Malaysia Truly Asia Fair
In conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014
The Embassy of Malaysia, The Malaysia Association (Kelab Malaysia Thailand) and Tourism Malaysia jointly organized the Malaysia Truly Asia Fair 2014 (MTAF 2014) aimed to constantly promote tourism industry in Malaysia in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY 2014) campaign.
The one day fair was officiated by H.E. Dato’ Nazirah binti Hussain, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Embassy of Malaysia. The Fair also received the guest-of-honour Dr. Pusadee Tamthai, Deputy Governor of Bangkok, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Scomi Oiltools (Thailand) and Sathorn Thani Management Service (STMS) were the main sponsors for the event. Other sponsors were CIMB Thai Bank and PK Agro-Industrial Products (M) Sdn. Bhd (Charoen Pokphand Group).
“Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy the uniqueness and various Malaysian food, beverages, health and wellness products, fashion, accessories as well as other products. In addition, there are playground and games for children as well as lucky draws with premium prizes such as round trip air tickets from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur sponsored by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia, 2 nights stay vouchers at LegoLand Resort and 2 night stay vouchers at Seri Pacific Hotel, 2 Entry passes to LegoLand and Sunway Lagoon”, said H.E. Dato’ Nazirah binti Hussain during the event’s opening ceremony.
MTAF 2014 also highlighted Malaysia as the tourism destination for Thai tourists and encouraged them to visit Malaysia; a land blessed with enchanting and breathtaking landscapes, multi-racial society and diverse culture as well as world-class shopping venues and theme parks. Special deal for tour packages and flight tickets were offered for visitors by the airlines and tour operators that were operating booths during the fair.
Additionally, MTAF 2014 emphasized the socio-economic entity of Malaysians visiting or residing in Thailand by joining Kelab Malaysia (Thailand) under the patronage of the Embassy of Malaysia. The main ambition of KMT is in line with the main objective of this MTAF 2014 through our social, sports, charity, and business activities from time to time.
In general, The Embassy of Malaysia and Tourism Malaysia anticipated that MTAF 2014 would be able to further promote Malaysia in Thailand as well as strengthen the mutual understanding and friendship between the two nations.
In 2013, a total of 1,156,452 Thai nationals visited Malaysia contributing 4.5% towards the total arrivals achieved that year. Hence, Thai market is the fifth biggest tourist generating market to the country. Amongst the most popular tourism destinations and products in Malaysia for Thai tourists are Kuala Lumpur, LegoLand & Hello Kitty in Jahor, Sunway Lagoon in Selangor, George Town in Penang, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Genting Highlands in Pahang, Pulau Perhentian in Terengganu.
Overall, tourist arrivals to Malaysia in 2013 grew by 2.7% to 25.7 million compared to 25 million in 2012. Tourist receipts were RM65.4 billion, surpassing the initial target of RM65 billion. It was an increase of 8.1% from RM60.56 billion in 2012. Malaysia’s tourism sector was the sixth highest contributor to the country’s Gross National Income (GNI) in 2013.
