As Malaysia gears up for reopening of its borders, Tourism Malaysia meets Travel businesses across India

"The much-anticipated opening of the outdoor theme park in Genting Highland in the second quarter of 2021 will be a major highlight for tourism. The official opening of this ‘Genting Skyworlds’ is music to travellers’ ears and the travel industry alike." - Hafiz Hashim, Director of Tourism Malaysia - Mumbai

By Siane D'Cruz Updated: Feb 22, 2021, 16:48 IST

In anticipation of border reopening, Tourism Malaysia India offices engaged with Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) in a three-day meeting starting 19 February 2021 to set sights on strategic planning and come up with key initiatives, strategies and activities.

"The much-anticipated opening of the outdoor theme park in Genting Highland in the second quarter of 2021 will be a major highlight for tourism. The official opening of this ‘Genting Skyworlds’ is music to travellers’ ears and the travel industry alike." - Hafiz Hashim, Director of Tourism Malaysia - Mumbai

"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." - Sulaiman Suip, Director of Tourism Malaysia, New Delhi

Organised at the ITC Gardenia, the Directors and the entire marketing staffs from Tourism Malaysia New Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai Offices are also meeting up with 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 served to update the partners on Malaysia’s latest situation as well as tourism products and developments.

"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. 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." - Razaidi Rahim, Director of Tourism Malaysia - Chennai

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. 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.