Tourism Malaysia with co-operation from Malaysia Airlines organised a promotional programme called ‘Sales Mission to India’ in conjunction with South Asia Travel and Tourism Exchange (SATTE 2013) from 7th – 18th January, 2013. The programme was spread across 4 cities namely Chennai, Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi, and has been a huge success so far. In New Delhi, the program involved participation in SATTE 2013 and was held from 16 – 18 January, 2013.
Business sessions (buyers & sellers meet) were being held in all 4 cities which made an excellent platform for the Indian travel agents to meet the Malaysian hoteliers & product owners, tour operators and tourism boards. Trade dinners were also being organised in each city for the local travel trade. Besides that, presentations by selected Malaysian industry players were held to introduce new and exciting products.
The Director of South Asia, West Asia & Africa Division, Mr. Zulkifly Md. Said, was leading the Malaysian Delegation consisting of 17 tour agents, 21 hotel operators, 6 product owners, 3 state governments and Tourism Malaysia officials, to promote Malaysia as a preferred tourist destination.
A cultural troupe from ‘Istana Budaya’ was also a part of this delegation. This troupe showcased Malaysia’s multi-cultural attractions such as traditional dances, batik painting, tea making (teh tarik) demonstration and local delicacies. Media interviews were organised to disseminate important tourism information to the market.
India is a top ten market for Malaysia, with a total of 690,849 tourists recorded in 2010. In 2011, the number of tourists increased to 693,056. In 2012, from the period of January to September, a total of 514,926 tourists from India have been recorded, showing a 2.6% growth compared to the same period last year (501,828).
