Travel Agent - August 18, 2008 - (Page M1)

D at o ’S r i A z a l i n a D AT O ’ O t h m a n S a i d , M i n i s t e r of To u r i sm , M a l ay s i a , t e l l s u s w h y M a l ay s i a s h o u l d b e pa rt o f y o u r t r av e l p l a n s Dato’Sri Azalina Dato’Othman Said is the recently appointed Minister of Tourism, Malaysia. Azalina’s most recent role was as Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister. She studied law at the University of Malaya, and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Before getting involved in politics, she was the host of several television talk shows that focused on politics and social issues. Here she gives us her insights on Malaysia tourism. Is Malaysia an economical destination? When travelers visit Malaysia, they’ll be able to see that we are a very cost-efﬁcient place to visit. Between the American economy and the fall of the dollar against other currency, such as the Euro, we believe travelers will be looking to continue their vacation experiences, but will want to pick places where they could get the most out of their money’s worth. Malaysia maintains a favorable exchange rate to the American dollar, with around 3.2 ringgit to 1 USD. While 4- and 5-star hotels in other destinations may cost upwards of $400 to $500, or more, travelers can enjoy luxurious service at top-of-theline hotels for $100-$200 a night, even during peak travel season. What are the challenges you face in marketing Malaysia? As Malaysia is a long-haul destination for American travelers, it can be tough to attract visitors from this region to come to a destination that’s on the other side of the world. This is particularly true for travelers who are unaccustomed to ﬂying long distances, as the ﬂight itself could be daunting. However, we are a great soft landing to the Southeast Asian region for U.S. travelers, as we have great infrastructure, diverse product offerings, great value-for-money and English is widely spoken. Are there any lesser-known tourist regions in Malaysia that you’ll be trying to market to U.S. travelers? Langkawi Island, one of our relaxing beachfront destinations, offers luxuries like the Four Seasons, the Datai and the Andaman resorts. Langkawi is still very much under-the-radar for most travelers, but those who go ﬁnd its charm to be similar to that of Bali, without the heavy foot trafﬁc. In addition, the states of Terengganu, Kedah and Kelantan are celebrating Visit Terengganu 2008, Visit Kedah 2008 and Visit Kelantan 2008, respectively. And our southern gateway of Johor Bahru is undergoing a variety of changes. Do U.S. travelers have any misperceptions about Malaysia? Since Malaysia is ofﬁcially a counIsland in Malaysia try that practices Islam, there are some misconceptions that some American travelers may automatically have. However, Malaysia is a very moderate Muslim country with friendly and accepting people. We have a long-standing history of peaceful co-existence in our country, between different ethnicities, cultures and religions. Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions are practiced freely and openly here, alongside Islam. When people hear “Malaysia,” we want them to think of our rich multi-cultural heritage and our diverse product offerings. Most importantly, we want them to think of us and our country as the open and friendly place it is. Are visits from the U.S. on the rise? If so, what percentage? Last year, Malaysia received 204,644 visitors from the U.S., an increase of more than 17.5 percent from the previous year. So far this year, from January to June, we’ve received 11 million visitors, with 111,539 of those visitors coming from the U.S. There’s been a steady increase of travelers coming from America to Malaysia since 2004, and we look forward to seeing that number go up in the coming years. How will you be reaching out to U.S. travel agents in the months to come? We plan to continue to work with the 1,500-plus Malaysia Specialist Travel Agents we trained in selling Malaysia, to build additional incentive programs and provide them with information to better sell our destination. We hope to educate more agents on Malaysia and why it’s such a wonderful destination to suggest to American travelers. Each year, we also send a number of travel agents overseas on our various familiarization trips, which take place throughout the year and range from various locations and product offerings. Hornbill birds, Sarawak www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my • www.tourismmalaysiausa.com Malaysia TRAVEL PLANNER 1 http://www.tourismmalaysiausa.com http://www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my

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Travel Agent - April 18, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor Pacific/Asia: Visitors to Ubud will Discover the Essence of Balinese Art and Culture Special Supplement: Malaysia Travel Planner New Zealand: There is Plenty to See and Do Throughout the West Coast of the Southern Alps Europe: Beauty, History and Culture Combine in Valencia, Spain Caribbean: Scrub Island is the BVI’s First Development in 15 years The Wyndham Rio Mar’s $40 Million Makeover is Well Underway in Puerto Rico The Latest on Grenada, a Caribbean Up-and-Comer Mexico: Big Hotel Plans are in the Works for the Riviera Nayarit Florida: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel turns Orlando into Italy Las Vegas: Dinner at these Restaurants Can Get your Clients into Vegas’ Hottest Nightclubs Cover Story: Medical Tourism Special Supplement: Destination Weddings Specialist 3.0 Hotels: Everything Old is New Again at New York’s Algonquin Cruise: Short Cruises Keep your Clients on the Move for Less Group Travel: Disney makes Exotic Locales Friendly for Family Travel Car Rentals: How Much Insurance Does your Client Need for a Rental Car? Agency Profile: Corporate Travel Sales are Rising at MTravel.com, a Division of Montrose Luxury Travel Expo Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Hyatt comes to Curaçao New Hotels and Resorts in Asia CLIA Tightens Qualifications for ID Tripology Links Agents to Clients In the Spotlight Agent Access Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - August 18, 2008

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