MANILA, 23 May 2023 – Aiming to lure a greater number of tourists from the Philippines to revisit Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia has conducted its first Sales Mission to Manila and Davao this year from 20th to 28th May 2023. The programme also targets to boost inbound tourism to Malaysia by highlighting on niche segments such as those from the Family, MICE, Health Care and Medical Tourism, Education, and for the Digital Nomads.
Led by Dato’ Dr. Ammar Bin Abd. Ghapar, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, the delegation comprises 19 organisations, including Melaka Tourism, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), Selama District Council of Perak, Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) agency, as well as other industry players and product owners.
Highlighted also through the event are the upcoming “Visit Melaka” and the “Visit Perak Year 2024” whereby the following Malaysian states were given the stage to feature the unique culture and experience tourists may also expect that their states has to offer; this is also to pave way and create the momentum for the upcoming Visit Malaysia Year 2025 wherein Malaysia is projecting to have 23.5m international tourists and RM76.8b in receipts.
The Malaysian sellers and Filipino buyers are gathered through business sessions and gala dinners in both cities, apart from two seminars conducted at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Makati City and Dusit Thani D2 Davao, Davao City respectively, focusing on leisure, shopping, and the niche tourism markets.
“The Philippines has always been the top 10 source market for international travel to Malaysia. Our challenge is to move forward after the pandemic and to work together to create a seamless and unforgettable experience for tourists when they visit ASEAN as a single yet multifarious travel destination,” says Dato’ Dr. Ammar.
In 2022, more than 159,442 tourists from the Philippines visited Malaysia, and Tourism Malaysia aims to continuously increase this number in the coming through the new segments featured in the sales mission. There are currently 64 flights per week from Manila to Malaysia via Malaysia Airlines, Philippines Airlines, AirAsia and Cebu Pacific.
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