The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Malaysian Tourism Ministry goes all out to woo Indians

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 29, 2006
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Malaysian Tourism Ministry goes all out to woo Indians

T.S. Shankar

Invites India to celebrate golden jubilee of its Independence

EXOTIC TOUCH: A dance staged by a Malaysian troupe during the `Malaysian Tropical Evening' in Chennai on Wednesday. — Photo: R. Shivaji Rao

CHENNAI: For globetrotters in Chennai, representatives of the travel trade and the media it was a rich visual treat.

A cultural troupe from Malaysia gave a riveting dance performance on Wednesday evening as part of the efforts made by the Malaysian Tourism authorities to woo more Indian tourists to Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian Tourism Minister, Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, who led the Malaysian delegation, made special mention of the fact that Indians figured in the top 10 list of global tourist spenders in Malaysia.

The cultural extravaganza was part of the road show organised by Tourism Malaysia for the `Visit Malaysia Year 2007' campaign in Chennai on Wednesday.

Apart from announcing the `visa on arrival' arrangement for Indian tourists, proposing an ASEAN-India Tourism Summit in Kuala Lumpur in the first half of 2007, and encouraging more private investment in tourism, the Minister said the main objective of the initiatives taken and the road show campaigns conducted in Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi were to boost wholesome growth in all segments of Indian outbound tourism to Malaysia.

The Malaysian Tourism Ministry will be organising over 50 events in 2007 to mark the golden jubilee celebrations of Malaysia's Independence and to showcase the country's latest tourist attractions.

"We want Indians to be part of us in this milestone," the Minister said, wrapping up his speech by saying "Selamat Datang" (welcome to Malaysia) and "Vanakkam" to establish the strong and friendly ties between the two countries.

The journey to Kuala Lumpur takes only a little over three-and-a-half hours, and thanks to the open sky regime, Indian tourists can get a glimpse of the diverse ethnic culture of the land while holidaying there.

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