Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 - The Hoopla Begins

Minister Welcomes First Batch Of Visitors.

A group of Chinese visitors arrived at the KL International Airport here in the wee hours of the morning, making them the first group of travellers to Malaysia as the country's Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 gets underway.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor welcomed the passengers of China Eastern Airlines flight MU0539 from Pudong/Shanghai which landed at about 12.30am.

"On behalf of the government and people of Malaysia, it gives me a great pleasure to welcome our first group of visitors to Malaysia with a warm 'Selamat Datang' or 'Huan Yin', since this group comes from China," he said at a special welcoming reception.

Meanwhile, a Cebu Pacific Airlines plane from Manila touched down at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at 12.35am.

VMY 2007, through which the country expects 20.1 million visitors and hopes to earn RM44.5 billion in foreign exchange, will be officially launched at the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 6.

The minister described Malaysia as a travel product "for all seasons all year round".

"Whether you come for our million-year-old untouched rainforests, pristine beaches and idyllic islands, culture and heritage, colourful festivals or for our multi-ethnic gastronomic experiences, we have what it takes to satisfy every interest and budget," he said.

Along with international-class hospitality services and shopping places, Malaysia is an ideal one-stop, short-haul holiday destination, he said in extolling the attractions of this multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation of 26 million people.

He said it was important for visitors to the country to know that Malaysians were by nature caring, peace-loving, hospitable and advocated moderation over extremism.

"The comfort and well-being of our guests and visitors have been and will always be of utmost priority in the long-standing Malaysian tradition of hospitality," he said. (Bernama)
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