PUTRAJAYA, April 1 (Bernama) -- As the country's borders are officially reopened to international travellers today, Tourism Malaysia is ready to re-embark on its global advertising campaign by leveraging the 'Malaysia, Truly Asia' branding in boosting inbound tourism while domestic tourism continues to drive the recovery.

With a series of more than 100 promotional activities lined up to increase visibility, the online and offline promotional strategies will be conducted via smart partnerships, networking sessions, seminars, webinars, roadshows, joint promotions, and familiarisation trips through a global network of 30 Tourism Malaysia offices around the world as well as six marketing representatives abroad.

YB Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, said: “The full reopening of borders is indeed a huge relief for the tourism industry as we welcome more international tourists, newcomers and regulars alike, to further boost our economy.

“Therefore, we hope for a strong rebound in our market as the border reopening will open doors for the tourism revival to bolster recovery. We are targeting to attract 2 million international tourist arrivals this year with more than RM8.6 billion in tourism receipts,” said Nancy after greeting international passengers of Etihad Airways at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) today.

More than 110 international flights will land in Malaysia on 1 April 2022, particularly both in KLIA and KLIA 2, as the number of international passengers is expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, for the first time after two years.

Malaysia set up Langkawi International Travel Bubble (LITB) to kick-start international travel on 15 November 2021. This pilot scheme drew 5,800 visitors from abroad and generated more than RM28 million for the first three-month of its implementation.

As of 18 March 2022, LITB has successfully registered 9,196 international arrivals, with the top ten tourist generating markets coming from the United Kingdom (948), USA (692), Australia (639), Germany (433), Yemen (421), Indonesia (371), South Korea (347), Thailand (343), Sweden (286), and Saudi Arabia (221).

About Tourism Malaysia
Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, also known as Tourism Malaysia, is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & 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. Prior to pandemic, Malaysia registered 26.1 million tourist arrivals and RM86.14 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 Communications Division 
Tel: +603 8891 8755
Email: muadz@tourism.gov.my

Ahmad Kamarudin Yusoff
Deputy Director
Domestic & Event Division
Tel: +603 8891 8468
Email: akamarudin@tourism.gov.my

--BERNAMA