Sudipta Dev – Mumbai
Myriad cultural extravaganza awaits visitors to Malaysia this year with the celebration of Malaysia Year of Festivals (MYFest) 2015. A delegation led by Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, minister of tourism and culture, Malaysia, was in India recently to create awareness both among the travel trade and the public, about the year-long festivities. The theme of MYFest 2015 being ‘Endless Celebrations’, Dato Seri Mohamed said, “Our aim is to broaden the perception of Malaysia beyond the scenic beauty to focus on our unique multi-cultural heritage.” As many as 50 cultural events have been identified as part of MYFest 2015. Many new events have been lined up like the Malaysia International Mask Festival and the Aboriginal Art Festival.
Dato Seri Mohamed mentioned that the India market is very important for them as India is the fifth biggest contributor to tourist arrivals in Malaysia. The year 2014 witnessed increasing arrivals from India, which according to the Malaysian tourism minister, could partly be contributed to increased air connectivity. The event in Mumbai also saw the international launch of Smart-i Travel Malaysia App and the unveiling of Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival logo. Launching the app, Dato Seri Mohamed stated, “We can now share with travellers around the world what we offer. It allows visitors to always stay connected.”
While Malaysia has always been a popular choice for family holidays, the wedding and the honeymoon segment is the other focus area for Tourism Malaysia in the India market. Indians are now also keen to explore new destinations in Malaysia with places like Sarawak generating increasing interest. “Sarawak has always been popular with Europeans. When Indians started coming, it has primarily been Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Melaka, etc, but now we have taken Indian agents to destinations like Sarawak and we hope more Indian tourists start visiting these places soon,” said Dato Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, director general, Tourism Malaysia.