ID :
143199
Wed, 09/22/2010 - 16:53
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/143199
The shortlink copeid
TOURISM MALAYSIA MAKES STRONG PITCH IN FRANKFURT FOR MM2H PROGRAMME
By Manik Mehta
FRANKFURT, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia, which is making a big push for
its Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme to Europeans, made a strong pitch
at a seminar here Monday night for the MM2H programme before a large German
audience.
Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt-based director Syed Yahya Syed Othman explained the
merits of the MM2H programme and its special appeal for Germans. He said this
was the first seminar of its kind to be held in Germany.
Those who attended the seminar included not only retired pensioners but also
business entrepreneurs, government officials, professionals and others under 50,
some of whom had come from as far as Switzerland.
Syed Yahya played up Malaysia as an attractive destination, pointing out that it
had been voted as the best long-stay destination in the top 20 list of
retirement destinations by International Living.com magazine.
The reasons for this distinction include its value-for-money factor, location in
Asia, tropical climate, well-developed infrastructure, wide use of English,
educational and healthcare facilities, security, and variety of housing options
available.
"Germany is the second largest source of participants, after the United Kingdom,
in the MM2H programme," Syed Yahya said in an interview with Bernama as he
highlighted the significance of Germany for the MM2H programme.
According to data from Tourism Malaysia, the total number of participants from
around the globe in the MM2H programme is currently 14,358. The UK, with 1,750
participants, was the leading source of participants in the programme, followed
by second-ranking Germany (192 participants), the Netherlands (182), France
(108), Switzerland ((77) and Belgium (31).
Syed Yahya was supported by a group that had arrived from the Kuala Lumpur
headquarters to answer MM2H-related questions. Dayang Balkis Ramli, the
assistant director from the MM2H Centre at the Tourism Malaysia headquarters in
Kuala Lumpur, was accompanied by two licensed agents, Hosanna MM2H Sdn Bhd of
Petaling Jaya, and Optimal Home International of Kuala Lumpur, that offer
specialised services to participants in the MM2H programme.
"By licensing such agents whose performance is reviewed each year, the Malaysian
Government becomes actively involved and thus ensures that the MM2H participants
get the right services for which they pay," Dayang Balkis told Bernama.
However, some of the Germans seemed unsure of whether the MM2H provided them
with adequate safeguards in their old age when participants want a hassle-free
retirement devoid of any red-tape entanglement. The 10-year validity of the
social pass that each MM2H participant would be getting seemed to dampen the
spirits of some Germans who preferred, instead, to have a permanent resident
status, as granted by some countries.
"The MM2H assumes that the 10-year life of the pass would satisfy the
participants, many of whom find it restrictive. I have visited Malaysia and am
impressed by its scenic beauty and level of development. I believe that Malaysia
would benefit even more if it issued, instead, a permanent resident status to
MM2H participants. After all, the Malaysian Government is, basically, interested
in attracting capital from Germany and other countries, even though this will be
deposited in Malaysian banks," an elderly German participant told Bernama.
The permanent resident status would, also, attract business people and others
with professional skills who would help Malaysia's future development and
catapult it to become Southeast Asia's leading economic power.
Keeping this in mind, Tourism Malaysia in Frankfurt sought the assistance of the
Frankfurt-based German-Asian Business Circle, whose president Bodo Krueger was
also present at the seminar, and the Japanese-German Business Group. Both these
organisations had urged their members to participate in the seminar which was
well-attended.
According to Syed Yahya, there are some 300 German companies present in
Malaysia, of which 70 operate plants.
Dayang Balkis said she discerned some "serious enquiries" from the
participants in Frankfurt.
"Many of the people said they would like to go to Malaysia and see for
themselves the facilities available there. Indeed, I have been asked by some of
the participants to organise a similar seminar in their company premises for
those who are about to retire," she claimed.
The delegation, along with some staff members of Tourism Malaysia in Frankfurt,
departed Tuesday for Stuttgart where they are organising a similar seminar.
-- BERNAMA
FRANKFURT, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia, which is making a big push for
its Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme to Europeans, made a strong pitch
at a seminar here Monday night for the MM2H programme before a large German
audience.
Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt-based director Syed Yahya Syed Othman explained the
merits of the MM2H programme and its special appeal for Germans. He said this
was the first seminar of its kind to be held in Germany.
Those who attended the seminar included not only retired pensioners but also
business entrepreneurs, government officials, professionals and others under 50,
some of whom had come from as far as Switzerland.
Syed Yahya played up Malaysia as an attractive destination, pointing out that it
had been voted as the best long-stay destination in the top 20 list of
retirement destinations by International Living.com magazine.
The reasons for this distinction include its value-for-money factor, location in
Asia, tropical climate, well-developed infrastructure, wide use of English,
educational and healthcare facilities, security, and variety of housing options
available.
"Germany is the second largest source of participants, after the United Kingdom,
in the MM2H programme," Syed Yahya said in an interview with Bernama as he
highlighted the significance of Germany for the MM2H programme.
According to data from Tourism Malaysia, the total number of participants from
around the globe in the MM2H programme is currently 14,358. The UK, with 1,750
participants, was the leading source of participants in the programme, followed
by second-ranking Germany (192 participants), the Netherlands (182), France
(108), Switzerland ((77) and Belgium (31).
Syed Yahya was supported by a group that had arrived from the Kuala Lumpur
headquarters to answer MM2H-related questions. Dayang Balkis Ramli, the
assistant director from the MM2H Centre at the Tourism Malaysia headquarters in
Kuala Lumpur, was accompanied by two licensed agents, Hosanna MM2H Sdn Bhd of
Petaling Jaya, and Optimal Home International of Kuala Lumpur, that offer
specialised services to participants in the MM2H programme.
"By licensing such agents whose performance is reviewed each year, the Malaysian
Government becomes actively involved and thus ensures that the MM2H participants
get the right services for which they pay," Dayang Balkis told Bernama.
However, some of the Germans seemed unsure of whether the MM2H provided them
with adequate safeguards in their old age when participants want a hassle-free
retirement devoid of any red-tape entanglement. The 10-year validity of the
social pass that each MM2H participant would be getting seemed to dampen the
spirits of some Germans who preferred, instead, to have a permanent resident
status, as granted by some countries.
"The MM2H assumes that the 10-year life of the pass would satisfy the
participants, many of whom find it restrictive. I have visited Malaysia and am
impressed by its scenic beauty and level of development. I believe that Malaysia
would benefit even more if it issued, instead, a permanent resident status to
MM2H participants. After all, the Malaysian Government is, basically, interested
in attracting capital from Germany and other countries, even though this will be
deposited in Malaysian banks," an elderly German participant told Bernama.
The permanent resident status would, also, attract business people and others
with professional skills who would help Malaysia's future development and
catapult it to become Southeast Asia's leading economic power.
Keeping this in mind, Tourism Malaysia in Frankfurt sought the assistance of the
Frankfurt-based German-Asian Business Circle, whose president Bodo Krueger was
also present at the seminar, and the Japanese-German Business Group. Both these
organisations had urged their members to participate in the seminar which was
well-attended.
According to Syed Yahya, there are some 300 German companies present in
Malaysia, of which 70 operate plants.
Dayang Balkis said she discerned some "serious enquiries" from the
participants in Frankfurt.
"Many of the people said they would like to go to Malaysia and see for
themselves the facilities available there. Indeed, I have been asked by some of
the participants to organise a similar seminar in their company premises for
those who are about to retire," she claimed.
The delegation, along with some staff members of Tourism Malaysia in Frankfurt,
departed Tuesday for Stuttgart where they are organising a similar seminar.
-- BERNAMA
