Secretary General, Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, YBhg Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng was at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to welcome 69 tourists from Beijing and
20 tourists from Shanghai as a symbolic gesture indicating the commencement of Visit Malaysia Year 2014.
Organised by Tourism Malaysia, this special event served to give tourists a warm and rousing welcome to Malaysia in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Similar welcome receptions were also held concurrently at 37 entry points throughout the country.
KLIA was amongst one of the main entry points to host this special event with others being the Subang Skypark Terminal, the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Padang Besar, the Penang International Airport, the Langkawi International Airport, Bukit Kayu Hitam, KL Sentral, the Second Link, the Causeway, Rantau Panjang, the Kuching International Airport, the Sungai Tujuh Immigration Centre in Miri and the Kota Kinabalu International Airport.
Tourists arriving via cruise ship at the Port Klang Cruise Centre (PKCC) were also given a special welcome today.
“Apart from welcoming tourists to Malaysia on 1 January, the special reception is intended to spread the excitement of Visit Malaysia Year 2014,” said YBhg Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng to members of the press at the special welcoming ceremony.
According to him, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia is targeting 28 million tourist arrivals corresponding to RM76 billion in tourist receipts for the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign.
The welcome reception was also attended by tourism industry players as well as top government officials who came in support of the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign.
To spice up the celebratory mood at the Main Arrival Hall at KLIA and LCCT, the official mascot of Visit Malaysia Year 2014, the Proboscis Monkey, was also present. The Proboscis Monkey was chosen as the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 mascot to give credence to and raise awareness for wildlife and nature, while instilling interest among tourists for the gift of nature as a national tourism asset.
The Proboscis Monkey, with its unique physical attributes and abilities, is a primate species that lives in its own community and is also among one of the endangered species found on the island of Borneo.
The first batch of international tourists arriving at KLIA and LCCT entry points were greeted with cultural presentations from traditional dancers, traditional music such as gamelan, cempuling and kompang and a ‘Teh Tarik’ demonstration.
Visit Malaysia Year 2014 with its theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia” promises awesome celebrations with an impressive line-up of special and exciting events throughout the year.
Source:- Tourism Malaysia
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