MUMBAI, 09 February 2024 – Tourism Malaysia returns to India’s largest tourism fair, the Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) 2024 in Mumbai, since its last participation in 2020. The three-day event, happening from 08 to 10 February 2024, is a continuous effort to keep Malaysia as the preferred tourism destination in the minds of Indian travellers.
At OTM 2024 this year, Tourism Malaysia aims to focus on niche products such as shopping, golfing, luxury tourism, theme parks and honeymoon packages. On top of that, emerging segments such as weddings and film-induced tourism are also being promoted to Indians as a destination of choice. With more than 35,000 trade visitors expected, the event will anticipate a significant increase in Indian tourists to Malaysia and promote stronger cooperation between tour operators and members of the tourism fraternity.
The Malaysian delegation is headed by Dato’ Dr. Ammar Abd. Ghapar, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, along with 43 organisations representing twenty-three (23) tour agents, eleven (11) hotel/resort operators, four (4) tourism product owners, three (3 ) state tourism boards, two (2) airline operators and accompanied with several officials from Tourism Malaysia.
Tourism Malaysia is actively engaged in a series of promotional activities within the Indian market. Commencing with the Malaysia Food and Cultural Festival scheduled from 5 to 11 February 2024, the initiative will be followed by an extensive roadshow campaign spanning four key cities in India—Bangalore, Chennai, Calcutta, and Ahmedabad—from 11 to 19 February 2024. The promotional efforts will culminate in South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE) in Delhi, taking place from 22 to 24 February 2024.
Dato’ Dr. Ammar Abd. Ghapar, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, said: “India holds considerable importance as a priority market for Malaysia, boasting robust economic ties and deep cultural connections. It stands as Malaysia’s fifth-largest source of tourists, contributing significantly to the tourism landscape. The period from January to September 2023 witnessed Malaysia welcoming 14.4 million tourists, with 472,479 arrivals originating from India.”
“We are eager to participate in this program actively, aiming to enhance efforts to attract a greater number of Indian tourists to visit Malaysia. Leveraging the recent announcement of the visa-free policy for Indian tourists until December 31, 2024, we seek to capitalise on this opportunity. Moreover, this platform serves as an excellent avenue to promote Visit Malaysia 2026, utilising comprehensive publicity coverage throughout the program.”
Ensuring smooth air connectivity, there are a total of 180 flights providing 33,374 seats weekly between India and Malaysia. Prominent airlines, including Malaysia Airlines, Batik Air, AirAsia, and IndiGo, contribute to this robust network.
Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airlines from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) said, “Malaysia Airlines is thrilled to be part of OTM 2024 as the official airline partner. Together with Tourism Malaysia, we look forward to showcasing the diverse and captivating allure of Malaysia to Indian travellers as we work closely with Tourism Malaysia to reinvigorate inbound and outbound tourism between these two key markets. With our renowned Malaysian Hospitality, we provide seamless connectivity by operating 69 weekly flights from nine (9) key hubs in India. We invite travellers to take advantage of the special fares for flights from India to Kuala Lumpur starting at just INR 12,996 to experience the rich cultural heritage and natural wonders that Malaysia has to offer.”
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