Friday, March 10, 2006

Malaysia woos German tourists

EFFORTS are being made to woo high-end visitors from European countries, especially Germany and other German-speaking countries.


This is part of the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 objectives, launched last December.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said besides the United Kingdom, Germany was an important market.

German tourist arrivals to Malaysia has fluctuated in recent years, with the numbers dropping from 70,000 to 41,000 between 2000 and 2003.

However, in 2004, their number increased to about 50,000 visitors.

For the period between January and November last year, 54,800 visitors from Germany visited Malaysia.

The Germans spent between RM1,400 and RM2,400 while in the country. Some stayed up to 6.5 days.

"There is a high demand for our island and beach packages with Sabah and Sarawak remaining the most attractive destinations among German tourists," said Tengku Adnan.

The minister is in Germany for the 40th International Tourism Bourse (ITB) 2006, the world’s largest tourism trade fair.

He said the fair provided an excellent platform for Malaysia to promote events such as Formula One and the country’s unique attractions, including the festival open house and shopping carnivals.

The annual fair at Messe gathers major industry players from the government and private sectors worldwide.

This year’s event attracted more than 10,000 participants from over 180 countries, including Malaysia, with its 420 square metre pavilion at the fair represented by 60 organisations, including hoteliers, tour operators and state tourism boards.

The major events promoted there were VMY 2007, "Malaysia Welcomes the World" and the "Malaysia My Second Home"programme.

Source: New Straits Times

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