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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
With Malaysia’s borders reopening recently, the country is ready to welcome international tourists as fully-vaccinated inbound travellers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, quarantine and travel insurance are no longer a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country.
Tourism Malaysia recently held a roadshow in Iran, Oman and Qatar to woo tourists, especially from West Asia.
The roadshow, which was held from May 13 to 21, featured Malaysia’s tourism fraternity consisting of travel agents, hoteliers, product owners, state tourism bodies and medical tourism industry. Local travel agents and tour operators were present at Qatar’s event.
Speaking to journalists, Tourism Malaysia Senior Director of International Promotion Division Asia/ Africa Manoharan Periasamy said, “This is part of our Middle East market which we do annually but we couldn’t do in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our first international promotional activity in the Middle East market after we participated in the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai from May 9 to 12.”
He said that Malaysia is easily accessible to visitors from Qatar and the flight is only about seven and a half hours from Doha to Kuala Lumpur.
“There are two daily flights operated by Qatar Airways, and from May 25, Malaysian Airline will start operating from Doha to Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “We have a huge potential of visitors from Qatar and we expect a surge of visitors after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. We are ready to welcome visitors from Qatar.”
He said that travellers from West Asia market dominate the top five international tourists spending in Malaysia in terms of per capita expenditure besides recording longer average lengths of stay compared to tourists from other markets. “We want to take advantage and tell people in the Middle East that we are ready to welcome foreign visitors,” he said.
Periasamy said that Malaysia is a Muslim-friendly destination and offers Muslim-friendly facilities, Halal food and some hotels have segregation for men and women while using amenities.
He added that Malaysia is also a family destination, opening up many attractions like the Genting Highlands and Sunway Lagoon that are suitable for the Middle East people.
He added that Malaysia is also a top destination for medical tourism and education purposes.
“We have good facilities for medical tourism. Most of the visitors do general medical check-up and in most of the hospitals one can just walk-in and get their medical check-ups done at a reasonable cost,” he added.
In a statement, Tourism Malaysia Director-General Dato’ Zainuddin Abdul Wahab said that as they welcome more West Asia travellers back, it was timely to strengthen partnership with international airlines such as Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Mahan Air which offer direct flights to Kuala Lumpur. “With an exciting line-up of attractions to be explored, including the newly opened Genting Skyworlds Theme Park, the world’s second tallest skyscraper Merdeka 118, and the Sunway Resort Kuala Lumpur, we are thrilled to welcome international travellers worldwide to experience our country again,” he said.
DOHA
With Malaysia’s borders reopening recently, the country is ready to welcome international tourists as fully-vaccinated inbound travellers are no longer required to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival COVID-19 tests, quarantine and travel insurance are no longer a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country.
Tourism Malaysia recently held a roadshow in Iran, Oman and Qatar to woo tourists, especially from West Asia.
The roadshow, which was held from May 13 to 21, featured Malaysia’s tourism fraternity consisting of travel agents, hoteliers, product owners, state tourism bodies and medical tourism industry. Local travel agents and tour operators were present at Qatar’s event.
Speaking to journalists, Tourism Malaysia Senior Director of International Promotion Division Asia/ Africa Manoharan Periasamy said, “This is part of our Middle East market which we do annually but we couldn’t do in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is our first international promotional activity in the Middle East market after we participated in the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai from May 9 to 12.”
He said that Malaysia is easily accessible to visitors from Qatar and the flight is only about seven and a half hours from Doha to Kuala Lumpur.
“There are two daily flights operated by Qatar Airways, and from May 25, Malaysian Airline will start operating from Doha to Kuala Lumpur,” he said. “We have a huge potential of visitors from Qatar and we expect a surge of visitors after the easing of COVID-19 restrictions. We are ready to welcome visitors from Qatar.”
He said that travellers from West Asia market dominate the top five international tourists spending in Malaysia in terms of per capita expenditure besides recording longer average lengths of stay compared to tourists from other markets. “We want to take advantage and tell people in the Middle East that we are ready to welcome foreign visitors,” he said.
Periasamy said that Malaysia is a Muslim-friendly destination and offers Muslim-friendly facilities, Halal food and some hotels have segregation for men and women while using amenities.
He added that Malaysia is also a family destination, opening up many attractions like the Genting Highlands and Sunway Lagoon that are suitable for the Middle East people.
He added that Malaysia is also a top destination for medical tourism and education purposes.
“We have good facilities for medical tourism. Most of the visitors do general medical check-up and in most of the hospitals one can just walk-in and get their medical check-ups done at a reasonable cost,” he added.
In a statement, Tourism Malaysia Director-General Dato’ Zainuddin Abdul Wahab said that as they welcome more West Asia travellers back, it was timely to strengthen partnership with international airlines such as Qatar Airways, Oman Air and Mahan Air which offer direct flights to Kuala Lumpur. “With an exciting line-up of attractions to be explored, including the newly opened Genting Skyworlds Theme Park, the world’s second tallest skyscraper Merdeka 118, and the Sunway Resort Kuala Lumpur, we are thrilled to welcome international travellers worldwide to experience our country again,” he said.
