M'SIA TO ATTRACT MORE HIGH YIELD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TRAVELLERS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia wants to attract more high yield
international business travellers to the country as they spent three times more
than leisure tourists, says Zulkefli Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of the
Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB).

In a media briefing here Tuesday, Zulkefli said international business
tourism visitors spent an average of RM7,418 (US$2,472) per trip in Malaysia
compared with RM2,257 (US$752) for leisure visitors.

International business travellers also spent an average of RM1,268 per day
compared with RM337 for other travellers.

MyCEB was established by the Ministry of Tourism in 2009 to further
strengthen Malaysia's business tourism brand and position for the international
meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) market.

Zulkefli said 1,278,014 international business travellers visited Malaysia
in 2010, an increase of two per cent from 2009.

They were estimated to have spent RM10.6 billion (US$3.53 billion) in 2010
and the economic impact value of their spending was estimated at RM17.6 billion
(US$5.86 billion), he said.

Given that the average length of international conventions is 3.9 days, the
length of stay for international business tourism visitors including pre- and
post-touring is 5.85 days.

An estimated 46 per cent of international delegates extend their stay for
pre and post travel providing benefits to regional communities and that an
estimated 25 per cent of all international participants have an accompanying
partner or spouse with them.

Last year, Malaysia leapt three notches to 28th position in the latest
International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) country rankings and
the government is pushing for the country to be one of the top five destinations
in the world by 2020.

In 2010, MyCEB supported 28 convention bids representing 38,500 delegates
and an economic value of RM438 million. It also assisted 124 meetings and
conventions, 16 exhibitions and 49 corporate incentive groups, which contributed
an estimated economic impact of RM775 million (US$258.33 million) to the
country.

Zulkefli said the latest ICCA rankings reflected growth by Malaysia's
association meetings business amidst competition from other countries.

With new facilities to be built over the next five years, he said Malaysia's
business tourism industry would be able to offer more venue options to
international and regional associations and meeting planners.

Key developments include the expansion of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
by an additional 10,000 sq metres by end-2013, the Penang International
Convention and Exhibition Centre by 2014 and the proposed development of the
MATRADE Centre (93,000 sq metres) by 2014.

Other new infrastructure to support the growing industry include the
upcoming Kuala Lumpur International Airport, the integrated urban mass
rapid transit system and the construction of a series of pedestrian
walkways throughout the capital city as part of the Greater Kuala Lumpur plan.