KUALA LUMPUR: India has emerged as one of the top ten tourist markets for Malaysia, said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
He said 770,108 tourists from India were recorded in 2014, a significant increase of 18.3 per cent compared to 2013.
“Malaysia has become their choice for leisure and shopping, corporate meetings, incentive trips, filming movies and weddings,” he said at The Global Malayalee (TGM) Extravaganza Nite of Awards and Celebration 2015, here today.
Also present was All Malaysia Malayalee Association (AMMA) president Datuk Suseela Menon.
According to Nazri, Malaysia had launched the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest 2015) campaign in Mumbai and Chennai in conjunction with the ministry’s sales mission to India early this year which covered five cities namely New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
“Recognizing India as a strong component of our local business and tourism, Malaysia has supported and witnessed various Indian concerts, events and awards over the past few years, the most recent being the International India film Academy Awards (IIFA),” he said.
Nazri also said, hosting the TGM truly represented the country’s competence and expertise to hold globally-acclaimed events to cater to the region.
The event hosted by (AMMA) was held in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia 2015 Year of Festivals and intended to unite Malayalees from around the world to celebrate the achievements of the community, while reliving the richness of the Malayalee heritage, culture, tradition and language.
Nazri added that this inaugural event over three days including a Symposium, Awards Gala Dinner and authentic Kerala Sadhya would be an example for other communities to organise similar events.
“With around 400,000 Malayalees in Malaysia, AMMA together with its affiliates all over the country, did numerous social activities not only for the Malayalee community but all Malaysians,” he said.
During the event, 24 notable Malayalee high-achievers received awards for their outstanding achievement in their respective fields such as technology, science, and performing arts.
Among them were President and Chief Executive Officer Siemens Malaysia, Prakash Chandran, AirAsia Group Chief, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and singer-songwriter, Reshmonu. --Bernama