SIX GERMAN CITIES TO BE TARGETTED FOR TOURISM DRIVE

By Zaharah Othman

MUNICH (Germany), May 29 (Bernama) -- Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen
is targeting six German cities in a promotional drive to bring in more tourists
if MAS reconsiders resuming direct flights from Munich to Malaysia.

The six cities are Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Berlin, Cologne and
Dusseldorf, she said after a meeting with German tour operators here Thursday.

"With a total population of 83 million people, the potential is there. Last
year, there was an increase of only 15 per cent, from 111,525 to 128,888 and
only five Germans participating in Malaysia's 'My Second Home' scheme," she
told Malaysian journalists Friday, before flying to Milan for another
promotional drive.

MAS, which has five direct flights to Malaysia from Frankfurt, stopped its
Munich route, seven years ago.

"The Germans are very much into culture, knowledge and education and we need
to create greater awareness of Malaysia, especially among the younger
generation, by upgrading the present website. This is very important”, said Dr
Ng.

A think-tank, she said, would be formed and based in Frankfurt, to be headed
by Malaysia's Ambassador-designate to Germany, Ibrahim Abdullah. The
think-tank will look into ways to create awareness, especially culturally.

"The think-tank will have to come up with more strategic, more tactical
and
more localised planning," she added.

The minister is especially, interested in the setting up of a cultural
group, which would involve local German youths participating in Malaysian
cultural events.

“We have the budget for traditional clothes,” said Dr Ng.

Germany is the second largest country in Europe, in terms of tourist
arrivals in Malaysia, after the UK.

Dr Ng also spoke of the need to have more German-speaking tour guides.

However, she said special permission would be given to big groups of German
businessmen to bring their own interpreters and translators.

“We must train our tour guides to speak German,” she added.

On Thursday night, the minister hosted a reception at the Vier Jahreszeiten
Kempinski Hotel in Munich for tour operators.

-- BERNAMA




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