Malaysia Is Back - Tourism Malaysia Director General Leads Travel Roadshow to Australia

PERTH, AUSTRALIA, 8 April 2019: Malaysia is back in Australia as it prepares for Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM 2020), a landmark campaign that’s targeted to bring in 30 million international tourists and approximately AUD34.39 billion (RM100 billion) in tourist receipts.

The Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof, is leading a Travel Roadshow to three major Australian cities to reinforce the message that Malaysia is an important holiday destination for Australian travellers. The delegation consists of twenty five (25) organisations including two (2) state tourism boards, one tourism agency, three (3) travel agents, thirteen (13) hotels and resorts, four (4) product owners and two (2) airlines. Major players and sponsors are Terengganu Tourism, Sarawak Tourism Board, Desaru Coast, Legoland, Malindo Air and Malaysia Airlines.

The Roadshow covers the cities of Perth on 8 April, Sydney on 9 April and Melbourne on 10 April.

Datuk Musa says, “We want to remind Australians that Malaysia is a beautiful and culturally diverse country with many fascinating tourist attractions. We are a peaceful nation and we welcome tourists from all over the world to enjoy an affordable and value-for-money holiday in Malaysia.”

He adds, “All these create a conducive environment that encourages not only tourist visits, but also business investments into Malaysia. We hope that our presence in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne will encourage tourism growth and business expansion in Malaysia.”

The Roadshow is a timely platform for Malaysia to highlight tourist attractions such as Lang Tengah Island; houseboat experience in Lake Kenyir; Terrapuri Heritage Village in Terengganu; exploring heritage trails in Sarawak where you will be immersed in centuries of remarkable storytelling and history; the UNESCO Geopark of Langkawi with its beautiful rainforest, sandstone, cave, sea and river landscapes; and being among the first to experience the new integrated destination attraction of Desaru Coast and theme park Legoland in the southern region of Malaysia.

Datuk Musa will hold a special media briefing at 5pm in each city to cover Malaysia’s tourism performance and future developments as well key tourist attractions (see below “Key Highlights of Malaysia’s Tourism Products”).

Australia is an important tourist source market for Malaysia. In 2018, a total of 351,500 Australians visited Malaysia, which contributed to the overall 25.8 million international tourist arrivals to Malaysia. Malaysia aims to bring in 378,500 Australians to Malaysia next year. There are currently 121 total flights/week offering 32,565 seats from Australia.

Malindo Air will launch the Adelaide-Kuala Lumpur via Bali route on 16 April 2019. In conjunction with this inaugural flight, Malindo Air is offering special air fares to Kuala Lumpur from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne starting from AUD558 and from Perth starting from AUD228 to Kuala Lumpur.

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:

www.medicaltourismmalaysia.com

www.mhtc.org.my

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).