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in person
Junus Suhid - Director, Tourism Malaysia UK -
Festivals and fam trips, magical
destinations to dynamic Masterchefs, Malaysia has it all and is determined to share it by working with the UK trade
What trade initiatives is Tourism Malaysia planning? Tourism Malaysia works very closely with its airline and tour operator partners to speak to many travel agents across the UK as well as really listen to what they want and need from us as the tourism body for Malaysia. Having been involved in various trade events and roadshows this year, we know that fam trips are high on the wish-list for many agents and we will therefore be planning a series of fams throughout 2015 to both peninsular and Borneo Malaysia.
What training do you currently offer agents? There is an excellent online training programme available at:
mastermalaysia.co.uk with six modules covering everything from the 13 states including wildlife, cities, culture and events. We are also planning more roadshows in 2015 so will be able to provide some personal training up and down the country. In the run up to WTM, we will be offering the fi rst 25 agents who complete the online training a £25 Love2Shop voucher as a thank you for supporting us.
What is coming up in 2015? 2015 has been designated the Year of Festivals or MYFest. This is very exciting and will build on the success of Visit Malaysia Year 2014. It has been designed to showcase the plethora of festivals throughout Malaysia. As a nation, we are incredibly lucky to have so many diverse cultures and traditions which means that we host an amazing festival every couple of weeks. From Chinese New Year to Thaipusam, Malaysia's melting pot population really knows how to celebrate its diversity in style and we want to invite the world to enjoy the celebrations with us. Beyond the cultural festivals, we have some fantastic gastronomy, shopping and sporting
events already in the calendar which will truly make 2015 a year to remember and agents can be sure that when they send their clients to our country, there will certainly be a festivity to enjoy, no matter what time of year it is.
What are the most popular sellers? British tourists have been coming to Malaysia for such a long time that we really know what appeals to them. There are a few old favourites that never go out of fashion including our glittering capital Kuala Lumpur, the orang-utans in Sabah in Borneo Malaysia, the glamour and beaches of Langkawi or the colonial charm of Penang. Each of these destinations has something to offer that really appeals to the heart of the UK traveller, whether it is the incredible gastronomy, amazing diving and wildlife spotting opportunities, thrilling theme parks or our great value shopping experiences.
What's coming up in Malaysia? Our big news is the launch of direct fl ights to KL from LHR with British Airways. These will start on May 27 and the response we have had thus far has been really encouraging and we know it will be a great success. We also have some exciting new openings in 2015 and beyond. Next year, we have a beautiful new Ritz Carlton opening in Langkawi,
sellingtravel.co.uk
a St Regis in KL and a fantastic addition to the Datai hotel collection in Malacca. Also in the pipeline are three huge new openings in 2017, a W Hotel in KL, the new 20th Century Fox theme park and a new Harrods Hotel, all of which we know will be hugely popular with visitors from the UK.
What markets are the main focuses for 2015? Malaysia has something to offer every traveller. In 2015 we will be building on our excellent arrival fi gures which
have seen an increase of 9% from the UK so far this year and will be focusing our efforts on enticing family, ecotourism, luxury, wildlife and wellness travellers as we have incredible product offering in these areas.
What is getting consumers thinking about visiting Malaysia? We’ve had lots of interest in our gastronomy of late which we know has been infl uenced by the recent success of Ping Coombes, our own Malaysian born winner of Masterchef UK 2014. She is passionate about her home country’s cuisine and we are working with her on various events to promote the food of Malaysia and hope to share some of these
Photo: Get set to party in 2015 as part of Malaysia's designated Year of Festivals or MYFest
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