In an ongoing attempt to position Malaysia as a top travel destination for Chinese tourism industry participants, Tourism Malaysia unveiled its booth at the ITB China 2024, which was held from May 27 to 29, 2024, at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center.
The Honorable Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia, led the delegation from Malaysia, accompanied by Mr. Manoharan Periasamy, Director General of Tourism Malaysia.
Important tourism partners from Penang Global Tourism, as well as from the states of Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, and Perak, joined the 4th edition of ITB China 2024. In total, 37 organizations participated in the event, including 15 hotels and resorts, 8 tour operators, 5 state tourism agencies, 2 tourism associations, 2 product owners, and 1 airline.
“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,” Dato Sri Tiong King Sing said in response to the announcement. “This is especially significant in light of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.”
China has consistently ranked among the top three nations of arrival in Penang, making it one of the province’s most significant marketplaces. To maintain the pace of publicity that will attract tourists to Penang, Penang Global Tourism arranged the “Experience Penang” roadshow in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which led to an increase in the number of flights from China. According to Mr. Ooi Chok Yan, CEO of Penang Global Tourism, “We hope that our presence at ITB China with Penang industry partners will showcase the versatility of Penang being a world-class destination.”
Worldwide Tourism Board (WTB) China is among the country’s biggest travel trade shows, ranking on par with international travel trade shows like ITB Berlin and ITB Asia. Every year, National Tourism Organizations (NTOs), travel agencies, hotel owners, operators of tourism products, and other stakeholders in the Chinese and international tourism industries attend ITB China. For this edition, the biggest travel companies in China are among the more than 800 prospective purchasers that have been mentioned. Since the tradeshow’s founding in 2017, Malaysia has participated four times.
China continues to be one of Malaysia’s key market suppliers; 1,474,114 Chinese visitors arrived in the nation last year, down from 212,603 in 2022. With RM102.7 billion in tourism receipts, Malaysia is now aiming for 27.3 million foreign visitor arrivals, of whom 5 million are expected to come from China.
Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with travel agencies and airlines, is stepping up its promotional efforts through its abroad offices located in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. There are presently 368 flights a week between China and Malaysia thanks to the resumption and introduction of new international routes by Malaysian and Chinese airlines, including Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Xiamen Air.
