BERJAYA HOTELS & RESORTS GOING ALL OUT TO WOO MID-EAST TRAVELLERS

By Muin Abdul Majid

ABU DHABI, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Berjaya Hotels and Resorts is going all out to woo more Middle East travellers to its properties in Malaysia, including those located on Tioman and Redang islands as well as Langkawi.

Its regional sales and marketing director, Peggy Tan, said Middle Eastern
tourists were seasoned travellers, eyeing destinations where they could enjoy a
total holiday experience.

Tioman and Redang islands are located in the South China Sea off east coast
states of Pahang and Terengganu respectively. Langkawi, on the other hand, is
located in the Straits of Melaka, off the north-western shore of Peninsular
Malaysia.

"We're not only talking about, say, good hotels and accommodation and good
airfares here. It has to be a total holiday experience for them.

"And with properties on resort islands, the highlands of Berjaya Hills as
well as in Kuala Lumpur, I think we should be able to meet their expectations,"
Tan told Bernama on the sidelines of a workshop here on Wednesday, aimed at
strenghtening business ties with Middle East travel agencies and airline
companies.

The event was part of a joint promotional roadshow with Tourism Malaysia,
with Kuwait being the next stop.

Tan said the company believed that the Middle East was the key to helping
it
further boost its presence in the international travel and leisure
industry.

She said Berjaya Hotels and Resorts had invested nearly RM66 million
(US$18.9 million) in product development and upgrading hotel facilities and
would launch new rooms in
Redang soon.

In addition, she said, the company has appointed Dubai-based Leen Marketing
Services as its general sales agent for the United Arab Emirates and the
Gulf.

"This office will be our eyes and ears that can hopefully spur more
business
from this region.

"It'll enable us to elevate Berjaya Hotels and Resorts' branding and
positioning in the Middle East market," she said.

A member of the Berjaya Corporation Group of Companies, Berjaya Hotels and
Resorts is a public listed Malaysian conglomerate managing 15 properties in
Malaysia, Singapore, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

Elaborating on the Middle East market, Tan said: "We're realigning our
marketing strategies, focusing our efforts on this market. The current downturn
will have an impact to a certain extent. But as far as this market is concerned,
I think this is a bright spot for us to tap."

Disclosing that Middle East customers chalked up close to 10,000 room
nights at Berjaya hotels last year, she said Berjaya would offer more packages
developed in collaboration with its travel trade partners.

Being a Muslim country with wonderful culture and a wide array of culinary
delights, Tan reckoned that Middle East travellers found Malaysia
appealing.

She also commended Tourism Malaysia for having undertaken numerous
promotional campaigns in this region to attract more tourists to
Malaysia.

Tan said: "We're committed to showcasing Malaysia as a premier holiday
destination among Middle East travellers and are going into full gear with
Tourism Malaysia in placing Malaysia prominently on the world map.

"The Middle East plays an essential part in helping elevate Berjaya's
brand name in the travel industry. And we're certain that our travel trade
partners in this region will find our new plans refreshing and
exciting."

Lucky workshop participants went home with attractive prizes, courtesy of
Berjaya Hotels and Resorts and Tourism Malaysia.