MALAYSIA TO STRENGTHEN TOURIST TRAFFIC WITH CHINA THROUGH SHANGHAI WORLD EXPO 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 April (Bernama) -- Malaysia's commitment to the Shanghai
World Expo 2010 is a reflection of the importance placed on its relationship
with China, Tourism Malaysia chairman Dr Victor Wee Eng Lye said Wednesday.

He said the expo, to be held in Shanghai from May 1 to Oct 21, would
also provide a unique platform to further strengthen tourist traffic between
China and Malaysia.

Malaysia signed the participation contract with the World Expo 2010
organisers in March last year and was building its pavillion covering an area of
3,000 sq m to showcase Malaysia's way of life and culture to the world, he said
at the World Expo 2010 tourism promotion here.

He said Chinese tourist arrivals reached the one million mark for the first
time last year and ranked fifth in terms of inbound market to Malaysia, after
Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Brunei.

"Coincidentally, Malaysian tourists also ranked fifth as the most important
inbound market for China with a total of 1.04 million arrivals in 2009 as
recorded by the China National Tourism Administration.

"These statistics showed the achievement in encouraging two-way tourist's
trafffic by the industry players of Malaysia and China," he said.
-- BERNAMA