MALAYSIA TARGETS ONE MILLION CHINESE TOURISTS THIS YEAR

By Vincent Low

BEIJING, July 20 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia is set to capitalise on this
year's 35th anniversary of Sino-Malaysian relations as well as the ethnic ties
between the peoples of both countries to draw more Chinese tourists to Malaysia.

The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board has set a target of one million Chinese
tourists for this year alone.

"We will launch attractive tour packages which encourage Chinese tour
operators to bring newly-wed couples, diplomatic personnel, intellectuals and
professionals to Malaysia," Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen
said at a meeting with Tourism Malaysia officers based in China, Hong Kong and
Taiwan Sunday evening soon after arriving here on a five-day visit to promote
tourism.

She said tourists coming under these packages would enjoy gifts and
additional services on top of the attractive discounts.

"We will include wedding photo shoots, gifts and gala shows for mass wedding
couples to make their honeymoon in Malaysia a most memorable one.

"Former Chinese ambassadors to Malaysia will be engaged to give talks and
hold seminars in universities here to relate their sweet experience in Malaysia
so as to attract fellow diplomatic personnel, intellectuals and professionals to
visit Malaysia," she said.

Dr Ng said the Chinese websites of Tourism Malaysia would carry the stories
and photographs of rich and successful Chinese Malaysians to arouse the interest
of the Chinese here to visit Malaysia to find out more about the evolution of
Chinese Malaysians.

She also said that Tourism Malaysia would introduce special packages for
Chinese senior citizens and parents of Chinese students overseas to visit
Malaysia.

The Tourism Ministry would also emphasise the "To Know Malaysia is to Love
Malaysia" promotion to get tourists to revisit Malaysia, she said.

Ng is scheduled to have dialogue sessions with major tour operators in
Beijing at the Westin Beijing Chaoyang Hotel Monday morning and a dinner with
Beijing Tourism Administration officials in the evening.

She will head for Shanghai Tuesday morning and also visit Wuhan and
Guangzhou city before returning to Kuala Lumpur Friday.

-- BERNAMA