KUCHING: Targeting to attract more than two million international tourists this year, Tourism Malaysia, the promotional board under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), will embark on a continuous effort to showcase the country’s unique blend of ‘Truly Asia’ heritage to the Middle East and the world.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that they will continue to place strong emphasis and focus on the Middle Eastern market in terms of outbound tourism by stepping up their promotional efforts.
 
“It is indeed a huge relief for the tourism industry as we welcome more international travellers, both newbies and regulars, to help strengthen our economy even more.
 
“Therefore, we hope for a strong rebound in our market, as the reopening of the border would pave the way for a tourism renaissance to help the economy recover.
 
“We hope to attract two million international tourists this year, bringing in more than RM8.6 billion (AED7.5 billion) in revenue,” she said.
 
Tourism Malaysia recently inked a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with Dubai-based Emirates Airline as part of the airline’s recovery and expansion of traffic to Malaysia from major countries across its network at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2022.

They will also collaborate with Emirates to explore mutually beneficial activities that will boost tourism in Malaysia and provide Emirates with more chances to service the market, such as familiarisation trips, workshops, seminars, digital campaigns, in-flight marketing campaigns and other marketing programmes.
 
During the ATM, the mission’s purpose is to re-establish and enhance the region’s commitment to good tourist cooperation, future partnerships, and improved collaboration with the travel and tourism industry.