M'SIA REMAINS OPTIMISTIC OF SWEDISH TOURIST ARRIVALS

From Voon Miaw Ping

STOCKHOLM, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is confident that it will continue to
receive a steady flow of tourists from Sweden although Malaysia Airlines no
longer operate direct flights between Stockholm and Kuala Lumpur.

Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen is also optimistic that the suspension of
Malaysia Airlines' Stockholm-Kuala Lumpur service would not pose a major impact
for this sector.

She said that apart from ongoing promotional campaigns, Tourism Malaysia
office here was also embarking on new strategies to lure more Swedish tourists
to Malaysia.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by Malaysian Ambassador to Sweden Kamarudin
Mustafa, at his residence here on Sunday, Ng said the strategies would
include special eco-tourism holiday packages with local tour operators here to
give opportunities to Swedish travellers to escape the harsh winter.

She added that the ministry would also focus on promoting more aggressively
the Malaysia My Second Home programme to Swedish.

Dr Ng is currently on a tourism trade mission to three Scandinavian capital
cities including Helsinki and Copenhagen before attending the prestigious World
Travel Mart in London on Nov 9.

Dr Ng said that last year, a total of 48,646 Swedish tourists visited
Malaysia compared to 44,746 in 2007.

Malaysia Airlines had been servicing the Swedish capital since November 2004
as a transit city before it flew to New York.

However, the sector was suspended last month due to low passenger load
following the global economic downturn.

Meanwhile, Kamarudin urged Malaysia Airlines to resume the service of the
Kuala Lumpur-Stockholm sector as this route offered great convenience and
connectivity not only for tourists but also to the business community of the two
countries.

"We hope that this is just a temporary suspension. A lot of people,
especially Swedish told me that they were disappointed with the suspension," he
added.
-- BERNAMA