 ethnic groups celebrate their unique cultures and festivals throughout the year, an eclectic blend of modern and traditional life, food, music and religious practices that can be found nowhere else. In Sarawak, there is always ‘More to Discover’. 
www.sarawaktourism.com

Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council
The Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) is a government agency under the Ministry of Finance, that has been entrusted with the responsibility of developing the country’s healthcare travel scene. It was founded in 2009 to facilitate and grow Malaysia’s healthcare travel industry under the brand “Malaysia Healthcare” with the intended goal of making Malaysia the leading global healthcare destination. Since then, MHTC has worked to streamline industry players and service providers into a more focused development strategy to raise Malaysia’s profile in healthcare travel on an international stage. It is an example of a successful model of public-private partnerships (PPP) in growing the healthcare travel sector in Malaysia.

Potential healthcare travellers can also obtain information on seeking healthcare in Malaysia including medical treatments, accommodation and travel at these websites:

Desaru Coast
Desaru Coast is a new integrated destination resort in Malaysia with a portfolio of globally renowned hotels and resorts, namely Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, as well as One&Only Desaru Coast. Desaru Coast is also home to Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark - one of the world’s biggest waterparks; Desaru Coast Conference Centre - a fully equipped conference facility; The Els Club Desaru Coast – 45 holes of golf in total with two distinct clubs; Ocean Course and Valley Course; and Desaru Coast Riverside – a 23-acre waterfront landscaped retail and lifestyle village. Desaru Coast spans over 3,900 acres along a pristine 17 km beachfront that faces eastwards over the clear ocean waters. The destination is set amid a rich bio-diverse location.
www.desarucoast.com

LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort
LEGOLAND® Malaysia Resort brings together a LEGOLAND Theme Park, Water Park, SEA LIFE and Hotel in one LEGO® themed location. It is the ideal family holiday destination with more than 80 hands-on rides, slides, shows and attractions offering adventure, education and fun for action-packed day trips or short holidays. The Resort is specifically designed for families with children aged 2 to 12. SEA LIFE is the world’s largest aquarium brand and the latest addition to the Resort.
www.legoland.com.my

Malaysia Airlines – Your Preferred Airline to Malaysia & Beyond
Malaysia Airlines (MH) is the national carrier of Malaysia, currently operating 57 weekly services from Australia & New Zealand to its hub in KL International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur. Beyond KLIA, Malaysia Airlines connects 62 destinations in 20 countries with a modern fleet of Airbus A380-800, A330-300, A330-200 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

The network includes extensive domestic and regional coverage across Malaysia. No other Malaysian carrier offers a comparable domestic, regional or global network solution when thinking about travel to, from and within Malaysia.

As a member of one world®, Malaysia Airlines and its partners in the global alliance offer a seamless travel experience to more than 1,000 destinations across the world.

For more information, please visit malaysiaairlines.com

MalindoAir
Malindo Air is a Malaysian airline with main hubs at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and city airport Subang Skypark in Selangor, Malaysia. The airline took to the skies in March 2013 and the fleet has grown exponentially to 13 ATR72-600 and 29 Boeing 737 as of Jan 2019. The airline also obtained the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). Today, the airline operates over 800 flights weekly across a continuously growing network of about 57 routes covering 17 countries in the region of Asia and Australia. Also an IATA airline member, Malindo Air codeshares with Turkish Airline, Lion Air, Batik Air and is an interlining partner to Xiamen Air, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Turkish Airline, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Oman Air.

For updates on Malindo Air’s latest activities and promotions, please connect with us via Twitter (https://twitter.com/malindoair), Facebook (facebook.com/MalindoAirMalaysia) or Instagram (instagram.com/malindoair).


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

New Zealand Media Enquiries:
Name : Mr Rosli Reshid Mohd Saini
Director
Email : rosli@tourism.gov.my
Tel : +6493096290