By Abdul Bari Masoud
Bengaluru: In anticipation of border reopening after the phased un-lockdown, Tourism Malaysia India Offices began engaging travel agents and their associations in the country. It held a three day meeting with stakeholders to boost and attract Indian tourists to Malaysia.
The engagement with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) was started on February 19 and concluded today. The meeting has set sights on strategic planning and come up with key initiatives, strategies and activities.
The Directors and the entire marketing staffs from Tourism Malaysia New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai Offices were also met with the Indian tour operators and travel agents of Bengaluru to get feedback on the current COVID19 pandemic to woo back Indian tourists to Malaysia.
The meeting also updated the partners on Malaysia’s latest situation as well as tourism products and developments.
Sulaiman Suip, Director of Tourism Malaysia – New Delhi Office said, the recent Malaysia Airlines achievement in receiving full marks for its COVID-19 health and safety measures (by Airline Ratings) shows Malaysia’s preparedness and commitment towards safety and hygiene. “Therefore, we will continue to build confidence and awareness that hopefully will translate into a desire to travel to Malaysia once the crisis ends,” he added.
Hafiz Hashim, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Mumbai Office said, the other focal point is the much-anticipated opening of the outdoor theme park in Genting Highland in the second quarter of 2021.
The official opening of this ‘Genting Skyworlds’ is music to travellers’ ears and the travel industry alike.
Meanwhile, Razaidi Rahim, Director of Tourism Malaysia – Chennai Office said, Malaysia is also committed to brand itself as an ecotourism destination, with an outlook towards balancing the development and conservation of its natural environment & heritage.
It is to noted that India remains one of the top market sources for Malaysia and contributed 735,309 international tourist arrivals in 2019. The first two months of 2020 recorded a phenomenal cumulative growth of +29%. However, the spread of the coronavirus globally led the countries to close their borders and cancelling most flights.
The 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. In 2019, Malaysia registered 26.1 million tourist arrivals and RM86.14 billion tourist receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.
