Recently, Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board launched a marketing roadshow in China for 2023. Atotalof 68 Malaysian tourism board partners arrived in Guangzhou to hold a large-scale roadshow.

The group was led by Amirul Abudl Rahim, the Senior Deputy Director of the International Promotion Division (Asia/Africa) of the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, who was interviewed by a journalist from the Yangcheng Evening News.

Expect 16.1 million international tourists to visit Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the first pilot destinations for the resumption of outbound group tourism from China. Currently, there are 81 flights per week from theChinese mainland to Malaysia, and they are almost fully booked. The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board has announced that there will soon be more flight options between the two countries.

The department aims to send a signal to their Chinese partners about their active preparations for the"Visit Malaysia Year 2025", with an expected 16.1 million international tourists visiting Malaysia and an estimated tourism revenue of 49.2 billion Malaysian Ringgit.

"We want to create more market demand"

Yangcheng Evening News: Guangdong is the largest province in China for outbound tourism. What are your expectations for the Guangdong market?

Amirul Abudl Rahim: We hope that the number of flights from Guangdong to Malaysia can continue to increase, and we encourage charter flights to travel to Malaysia. Inadditionto Guangzhou, we will hold roadshows in other cities in Guangdong, hoping to create more demand in the Chinese market. We have led many service providers to constantly launch discount products and provide good services and facilities.

Yangcheng Evening News: What is your impression of Guangdong, and what do you thinkof Guangzhou?

Amirul Abudl Rahim: This is my first time in Guangzhou and the first city I visited in China after the pandemic. It is a large modern city, and the people here are very friendly and good-looking.

Yangcheng Evening News: What are your plans for promoting Malaysian tourism in China?

Amirul Abudl Rahim: China is a very important source market for Malaysia. We are here to strengthen the relationship between China and Malaysia. We hope to achieve our goal of 23.5 million international visitors and 76.8 billion Malaysian Ringgit (about 119.8 billion yuan) in tourism revenue by 2025.

We have many plans for the Chinese market. For example, we will hold joint roadshow activities with local travel agencies. We also plan to cooperate with relevant associations in China to help us create more market demand.

In terms of visas, we currently have an e-visa system where multiple-entry e-visas can be applied for. This is more suitable for business people, students, and those who need to enter Malaysia multiple times, including those who want to get married in Malaysia.

马来西亚旅游局高级官员：希望为中国市场“创造”更多需求

日前，马来西亚旅游、艺术和文化部与马来西亚旅游局启动了2023年中国营销路演活动。68家马来西亚旅游局合作伙伴来到广州举行大型路演。

羊城晚报全媒体记者采访了此行带队的马来西亚旅游局国际推广处（亚洲/非洲）高级副处长Amirul Abudl Rahim。

预计今年将有1610万名国际游客访马

马来西亚是中国首批试点恢复团队出境游的目的地之一。目前，每周有81个航班从中国内地飞往马来西亚，基本上都坐满了。马来西亚旅游局表示在不久将会有更多的航班班次往返于两国之间。

马来西亚旅游局希望通过一系列活动向中国合作伙伴传达马来西亚正积极筹备“2025马来西亚旅游年”的信号，预计今年将有1610万名国际游客访马，旅游收入预计达到492亿令吉。

“希望能够创造中国市场更多需求”

羊城晚报：广东作为中国的出境游第一大省，你对广东市场有什么期待？

Amirul Abudl Rahim：我们希望来自广东的航班数量能够不断增加，鼓励包机去马来西亚旅游。不光是广州，我们将会继续在广东的其他城市进行路演，希望能够创造中国市场更多需求。我们率领了许多服务商，不断推出优惠的产品，提供良好的服务、设施。

羊城晚报：你对广东的印象如何，如何评价广州这座城市？

Amirul Abudl Rahim：我是第一次来广州，这里也是疫情以后我来到中国的第一个城市。它是一个大型现代化的城市，这里的人非常热情友好，也长得特别好看。

羊城晚报：接下来，针对中国市场还会如何推广马来西亚旅游？

Amirul Abudl Rahim：中国是马来西亚非常重要的客源市场，我们来到这里就是为了强化中国与马来西亚之间的关系。我们希望能够在2025年实现2350万国际访客和768亿令吉（折合人民币1198亿元）旅游收入的目标。

针对中国市场有很多计划，比方说，我们会和当地的旅行社进行联合的路演活动，还有一个想法是与中国的相关协会一起合作，帮助我们为市场创造更多需求。

在签证方面，目前实行电子签证，可以申请多次入境的电子签证，比较适合商务人士、学生，包括希望在马来西亚办婚礼需要多次入境的都可以申请多次入境签证。

文｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 黎存根 实习生 宋骥才
图、视频｜马来西亚旅游局
责编｜王瑜瑛