Tourism Malaysia has unveiled its booth at ITB China 2024, which is being held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center from May 27 to 29, 2024, in an ongoing effort to position Malaysia as a top tourist destination for Chinese tourism stakeholders. The Malaysian contingent is led by the Honorable Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, and Mr. Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia. This 4th edition of ITB China 2024 features significant tourism partners including Penang Global Tourism, as well as representatives from the states of Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, and Perak. The event brings together a total of 37 organizations, including 15 hotels and resorts, eight tour operators, five state tourism agencies, two tourism associations, two product owners, and one airline. Commenting on the participation, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said, “Malaysia’s participation in ITB China for this year marks our commitment and sincerity to strengthen cooperation and deepen tourism and cultural exchanges through people-to-people exchanges, especially in the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.” “China is one of Penang’s most important markets and it has always been one of the top three arrival countries in Penang. It is crucial to keep the publicity momentum going to draw travelers to Penang, thus Penang Global Tourism has organized the ‘Experience Penang’ roadshow in Guangzhou and Shenzhen which resulted in the increase of flight frequency from China. We hope our presence in ITB China with Penang industry partners will showcase the versatility of Penang being a world-class destination,” said Mr Ooi Chok Yan, CEO of Penang Global Tourism. The Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) China is a premier tourism trade fair in China, comparable to other significant events like ITB Berlin and ITB Asia. Held annually, ITB China draws National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), travel agencies, hotel operators, and tourism product owners from across the globe, including numerous industry stakeholders from China. This year, over 800 top travel agencies in China are expected to attend. Malaysia marks its fourth participation since the event’s debut in 2017. China is a key tourism market for Malaysia, having contributed 1,474,114 visitor arrivals last year, a substantial increase from 212,603 in 2022. Aiming for 27.3 million international tourist arrivals and RM102.7 billion in tourism receipts this year, Malaysia has set a target of 5 million visitors from China alone. Tourism Malaysia is ramping up its promotional efforts in China through its offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, working closely with travel agents and airlines. With the reinstatement and launch of new international routes by Malaysia-based and China-based airlines, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Xiamen Air, there are now 368 flights per week connecting China and Malaysia.
Malaysia Showcases Tourism Offerings at ITB China 2024
