UNWTO SEC-GEN SALUTE MALAYSIA'S EFFORT IN PROMOTING TOURISM GROWTH

KOTA KINABALU, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- United Nations World Tourism Organisation
(UNWTO) secretary-general Taleb Rifai Sunday saluted the Tourism Ministry of
Malaysia's continuous efforts and dedication to spur tourism growth.

He said Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen and her team have achieved
remarkable results since the country ranked ninth most travelled to destination in
the world, last year, by UNWTO.

"Last year was one of the toughest and most difficult year for world tourism,
never before in the last 6 years has tourism industry dropped 4.2 percent as it
did last year.

"Malaysia recorded an increase of 7.2 per cent in tourist arrivals last year,
that is no easy achievement, so we feel very excited about this," he said at the
World Tourism Conference (WTO) 2010 media briefing here Sunday.

Ng who was also at the briefing said 490 participants would converge here
starting tomorrow for the conference, jointly organised by the ministry, UNWTO
and Sabah Tourism Board.

"This conference will bring together a wide range of reputed world leaders in
tourism, high-level policy makers, specialists and experts from both the public
and private sectors, to present valuable ideas and provide guidance for future
tourism development," she said.

Themed "Tourism Success Stories and Rising Stars", the three-day conference will
be opened by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin Monday.

The conference was held for the first time in Manila, the Philippines in 1980
followed by Acapulco, Mexico in 1982. After an absence of 25 years, the WTC
returned for the third edition, to Kuala Lumpur in 2007.