Malaysia hopes to triple tourism income by 2020
Published: 2011/04/15
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/obigi/Article/

http://www.btimes.com.my/articles/obigi/pix_middle

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hopes to triple the tourism industry's contribution to gross national income by 2020 under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the government will persuade the hospitality sector to consider offering more innovative vacations such as home-stays in local villages, alongside traditional hotel holidays.

"The ministry is trying to encourage the creation of an inclusive industry that embraces and integrates all ranges and types of accommodation," she told Oxford Business Group (OBG) in a recent interview.

OBG is a global publishing, research and consultancy firm, which publishes economic and political reports on the markets of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean.

Ng said the expansion of Malaysia's tourism industry would produce significant investment opportunities.

"Figures showed that around 40,000 additional four- to five-star hotel rooms will be needed by 2020," she said.

Ng told OBG Malaysia country director and editorial manager Tatjana Marinko and Daniel Moore that the government hopes to increase the number of international arrivals per year from 23.6 million in 2009 to 35 million by 2020.

She said the airlines could play a key role in Malaysia's plans to expand its tourism sector by adding destinations to their routes and improving connectivity to the country.

"While the country was well served with a world-class airport, it would undoubtedly benefit from improved domestic and international connectivity," Ng said.

She said tourism infrastructure is mainly related to accessibility whether it be by air, ground or maritime, there must be good connectivity, ease of access and a certain standard for accessibility where physical infrastructure is concerned.

http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/images/corp/logo.gif

http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/

http://corporate.tourism.gov.my/images/research/TM_factfiguresChart_landing.gif

1 US = 3 RM

Malaysian Winter Market @ Westfield

qxnC3mF9nys

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5251/5394202524_227384af14_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/5394202524/
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/5394205330_499b55a25e.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/5394205330/in/set-72157625794980747
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4075/5393610201_823330ee42.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/5393610201/in/set-72157625794980747
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4137/5394201324_5cf76b0442.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/5394201324/in/set-72157625794980747/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5259/5393607235_1f91280fe0.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/su-lin/5393607235/in/set-72157625794980747

Malaysian Winter Market at Westfield (22 January 2011)
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5386602407_54cb625eac.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386602407/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5220/5386599671_581a94b803.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386599671/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5387204306_c5d9f91bee.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387204306/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5213/5387203344_1caa385f9e.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387203344/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5386602227_596c0cc139.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386602227/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5387206970_c09d77a38a.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387206970/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5387207432_48612e8d61.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387207432/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5216/5387207728_f4ff6a7173.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387207728/in/set-72157625902143214/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5386600519_7161e6cd1a.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386600519/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5387205146_c216f53c00.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387205146/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5212/5387204146_96d4cc9b79.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387204146/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5386602107_7f07f46cc6.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386602107/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5211/5386598527_4cfbbb9d21.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386598527/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5217/5386600689_2767403f65.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386600689/in/set-72157625902143214/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5219/5387204630_96eaebceea.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5387204630/in/set-72157625902143214
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5214/5386600937_9f87856534.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/malaysiakitchenglobal/5386600937/in/set-72157625902143214/

Malaysia Kitchen Night Market, Los Angeles

jm7v6Pz6ruc

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5286/5257239268_ff9bcd954f_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtpreissler/5257239268/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5083/5256629083_bdd705c12a_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtpreissler/5256629083/
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5127/5257238208_8540569995_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtpreissler/5257238208/in/photostream
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5090/5257238928_596fc79f5f_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtpreissler/5257238928/

Citrawarna 1Malaysia extravaganza a delight with music and dance shows
Sunday May 22, 2011
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=nation&file=/2011/5/22/nation/8734466

http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2011/5/22/nation/n_16dataran.jpg
Local jig: Performers dancing during the event at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: A drizzle failed to dampen the spirit of the crowd at the opening of the Citrawarna 1Malaysia 2011 extravaganza at Dataran Merdeka here last night.

Themed “1Malaysia Tourism Festival”, the mesmerising event featuring Malaysian music and dance attracted an estimated 100,000 crowd, including foreign guests.

Taking centrestage was Malaysia's unique cultural diversity, with the venue being transformed into a fairyland of lights and colour. Multicoloured fireworks lit the city skyline.

The show was graced by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah.

Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

The premier cultural event, now into its 13th year, was broadcast live over RTM and also beamed to Brunei, China, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Macau, with an estimated TV audience of 25 million.

Malaysia's renowned tourism tagline “Malaysia Truly Asia” came alive through musical, song and dance performances highlighting six tourism products, namely Parks and Gardens; Sports Tourism; Contem-porary Arts; Fabulous Food, Fruits and Shopping; Ecotourism; and 1Malaysia Green 1Malaysia Clean.

Spectators were also entertained by ethnic dance performances.

Tourism is one of the largest contributors to the Malaysian economy, generating RM56.5bil in tourism receipts in 2010 on the back of 24.6 million tourist arrivals.

In her speech, Dr Ng said Malaysia aimed to welcome 36 million tourists with receipts of RM168bil by 2020.

“We will continue to be creative and innovative in utilising our nation's resources such as nature, culture and history.

“However, the most important ingredient for Malaysia's tourism success is the commitment, dedication and support of all Malaysians,” she added.

The event was marked by the “Joget 1Malaysia” finale which saw the participation of some 5,000 performers as well as members of the public.

A tourism carnival was held earlier in the day, which offered a wide array of domestic tourism packages and the opportunity to savour other Malaysian delights, including local fruits. - Bernama
Citrawarna 1Malaysia extravaganza
(Colours of Malaysia) 2011
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/5755156668_53b453d820_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sasuhai/5755156668/in/set-72157626670950369
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3435/5754620129_2881a3e93b_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sasuhai/5754620129/in/set-72157626670950369
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2324/5743735842_57c9145d2e_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m3shaff/5743735842/
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2514/5743239413_b28826261f_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/m3shaff/5743239413/in/set-72157626647572291

Malaysia promos on London roads
Saturday May 28, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/28/nation/8776118&sec=nation

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2011/5/28/nation/n_06yenyen.jpg
Moveable media: Dr Ng flanked by Tourism Malaysia ambassador Datuk Jimmy Choo (left) and Tourism Malaysia acting director-general Datuk Azizan Nordin (right) at the launch of the campaign in London Friday.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian jungles and marine parks will be making their “rounds” at London's tourist sites on the city's iconic double-decker buses over the next three months.

Launched by Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen at Belgrave Square, London, the five selected buses will ply the city's centre, north, east and west routes.

Dr Ng said she was excited about the partnership with Transport for London to promote Malaysia's destinations in Britain.

“We hope the buses bring more sunshine and help put a smile on the faces of London's commuters,” she said during a reception at the Malaysian High Commission here.

Painted with colourful nature and underwater scenes, the buses will ply famous tourist sites such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Piccadilly Circus and Harrods.

On Malaysia winning the gold medal for its show garden at the Chelsea Flower Show for the second year running, Dr Ng said the country was honoured by the award.

“We are extremely honoured and feel that this is a tribute to the unique mixture of flora and fauna our country boasts of,” Dr Ng said at Sloane Club later.

She said Malaysia's involvement in the flower show was aimed at raising awareness on the country's beautiful parks and gardens among nature enthusiasts and horticulturists.

Queen Elizabeth II and Duchess of Cornwall Camilla, were among the VIP guests who visited the Malaysian show garden.

Dr Ng said that although 429,965 British tourists visited Malaysia last year (1.2% less than the previous year), she was optimistic that the number would increase as the country's economy picked up.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/34/Jimmychoo.jpg

Dato' Jimmy Choo, OBE, born Choo Yeang Keat, (Chinese: 周仰杰) is a Malaysian fashion designer based in London, United Kingdom. He is best known for founding Jimmy Choo Ltd (http://www.jimmychoo.com/) that became known for its handmade women's shoes. Choo was born in Penang, Malaysia, into a family of shoemakers, who are of Chinese Hakka descent. His family name is Chow but was misspelled on his birth certificate as Choo. He made his first shoe when he was 11 years old. He is perhaps the most notable of students of Cordwainers Technical College in Hackney, England, from which he graduated in 1983. (The college is now part of the London College of Fashion.) Choo has divulged that he worked part time at restaurants and as a cleaner at a shoe factory to help fund his college education.

http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/4278/elecpassportms5.jpg

Biometric system in force at all entry points
By MARTIN CARVALHO and EMBUN MAJID Thursday June 2, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/6/2/nation/8822958&sec=nation

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2011/6/2/nation/n_pg01endin.jpg
Security measure An Indonesian woman placing her index fingers on a
biometric scanner at the Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration checkpoint set up to
scan foreigners entering through the border. The biometric system was
implemented yesterday at all immigration entry points to better monitor
foreigners coming into the country. — G.C. TAN / The Star

PETALING JAYA: The biometric system has been implemented at all immigration entry points to better monitor foreigners coming into the country.

The National Foreigners Enforcement and Registration System was introduced yesterday without any major hiccups.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusof said foreigners entering the country would now have their thumbprints taken electronically.

“The process went on smoothly and the department has not received any complaints so far.

“However, the system is new and there are bound to be minor glitches,” he told The Star.

He added that the thumbprinting process would be improved to avoid inconveniencing visitors.

“Our officers have to take the thumbprints but ensure privacy and that there is no discrimination during the process,” he said.

He said the system, which had already been introduced in the United States, Britain, Canada, Italy and Brazil, was necessary to protect the security and sovereignty of the country.

Under the system, foreigners will have their thumbprints taken and processed within a short time upon their arrival.

The system will monitor them and a warning slip will be issued should they overstay.

This will allow immigration authorities to take the necessary action.

In Alor Setar, Kedah Immigration deputy director Hasreena Hashim said the department conducted a trial run of the system several weeks ago to identify problems in its implementation.

The trial run was conducted after the system was installed at all the entry points in the state.

In Penang, state Immigration director Abdul Qadir Siddiq Ahmad said the system had been in force on a trial basis since May 13.

New Cardiff City Kit 11-12 Home Puma
http://www.footballkitnews.com/2124/new-cardiff-city-kit-11-12-home-puma/

This is the new Cardiff City kit 11/12, which will be worn by Welsh club Cardiff City in their 2011/12 NPower Championship campaign. The new Cardiff home kit 11/12 has been made by Puma.

Instead of using a commercial sponsors, the Bluebirds have chosen to use “Malaysia” on their home shirt 11/12, thus signifying the club’s close ties with its Malaysian investors.

The new home kit 11/12 consists of a blue top with white and yellow trim. The shirt is paired with white shorts and blue socks, as can be seen in the photo below.

http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/New-Cardiff-City-Kit-11-12-Malaysia.jpg

http://www.footballkitnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Puma-Cardiff-City-Home-Shirt-2011-2012.jpg

Tourism Malaysia mobilises hotel reps in Europe to promote Malaysia
Posted on July 26, 2011, Tuesday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/07/26/tourism-malaysia-mobilises-hotel-reps-in-europe-to-promote-malaysia/

FRANKFURT: Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) is mobilising representatives of Malaysian hotels operating in Europe to promote Malaysia as an attractive destination.

Last week, Tourism Malaysia organised a successful meeting with 16 representatives of Malaysian hotels in Europe.

Syed Yahya Syed Othman, director of Tourism Malaysia in Frankfurt, told Bernama that he was ‘extremely pleased’ with the response from the representatives.

“I urge the hotel representatives to work closely with Tourism Malaysia and the airlines. All the representatives agreed to coordinate with Tourism Malaysia.

“We will organise roadshows in Germany this October.

“Most of the hotel representatives are in Germany, the biggest source of tourism traffic in continental Europe, though there were also others from other European countries.

“I am going to organise a meeting for the hotel representatives with tour operators,” Syed Yahya added.

Tourism Malaysia had also invited representatives to partner hotels to organise familiarisation tours for journalists to participate in the International Press Treasure Hunt in Malaysia.

Syed Yahya also said his office was launching a three-month ‘tactical campaign’ in conjunction with Singapore Airlines in Switzerland.

“This will also attract Swiss tourists to visit Malaysia via Singapore,” he said, adding that in September, a similar campaign would be held in Germany with the collaboration of Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines (MAS).

Meanwhile, Malaysia will participate as a ‘partner country’ at the CMT Holiday Exhibition to be held in Stuttgart next January, an important event for the travel, tourism, recreational and other hospitality services.

Messe Stuttgart managing director Roland Bleinroth said this year’s visitor figures of 220,000 surpassed last year’s turnout of 206,000 visitors.

Another trend in the tourism field would be the growing number of tourists interested in camping and caravan tourism — a trend that could benefit Malaysia if it used this trend to its advantage by offering similar facilities and effectively highlighting them in major foreign markets.

Oliver Waidelich, managing director of German Association for the Caravanning Industry said, “CMT was an attractive showcase for the industry, which created desire for mobile leisure time and holidays with its displays.

“Both suppliers and exhibitors of accessories and camp sites are delighted with the high standard of visitors,” he added.

Syed Yahya said Malaysia would organise a big gala dinner for the tourism trade, accompanied by entertainment to be provided by a dance troupe from Malaysia and Malaysian culinary specialties that would be prepared by Malaysian chefs.

“We will also organise a travel mart which will bring Malaysian tour operators and hoteliers together with their counterparts from Germany and neighbouring European countries,” he said, emphasising that this was the most important consumer tourism show in Europe.

He also said the show afforded good opportunities for Malaysian tour operators, hoteliers and others to showcase their services at a venue that would attract a wide spectrum of buyers from the travel and tourism field.

Because of a number of factors, including economic uncertainties that continue to plague Europe and Germany, not least because of the crisis in Greece, the number of visitors from Germany to Malaysia was said to have declined between five and six per cent in the first half of the current year.

Asia, and not just Malaysia, had faced this problem.

Compounding the European reticence for long-haul tourism was the fact that Europeans, facing the cash crunch, were refraining from undertaking long-haul trips.

Added to this was the disaster in Japan where the tsunami followed by the nuclear devastation deterred many from undertaking travel, in general, to Asia.

Nevertheless, Syed Yahya was confident the remaining half year would see a growth of between five and six per cent in the number of visitors to Malaysia. — Bernama

Time for tourism TV
Published: 2011/06/13
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/vmon/Article/

Why can't Malaysia start a dedicated tourist information television channel. As it stands, the number of documents promoting Malaysia is scarce and scattered.

IF a picture says a thousand words, then a moving one can say much more.

In Canterbury, New Zealand, there is a programme on television called Visitor TV that screens short documentaries providing tourist information. There are at least two other channels in New Zealand providing tourist information - one called Geyser Television based in Rotorua and another called Channel 61 in Taupo.

And these channels are in a country with just 4.4 million people and one which receives some 2.5 million tourists a year.

Geyser TV has various testimonials, one of which that says the programmes have helped keep tourists staying longer in Rotorua.

If this can help the industry, why can't Malaysia too start a dedicated tourist information television channel. As it stands, the number of documents promoting Malaysia is scarce and scattered.

But to get something like this going, we first need to establish who should operate such a channel. It could either be a government initiative, a private initiative or a project the government outsources to a private player.

A free-to-air channel is surely preferred as this would mean every hotel can screen it and the availability of the channel in each home will also encourage domestic tourism.

It can be called My.tv or since the trend now is to have the pre-fix "1", maybe 1My.tv.

While writing this piece, I chanced upon a website called TrulyAsia.TV. It provides insights into Malaysia and the many delights it has to offer. According to Tourism Malaysia, the programme was initiated and is funded by Tourism Malaysia but the job has been outsourced. Sadly, the awareness of TrulyAsia.TV is still low.

It is a WebTV portal with an objective of promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination, and helps tourists prepare a trip before their arrival and also once they get here. But not everyone who arrives here necessarily has free Internet connection.

Given that TrulyAsia.TV is already in existence and is funded by the government's tourism marketing arm, it would be only reasonable for it to consider diversifying and offering a full-fledged tourism television channel.

Next, the content of the documentaries should obviously be anything a tourist would want to do and see. It could even carry some helpful tips.

Documentaries should be brief or just long enough to entice tourists to actually visit a locale. Details and visuals that are too thorough could see the visitor skipping the location. Some of us may still recall the short documentary Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah (Today In History) which provided brief historical accounts in just a few minutes. This snapshot of history can be reintroduced with a twist to suit tourists.

Showcasing museums and historic buildings which are not in the main town centres could also help boost local tourism. Documenta-ries could be in English with multiple option for subtitles, and one that can be tailored for specific tourist season. Well, the experts would know better about content.

The next obvious question is funding. It is very possible the show could have enough advertising support from hotel operators, tour operators, car rental companies and malls.

Visitor.tv in New Zealand, operated by independent television station CTV Canterbury Television, even had pawn shop operators advertising in its channel.

Malaysia welcomed 24.6 million tourists in 2010 and we plan to triple foreign exchange receipts to RM168 billion from 36 million people.

The Malaysian government would like to increase the long-haul tourist markets' stay to 14 days from 10 days in 2010 and short-haul markets to nine days from seven days last year.

New Zealand, on the other hand, where tourists already stay an average of 10 days, has set a target of 3.12 million tourist arrivals by 2016.

I don't doubt that someone may have already considered this idea, but since our goals are higher and virtually everyone watches television when on holiday or at home, maybe now is the right time for an exclusive Malaysia tourism television channel.

www.trulyasia.tv/

http://www.trulyasia.tv/tmtv/v2/images/logo.png

UPDATE:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Malaysia_(orthographic_projection).svg/250px-Malaysia_(orthographic_projection).svg.png

UPDATE: 2010-2011
Population (http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/download_General/files/BPBM/2011/apr/05_Population.pdf): 28,477,600
Global Peace Index 2011 (http://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/2011-GPI-Results-Report-Final.pdf): 19th
Human Development Index (http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/): 57th
GDP per capita (http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/indicators/62006.html): US$ 14,410
World Economic Forum-The Network Readiness Index (http://reports.weforum.org/global-information-technology-report/): 28th
IMD-Global Competitiveness (http://www.imd.org/research/publications/wcy/World-Competitiveness-Yearbook-Results/#/wcy-2010-rankings/): 10th
Corruption Perceptions Index (http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results): 56th
e-Government Development Index (http://kz.mofcom.gov.cn/accessory/201009/1284225105383.pdf): 16th
Internet Usage (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm): Penetration (% Population) - 64.6 %


www.trulyasia.tv/

http://www.trulyasia.tv/tmtv/v2/images/logo.png

Malaysia, Truly Asia
Tuesday September 27, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/9/27/nation/9580050&sec=nation#13171265658571&if_height=550

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2011/9/27/nation/n_19exchange.jpg

AS the world celebrates World Tourism Day today, Malaysia highlights its beauty and authenticity. A diverse array of ethnic groups, cultures, festivals and events earned our tourism industry a whopping RM56.4bil last year.

“We are gearing towards RM168bil by 2020,” Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen told a press conference at the Malaysia Tourism Centre last week.

“We are expecting tourism to be the nation's main source of income. At present, it comes in fifth after oil and gas, palm oil, manufacturing, and retail.”

Among the tourism-oriented events that earned Dr Ng's favour was the The 1Malaysia International Tourism Night Flora Parade 2011 in July, a mesmerising display of glittery boats at the Putrajaya Lake. The international competition, titled “Magic of The Night”, attracted participants from 13 countries and organisations. The event served as a platform to showcase to the world Malaysia's diversity, richness in nature, culture and heritage.


“Another prominent facet of Malaysian culture is the great variety of food we have here,” Dr Ng said.

Working with restaurants and street hawkers, the Tourism Ministry staged the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia 2011 gourmet festival in September.

“Our tourism industry employs approximately 10% of the national labour force. These are jobs in the hotel, transportation and entertainment industries, among others.”

Then there's shopping. It is a year-round activity in Malaysia, but it is during the major mega sales three times a year that shoppers enjoy some of the best deals.

“Malaysia is gearing towards becoming a renowned shopping destination,” Dr Ng declared.

Our country's expertise in the footwear industry was highlighted at the Malaysia International Shoe Festival 2011 in April when a collection of 40 brands of local and international footwear was paraded.

Art is another area that has been explored. Every year, from July to September, local artists get to showcase their work at the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival.

“In 2010, we sold RM14.4mil worth of art. It was very exciting as we had also carried out our first auction. The most expensive item sold at RM157,000. We are scaling up our level of sophistication,” Dr Ng said.

Beautiful scenery and exciting sports await the outdoor lover. Malaysia boasts a lush, green 130 million-year-old jungle, a haven for trekking, bird watching and a host of other activities, making ecotourism a perfect revenue generator.

With over a thousand islands, Malaysia's beaches, similarly, offer miles of smooth, soft sand while its waters teem with colourful, exotic marine life. Divers and water sportsmen can have a field day in the ocean while other holiday seekers can experience warm, authentic Malaysian hospitality throughout the islands.

Foreigners and local city folk who wish for a getaway in the outskirts can choose from over 3,000 government-certified homestay centres throughout Malaysia.

“Homestay is an excellent income generator for people living in rural areas and makes a wonderful, authentic experience for tourists,” Dr Ng says.

“Last year, 8,000 saplings were planted under the the Plant A Tree programme for foreign tourists during homestays.

“We are proud of Malaysia's diversity. Tourists can savour a different experience on each visit.”

Jason’s ‘Malaysian Journey’
Thursday September 29, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/9/29/nation/9597708&sec=nation

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2011/9/29/nation/n_31jason.jpg

Captivating Malaysia: (From left) Fox International Channels senior
vicepresident Simeon Dawes, Ng, Jason and Fox International Channels
director and territory head (Malaysia) Basil Chua at the launch of
‘Malaysian Journey’ at Pullman Hotel, Putrajaya.

PUTRAJAYA: Hollywood star Jason Scott Lee famous for his portrayal of kung fu film legend Bruce Lee will host the second series of the Malaysian Journey documentary to promote Malaysia's eco-tourism sector.

“Malaysia's diverse ethnic groups and culture are simply captivating.

“There is so much beauty in your country that needs to be shared with the world,” he said at the sneak preview of the upcoming documentary called Hutan organised by the Tourism Ministry.

The one hour documentary, scheduled for broadcast early next year, will feature the Kuala Gandah Elephant Sanctuary, Taman Negara National Park, Tasik Kenyir Lake, Gunung Mulu National Park and the Bornean Sun Bear conservation centre in Sabah.

In 2007, Jason hosted the first instalment of Malaysian Journey where he shared his experiences with the Semelai people in Pahang, silat sessions, life with the Rungus tribe in Sabah, abseiling in Mount Kinabalu and living with fishermen in Langkawi.

It was broadcast on National Geographic Channel global network, reaching over 300 million households and televised in 166 countries and in 32 languages.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said in her speech that the Government remains committed to conserving Malaysia's nature through sustainable tourism.

“Our eco-tourism policy states that no more than 50% of our rainforest can be developed. This is to ensure that our forests are well-protected,” she said.

In KOTA KINABALU, Jason volunteered to help put the finishing touches to a house in Kampung Lingubang in Kota Belud, about 150km from here, on Monday, before presenting the keys to home owner, 44-year-old Jenik Ladsou.

It was part of a programme by volunteer group Habitat for Humanity Malaysia to provide houses for poor families.

Jason, who lives in his native Hawaii with Singapore-born wife Diana Chan and their 15-month-old daughter, said he still remembered the first time he came to Sabah three years ago when he climbed Mount Kinabalu and shot a documentary.

“I still remember the pain and agony of coming down from the mountain,” he smiled.

Malaysia bound to be top five destination by 2020
By MARTIN CARVALHO Tuesday October 18, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/18/nation/20111018070850&sec=nation#13189279775271&if_height=375

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia shines in world tourism, said United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary-general Dr Taleb Rifai.

“I say this without compliment but as a fact.

“It is now the eighth or ninth best receiving tourist destination in the world, and is likely to be in the top five as the largest and most important destinations by 2020,” he said after presenting Najib with an open letter for the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign yesterday.

The UNWTO is a specialised agency of the United Nations and the leading international organisation in the field of tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.

The body was impressed by the commitment shown by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak towards promoting and developing Malaysia's tourism sector.

He said the aim of UNWTO's campaign was to garner support and recognition of world leaders towards the proper growth of global tourism.

He added that tourism was currently the third largest global industry responsible for one out of 12 jobs and revenue amounting to US$1.1tril (RM3.41tril) annually.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said UMWTO's initiative augured well in efforts to further develop and promote the nation's growing tourism sector.

She added that Malaysia was chosen to chair the UNTWO Commission with regards to the East Asia and Pacific regions.

SOURCE: UNWTO World Tourism Highlights (UNWTO)
http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enlr.pdf
International tourist arrivals by country of destination 2010
Out of a global total of 940 million tourists, the top ten international tourism destinations in 2010 were:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5674/hkgvx.jpg

Asia and the Pacific
Out of the total of almost 204 million tourists to Asia and the Pacific in 2010, the top ten destinations were:

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8153/fhjd.jpg

congratulation..so proud!

WELCOME TO MALAYSIA!
http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/6230200704_0c0d6af009_b-1.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/4623881823_f9bd2e3a66_b.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/2092673869_975db1d160_o.jpg

http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/CAMERON.jpg
http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/KINABALU.jpg
http://i763.photobucket.com/albums/xx276/afiqnadzir/LANGKAWI.jpg

Miss Universe Malaysia 2012
The finalists of Miss Universe Malaysia 2012 pose during the pageant final in Kuala Lumpur November 10, 2011.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6115/6333399519_80d07789dc_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333399519/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6119/6333430485_7ff4c1d8be_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333430485/
Miss Universe Malaysia 2011 Deborah Henry walks for the last time before passing the crown to new Miss Universe Malaysia 2012.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6217/6333415963_29edb5effb_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333415963/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6051/6333420251_8779a0072b_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333420251/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6115/6333427141_ccc1ea84a9_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333427141/in/photostream/

Kimberley Leggett, 18, the newly crowned Miss Universe Malaysia 2012,
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6053/6333440047_37ce1cb5c5_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333440047/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6219/6333396325_a6dcddea2f_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/enjoynizam/6333396325/in/photostream/

Kimberley Ann Estrop-Leggett
Age: 18
Origin: Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Occupation: Part time model/ Student Majoring in Economics and Business
Hobbies: Athletics, basketball, volleyball, tennis, drums and piano
Language: English, Bahasa Malaysia, French

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/300956_151410514949030_151366418286773_274379_1355708779_n.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/301598_217902164936783_100001510037897_583928_685655787_n.jpg

bg2_xw6wNcQ

bWbmZtuaEqs

Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) 2011
6-10 December 2011
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4047/4360845869_5087ea3e21_z.jpg?zz=1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistyimages/4360845869/)
Fulcrum_06 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mistyimages/4360845869/) by mistyimages (http://www.flickr.com/people/mistyimages/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7025/6470728241_a9d9e4b4fc_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arifwshre/6470728241/
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6466336303_3af415a335_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mazr80/6466336303/)
IMG_2406 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mazr80/6466336303/) by mazr80 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mazr80/), on Flickr

LIMA 2007
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4103/5134676198_9ae71acda4_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/achem74/5134676198/)
The Red Arrows (LIMA 2007) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/achem74/5134676198/) by achem74 (http://www.flickr.com/people/achem74/), on Flickr

Monsoon Cup Terengganu 2011 - Sailing World Match Racing Tour

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7155/6428171547_ffa819221f_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyazizi/6428171547/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6056/6428101385_84ef317953_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyazizi/6428101385/
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7147/6428108535_627c2c3eed_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alyazizi/6428108535/


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7021/6409181773_b0d23f7bab_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6409181773/)
IMG_3891 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6409181773/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7031/6410976889_76c08b3943_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976889/)
IMG_2953 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976889/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7034/6410976907_4878097f09_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976907/)
IMG_2964 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976907/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6216/6410976919_ec6444f55b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976919/)
IMG_2973 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976919/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7162/6410976935_9fc2571283_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976935/)
IMG_2974 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6410976935/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6442363333_c389709214_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6442363333/)
IMG_9022 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6442363333/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7166/6442363417_b8ae53e53c_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6442363417/)
IMG_9011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/anuar_17/6442363417/) by daun cenkeh (http://www.flickr.com/people/anuar_17/), on Flickr

Malaysia expects 24 million tourist arrivals this year
Posted on December 3, 2011, Saturday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/12/03/malaysia-expects-24-million-tourist-arrivals-this-year/

PUTRAJAYA: Despite the many global upheavals, Malaysia expects 24 million foreign tourists this year,

In the past year, Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami, Europe saw an economic crisis, while political unrest and massive floods were the order of the day in the Middle East and Thailand, respectively.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the ministry was multiplying efforts to ensure the number of tourists to the country remained stable in the coming years.

The efforts included focusing on potential countries to lure tourists and discussions with foreign airlines to have direct flights into the country, in addition to the MAS service.

“If MAS stopped its direct flight service from many cities like Dubai and Tokyo, we will have problems. It (direct flight service) is important because tourists do not like changing flights.

“We have discussed with the relevant parties in Russia to set up charter flights from the country to Malaysia. We welcome all direct flights to Malaysia.
“For example, there is no direct flight from Moscow. We need more flights to KL International Airport, Kota Kinabalu and Langkawi. That is vital,” she told
reporters after attending the ministry’s first monthly assembly at its new building here yesterday.

In 2009, Malaysia saw 23 million foreign tourists. Last year, there were 24.6 million tourists, ringing the cash register to the tune of RM56.4 billion.
Dr Ng said despite the floods in several states domestic tourism was unaffected and stable.

She said 36 million foreign tourists were expected to visit the country by 2020, with an estimated tourism income of RM168 billion. — Bernama

Anugerah Industri Muzik 2011
Anugerah Industri Muzik (or AIM) literal English translation: "Music Industry Awards" in Malay, is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy. It was held at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6091/6344053174_01d7f54227_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmawiyusof/6344053174/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6101/6343981570_6e15b465d9_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmawiyusof/6343981570/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6231/6344047700_48c42247da_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asmawiyusof/6344047700/

Greyson Chance Perfoming on AIM featuring Najwa Latif LIVE in Malaysia 2011

_cRDjfHj25k

AIM18 : Beribu Sesalan - Jaclyn Victor, Ning Baizura & Shila Amzah

WzmlhsOMGh0

Very nice photos!

:)

nope
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/386364_10150414420473440_99525363439_8511099_1633067074_n.jpg

148 Buddy Bears
taken from FB - Pavilion KL
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393408_10150414424423440_99525363439_8511126_750613467_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/382841_10150414420783440_99525363439_8511101_1631927405_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393350_10150414420618440_99525363439_8511100_674674805_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/381677_10150414421043440_99525363439_8511103_1342654695_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/378640_10150414421198440_99525363439_8511104_1953694758_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/381351_10150414421548440_99525363439_8511107_801607233_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/387630_10150414421933440_99525363439_8511110_32113056_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/388952_10150414422098440_99525363439_8511111_36491368_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/391114_10150414422243440_99525363439_8511112_1233567280_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/386505_10150414422828440_99525363439_8511115_1416234195_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/376523_10150414422998440_99525363439_8511116_1932349155_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/376308_10150414423158440_99525363439_8511117_833102180_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/374322_10150414423443440_99525363439_8511119_1278063236_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/393173_10150414424268440_99525363439_8511125_1401781702_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/387238_10150414424573440_99525363439_8511128_343736238_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/386151_10150414424713440_99525363439_8511129_344843133_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379566_10150414425008440_99525363439_8511131_42012543_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/379494_10150414425913440_99525363439_8511141_903026464_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/388867_10150414426093440_99525363439_8511143_256815249_n.jpg

Nice pics and videos....:)

Kuala Lumpur Tower International Base Jump 2011

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6170/6199563473_7fc4fe80f9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/azrizai/6199563473/)
KL Tower International Jump (http://www.flickr.com/photos/azrizai/6199563473/) by azri zainul (http://www.flickr.com/people/azrizai/), on Flickr
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6126/6200076062_a3c53115ca_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/azrizai/6200076062/)
KL Tower International Jump (http://www.flickr.com/photos/azrizai/6200076062/) by azri zainul (http://www.flickr.com/people/azrizai/), on Flickr

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6163/6200442966_dfd6e46f7d_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokkuen/6200442966/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6161/6200506906_4bc26a3005_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kokkuen/6200506906/
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6157/6202289067_74894ec992_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddytan/6202289067/)
KLTIBJ11_01 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddytan/6202289067/) by eddytan83 (http://www.flickr.com/people/eddytan/), on Flickr
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6054/6230290197_22f19dd8ba_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25773625@N03/6230290197/)
KL TOWER BASE JUMP 2011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25773625@N03/6230290197/) by Amir Hamid (http://www.flickr.com/people/25773625@N03/), on Flickr
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6100/6230276157_2f638f7daa_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25773625@N03/6230276157/)
KL TOWER BASE JUMP 2011 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25773625@N03/6230276157/) by Amir Hamid (http://www.flickr.com/people/25773625@N03/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6520541285_e7acfb2f2e_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtemujin/6520541285/
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7153/6504577023_46a33c1439_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtemujin/6504577023/
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7151/6504419713_8fe5c729a1_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtemujin/6504419713/
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7019/6498280235_23ab874357_b.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/xtemujin/6498280235/

- 2007 in Malaysia (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=17377315&postcount=884)
- 2008 in Malaysia (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=30129182&postcount=1049)
- 2009 in Malaysia (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=48941493&postcount=1141)
- 2010 in Malaysia (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=318601&page=63)
2011 in Malaysia
January
1 January – The Bandar Tasik Selatan Integrated Transport Terminal (Terminal Bersepadu Selatan) is opened for public.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5258/5421649111_355768e6f3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mypeggy/5421649111/)
Bandar Tasik Selatan GF - KL Malaysia 2011.2.6 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mypeggy/5421649111/) by 小小魔女 (http://www.flickr.com/people/mypeggy/), on Flickr
29 January – The government announces that there will be no toll hike for Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway and East Coast Expressway (Phase 1) for every five years.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/55/148071827_9e8d70467a.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zairi/148071827/)
Karak Toll Gate (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zairi/148071827/) by Zairi (http://www.flickr.com/people/zairi/), on Flickr

February
14 February – Deftones live in Kuala Lumpur.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5092/5484545295_1d168dcced.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahmadsaiful/5484545295/in/photostream/
22 February – Najib Tun Razak visits Turkey for the first time and meets its prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

March
2 March – Najib Tun Razak visits Australia for the first time and meets its prime minister Julia Gillard.
12-13 March - Sepang International Circuit, 2011 Malaysian Grand Prix
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6092/6315538776_cb972c5bb7.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lioneldude/6315538776/

13 March – Malaysia's no.1 badminton player, Lee Chong Wei wins All England titles for the second time beating China's Lin Dan in the finals at Birmingham, England.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2797/4424260055_be57829b58.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acr86/4424260055/)
Lee Chong Wei (http://www.flickr.com/photos/acr86/4424260055/) by Alex Roache (http://www.flickr.com/people/acr86/), on Flickr
15 March – Bruno Mars Live in Kuala Lumpur.
http://aidathepinkgoddess.blogspot.com/2011/04/bruno-mars-live-in-kuala-lumpur-10.html

April
2 April – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) arrested 62 Royal Malaysian Customs officers of various ranks and posts under the 3b operation for alleged involvement in corruption, money laundering and other offences.
16 April – Reopening of the Puduraya bus terminal in Kuala Lumpur.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6229/6221710494_c7012f7f54.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwwongfoto/6221710494/)
New Puduraya Bas Terminal 新半山芭公車總站 ... (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cwwongfoto/6221710494/) by 黄清华 WongCW (http://www.flickr.com/people/cwwongfoto/), on Flickr

16 April – Sarawak state election, 2011. Barisan Nasional (BN) retains its two-thirds majority in the 71-seat state assembly. Abdul Taib Mahmud sworn in as Chief Minister of Sarawak.
20 April – Canadian teen singer, Justin Bieber performs his concert in Malaysia for the first time at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5109/5641528880_eb5f79fe8d.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fit_sparrow_media_rakyat/5641528880/
27 April – Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao visits Malaysia for the second time and attend the Malaysia-China Economic, Trade and Investment Forum in Kuala Lumpur.
29 April – Maroon 5 live in Kuala Lumpur.
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2548/5712800497_6152b7e5c6.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61027329@N03/5712800497/

May
5 May – Lesotho prime minister, Pakalitha Mosisili visits Malaysia and meets the prime minister, Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya.
14 May – KTM Komuter service which has been extended down south to Sg Gadut in Negri Sembilan begin operations.
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6056/6244818541_cb7b0263e3.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zkeretapi/6244818541/)
sungai gadut (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zkeretapi/6244818541/) by zkeretapi (http://www.flickr.com/people/zkeretapi/), on Flickr

17 May – The toll collections of the East-West Link Expressway from Salak Interchange to Taman Connaught Interchange is abolished.
27 May – The biggest National Youth Day celebrations, Hari Belia Negara is held in Putrajaya.

June
5 June – Najib Tun Razak visits Kazakhstan for the first time and meets its president Nursultan Nazarbayev in the capital Astana.
10 June – The Sungai Johor Bridge on the Senai-Desaru Expressway, Johor, the longest river bridge in Malaysia is opened for public for the first time.
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5100/5510463039_eaf21cbce8.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35514436@N06/5510463039/)
Bridge over Sungai Johor (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35514436@N06/5510463039/) by busternuck (http://www.flickr.com/people/35514436@N06/), on Flickr
22 June – The Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) convenience store is unveiled by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.
23 June – The 32 km (20 mi) expressway connects Ijok near Kuala Selangor to Templer's Park near Rawang open.

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/4038/aerial1360.jpg

24 June – AirAsia places the largest single order in commercial aviation history, purchasing 200 Airbus A320neo jetliners.
26 June – Police arrest 31 members of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) including Sungai Siput Member of Parliament Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj in Penang in relation to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally.
28 June – The Perdana Lake Gardens (Taman Tasik Perdana) is renamed Perdana Botanical Gardens (Taman Botanik Perdana).

July
1 July – The Malaysia's Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) train service between Woodlands, Bukit Timah and the Tanjong Pagar railway station, Singapore ceased all operations. The KTMB's Tanjong Pagar railway station was relocated to the new terminus at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP).
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5062/5887764773_7571b31395.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lioneldude/5887764773/
4 July – The 1Malaysia People Housing Scheme (PR1MA) is launched by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.
8 July – The Klang Valley's MY Rapid Transit (MRT) project is officially launched by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak. Construction of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang line, part of the Klang Vally's MRT system has now begun.
11 July – Najib Tun Razak visits Turkmenistan for the first time and meets its president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in the capital Ashgabat.
14 July – Najib Tun Razak meets British Prime Minister, David Cameron at No. 10 Downing Street, London.
18 July – Najib Tun Razak meets Pope Benedict XVI in Vatican City for the first time. The diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Holy See were established.
26 July – The remains of 21 Iban trackers and Sarawak Rangers who fell during Malayan Emergency were brought back from Kuala Lumpur to Sarawak and reburied in Heroes Cemetery in Kuching.

August
6 August – Opening of the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam, the largest dam in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4098/4896331173_f45e34e2df.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12913464@N04/4896331173/)
BakunMain (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12913464@N04/4896331173/) by luhmahfuz05 (http://www.flickr.com/people/12913464@N04/), on Flickr

18 August – Businessman and entrepreneur, Tony Fernandes completed his takeover of Premier League club Queens Park Rangers after buying out Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone and former Renault F1 team principal Flavio Briatore. He runs his budget airline Air Asia and F1’s Team Lotus Racing, bought a 66 percent stake in the London club through his company, the Tune Group.
24 August – The 1Malaysia People's Welfare Programme (KAR1SMA) is unveiled by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.
27 August – The Puduraya bus terminal was renamed as Pudu Sentral and it was officially opened by the Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak.
31 August – Singapore government handed back its water treatment plants in Mount Pulai and Skudai and pump houses at Pontian and Tebrau to Johor state government ending the 1961 Water Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore.

September
13 September – Construction of the new Sungei Pandaruan Bridge of the Malaysia-Brunei Border has now begun.
15 September – Najib Tun Razak announced the abolishment of the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) and the three Emergency Declarations (Banishment Act (1959) and Emergency Ordinance) and will replaced by two new laws. The new laws will be enacted to protect the peace, harmony and security of the country.
23 September – Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTM) has received the first batch of six electric train coaches from the Transport Ministry.

http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/2187/copyofimg90191.jpg

24 September – An Iban hero during Insurgency, Kanang anak Langkau was conferred the Panglima Gemilang Bintang Kenyalang (P.G.B.K.) (English: Commander of the Order of the Hornbill Sarawak), with the title of 'Datuk' from the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) of Sarawak, Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin.

October
7 October – Westlife Live in Kuala Lumpur: Gravity Tour 2011

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/1288/wl121.jpg
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/entertainment-lifestyle/32954-magik-westlife-.html

November
1 November – The Klang Bus Station or Klang Bus Stand is closed to make way for the new Pasar Seni MRT station. The station is part of the construction of the new Sungai Buloh-Kajang MRT line
15 November – The Istana Negara at Bukit Petaling is officialy closed and moved to the new building at Jalan Duta.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7160/6444177363_0c0000d902.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/6444177363/)
New Istana Negara (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hendry/6444177363/) by Kai Hendry (http://www.flickr.com/people/hendry/), on Flickr

7 November - Malaysian squash superstar and World No. 1 Nicol David etched her name in sports history by outplaying long-time rival and world No. 2 Jenny Duncalf of England to become the first woman player to win a record six world championship squash titles.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3593/3345365681_3f36c7da6e.jpg

22 November - Malaysia won gold medals for two consecutive at the South East Asian Games (SEA Games 2011) Football Final Match against Indonesia.

http://www.thesundaily.my/sites/default/files/thesun/Catalogue/SEA29_2111__c215999_111122_456.jpg
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/216000

December
11 December - The First Premium Outlet Center® in Southeast Asia open

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7174/6489820325_3627c9e482.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38887489@N07/6489820325/)
johor premium outlet - media launch-9 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/38887489@N07/6489820325/) by wackybecks (http://www.flickr.com/people/38887489@N07/), on Flickr

27 December - Researchers from Universiti Teknologi Mara's (UiTM) Pharmacogenomics Centre have completed the mapping of the Malay ethnic genome, making it the first time that such a research has been successful.

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/5865/genomv.jpg
http://www.bharian.com.my/bharian/PixFront/genom

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!

http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/82/83/fbeae70742cd97bb71c869c4ff20.jpeg
http://photogallery.thestar.com/1109160

http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1246946585/162060_146415607524_3856780_n.jpg

4TH PUTRAJAYA INTERNATIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON FIESTA
17 March 2012 - 20 March 2012
http://www.myballoonfiesta.com./index.html

http://www.myballoonfiesta.com./images/2012/about_the_fiesta/2nd_fiesta/images1/dsc_5538.jpg

http://www.myballoonfiesta.com./images/2012/about_the_fiesta/1st_fiesta/images1/hotairballoon34.jpg

LE TOUR DE LANGKAWI 2012
24 February 2012 - 4 March 2012
http://www.ltdl.com.my/

http://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-01.jpghttp://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-02.jpg
http://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-03.jpghttp://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-04.jpg
http://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-05.jpghttp://www.ltdl.com.my/2012/therace/pix/main-06.jpg

Asias premier cycling event, Le Tour de Langkawi 2012 is back! The race will go through seven states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and two Federal Territories; which are Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur.

2012 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIA GRAND PRIX
23 March 2012 - 25 March 2012
http://www.malaysiangp.com.my/

http://www.malaysiangp.com.my/images/banner-f112.jpg

Catch the blazing action at one of the most challenging tracks in the world. With its extreme hot and wet conditions, the Sepang International Circuit tests the skills of the worlds finest racers to the limit. Be there to witness the action, live!

RAPTOR WATCH WEEK 2012
10 March 2012 - 11 March 2012

http://mnsrw2012.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/rw2012backdrop4.jpg?w=580&h=370

Birdwatching enthusiasts can delight in spotting hundreds of migratory raptors flying across the Straits of Malacca in their annual journey back to the northern hemisphere. Tanjung Tuan is an excellent venue to catch this natural spectacle.

LEONARDO DA VINCI EXHIBITION
Seri Kembangan, Selangor
3 February 2012 - 15 February 2012
http://www.tourism.gov.my/_img/events_festival/attachment/More%20Info%20About%20This%20Event.pdf

http://statics.atcloud.com/files/comments/65/653103/images/1_original.jpg

The DA VINCI EXHIBITION proudly presents in excess of 60 machines from original da Vinci drawings, featuring his amazing flying machines, nautical, hydraulic and architectural innovations, ground-breaking applications of civil engineering and incredible war machines. There are 15 high quality reproduction artworks, giant art panels, computer animations, film screenings and rare copies of Leonardo da Vinci Codices.

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE ACTROID
National Science Centre, Kuala Lumpur
12 November 2011 - 8 March 2012

http://www.planet-wissen.de/alltag_gesundheit/psychologie/emotionen/img/tempx_emotion_actroid_g.jpg

This special robot exhibition is produced by Kokoro, builder of the "Actroid" models which have achieved worldwide prominence as life-like female-type android. The mechanism of movements of the Actroid and secret stories about its production are explained simply using various equipment and panels. Let's get a lot of secret information about the world-famous Actroid and aim to become an android doctor!
Time: 9.00 am till 5.00 pm. Closed on Fridays.

http://blog.koldcast.tv/wp-content/plugins/simple-post-thumbnails/timthumb.php?src=/wp-content/thumbnails/7611.jpg&w=600&h=&zc=1&ft=jpg

Actroid is a type of android (humanoid robot) and with strong visual human-likeness developed by Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro Company Ltd. (the animatronics division of Sanrio). It was first unveiled at the 2003 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Several different versions of the product have been produced since then. In most cases, the robot's appearance has been modeled after an average young woman of Japanese descent.

very nice pics and information on this thread..

M’sia is ninth most visited in the world in UNWTO list
Friday February 17, 2012
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/2/17/nation/10752912&sec=nation#13294707817441&if_height=304

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has been ranked ninth in the United Nations World Tourism Organisation’s (UNWTO) list of 10 most visited countries, with 24.6 million international tourist arrivals in 2010.

Topping the list is France with 76.8 million international visitors, followed by the United States, China, Spain, Italy, Britain, Turkey and Germany.

Malaysia overtook Mexico which recorded 22.4 million tourist arrivals to be in 10th spot.

Malaysian ambassador to the Philippines Datuk Seri Ibrahim Saad highlighted the list on his Twitter account (@dribrahimsaad) on Feb 14.

“We should be proud of this, seeing that we are the smallest country on the list and our tourist arrivals are almost as high as our population,” he said in a telephone interview.

He said tourists were attracted to Malaysia because of its natural beauty, rich cultural heritage and friendliness of the people, adding that this left a good impression on tourists.

“The Tourism Ministry should consider refining its promotion strategies as current campaigns mostly feature islands and beaches.

“We must take a multi-pronged approach and feature a variety of attractions, such as shopping destinations and the small towns,” he said.

SOURCE:
http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enhr.pdf

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/nazrey/02-10.jpg


SOURCE: UNWTO World Tourism Highlights (UNWTO)
http://mkt.unwto.org/sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enlr.pdf
International tourist arrivals by country of destination 2010
Out of a global total of 940 million tourists, the top ten international tourism destinations in 2010 were:

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/5674/hkgvx.jpg

Asia and the Pacific
Out of the total of almost 204 million tourists to Asia and the Pacific in 2010, the top ten destinations were:

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/8153/fhjd.jpg

Malaysia bound to be top five destination by 2020
By MARTIN CARVALHO Tuesday October 18, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/10/18/nation/20111018070850&sec=nation#13189279775271&if_height=375

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia shines in world tourism, said United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) secretary-general Dr Taleb Rifai.

“I say this without compliment but as a fact.

“It is now the eighth or ninth best receiving tourist destination in the world, and is likely to be in the top five as the largest and most important destinations by 2020,” he said after presenting Najib with an open letter for the Global Leaders for Tourism Campaign yesterday.

The UNWTO is a specialised agency of the United Nations and the leading international organisation in the field of tourism. It serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.

The body was impressed by the commitment shown by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak towards promoting and developing Malaysia's tourism sector.

He said the aim of UNWTO's campaign was to garner support and recognition of world leaders towards the proper growth of global tourism.

He added that tourism was currently the third largest global industry responsible for one out of 12 jobs and revenue amounting to US$1.1tril (RM3.41tril) annually.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said UMWTO's initiative augured well in efforts to further develop and promote the nation's growing tourism sector.

She added that Malaysia was chosen to chair the UNTWO Commission with regards to the East Asia and Pacific regions.

M’sia safest country in SE Asia — Hisham
Posted on March 9, 2012, Friday
http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/03/09/msia-safest-country-in-se-asia-hisham/

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has been recognised as the safest country in Southeast Asia and 19th the world in the Global Peace Index (GPI) report for 2011, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

He said this was proof of the dedication, commitment and had work of all quarters specifically the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and related agencies.
“It includes the commitment shown by trained police volunteers from the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) and Civil Defence Department,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

He thanked RMP and all the agencies involved for ensuring Malaysians were able to live safely, in peace and harmony.

Besides this, he said, last year, the overall crime index recorded a drop of 11 per cent as compared to 2010, way above the five per cent reduction that had been targeted.

The index for street crimes recorded a 40 per cent decrease as compared to 2009, thus meeting the target set, he said.

He said his ministry was committed to retaining the ranking this year by adopting two strategies, the first, beefing up RMP with 14,739 more officers and men to conduct more patrolling activities particularly in the “hot” states of Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang.

The rest of the states would get 24,000 additional personnel in all, he said.
The second strategy, he said, was to strengthen the Community Policing progamme by getting members of the public including from residents associations to participate in crime prevention programmes. — Bernama
The initiative includes the 4-Personnel Patrolling Team in the “hot”states as well as Sabah and Sarawak.

“Under the programme, police personnel will conduct patrols together with Rela and Civil Defence Department volunteers in selected areas to reduce the crime rate and in the process ensure that the people feel the presence of the police,” he said. — Bernama

Source: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/2011GPIMethodologyResultsFindings.pdf

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/nazrey/02-19.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v608/nazrey/03-10.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7198/6885125644_dbcf1bf2dc_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/6885125644/)
From my room (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/6885125644/) by Frazz Khalid (http://www.flickr.com/people/fraz_khalid/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7140/6885127600_2fd69552fd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/6885127600/)
DSC00152 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/6885127600/) by Frazz Khalid (http://www.flickr.com/people/fraz_khalid/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7031228087_ae8296e536_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/7031228087/)
SDC13109 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/fraz_khalid/7031228087/) by Frazz Khalid (http://www.flickr.com/people/fraz_khalid/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7254/6884935598_02bd0e3161_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/6884935598/)
亞庇魚市場．聽說這的日落很棒 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/6884935598/) by nk@flickr (http://www.flickr.com/people/neonwang/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7031031333_e8270573c3_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031031333/)
亞庇魚市場．周邊廣場 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031031333/) by nk@flickr (http://www.flickr.com/people/neonwang/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7031029559_2451245bf9_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031029559/)
亞庇市立博物館．關門了 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031029559/) by nk@flickr (http://www.flickr.com/people/neonwang/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/7031021561_38c9793e69_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031021561/)
亞庇沙巴州立清真寺．外觀 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/neonwang/7031021561/) by nk@flickr (http://www.flickr.com/people/neonwang/), on Flickr

M’sia is 9th most visited country in the world
Tuesday April 3, 2012
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/4/3/business/11034432&sec=business

MALAYSIA is in an excellent position to further improve its standing as one of the world’s top global destinations, given its abundant tourist destinations. Already we are the ninth most visited country in the world.

Our receipts of RM1bil per week from tourists ranks us 13th globally in terms of tourist’s receipts. The tourism industry is the seventh largest contributor to the Malaysian economy with a GNI total of RM37.4bil in 2011 and is poised to enjoy consistent growth.

In Budget 2011, the Prime Minister announced the abolishment of import duties for 328 items, under these categories – cosmetics and perfumes, leather goods, textiles, apparel and clothing, footwear, headgear, jewellery excluding coins, electrical goods and toys.

Tourism Malaysia also stepped up efforts in promoting Malaysia as an attractive shopping destination. As a result, the Departing Visitor’s Survey by the Shopping Secretariat Malaysia under the Tourism Ministry reported that the percentage of shopping spend in Malaysia increased from 28% in 2010 to 32% in 2011 while the total tourist spend per arrival increased from RM660 to RM736.5 in the same period.

The Bukit Bintang (BB)-Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) area has been designated as Malaysia’s premier shopping precinct, and the BB-KLCC Tourism Association was set up in September 2011 to represent the interests of landowners, mall operators and retailers within the precinct.

Its core responsibilities include the coordination of marketing and promotional activities and the development of the precinct into a major tourist shopping destination.

Apart from integrated events, major physical improvements were also made to provide seamless connectivity between shopping malls, offices and hotels in the area. Elevated and air-conditioned walkways totalling 537m were erected between Suria KLCC and Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, linking directly to buildings and major road intersections. In total, 1,350m of covered walkways were completed in 2011.

The first outlet centre in Malaysia, the Johor Premium Outlets, was officiated by the Prime Minister on Dec 11 last year.

Hosting major international events is an important platform to promote Malaysia as a travel destination. A dedicated International Events Unit under the Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau was set up in January 2011 to identify and bid for international events, develop homegrown events and produce clusters of smaller shows around major international events.

In 2011, IEU supported the development of several homegrown and home hosted events and produced event clusters which were promoted by Tourism Malaysia and event organisers nationwide.

Malaysia Gateway To Asia
Malaysia Gateway To Asia EP 1

OLRk-c5aBHM

Malaysia Gateway To Asia EP 2

h90jdv13pPo

Malaysia Gateway To Asia EP 3

5WOoBOq3NNQ

Malaysia Gateway To Asia EP 4

lV8dSsqad4s

Malaysia Gateway To Asia EP 5

CZ52Kdv97Ig