MALAYSIA TARGETS HALF A MILLION MUSLIM TOURISTS NEXT YEAR

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- Malaysia aims to attract 500,000 Muslim
travellers by the end of next year, said Tourism Malaysia deputy director general
for marketing A. Amirrudin.

According to him, arrivals from the Middle East are expected to reach 300,000
this year.

Tourism Malaysia was trying to position the country as a favoured
destination for the Muslims through marketing and promotion campaigns, and by
providing more Syariah-compliant services and products in the country, he added.

Amiruddin said the Muslim population was expected to grow to 2.03 billion by
2016, and Syariah-compliant products and services were forecast to generate some
US$2 trillion annually.

"This is a huge market which we should not overlook. Efforts must be
strenghtened to tap into this huge market," he told Bernama at the 1st
International Islamic Tourism Conference and Travel Mart here Friday.

Amirrudin said that tourist arrivals from the Middle East have been
increasing for the past ten years, from 115,573 tourists in 2001 to 284,890 last year.

This sector generated some RM1.4 billion in revenue for the tourism coffers last
year, he added.

He said there are some 200 hotels nationwide that are Syariah-compliant.
-- BERNAMA