KUALA LUMPUR, 12 May 2023: Tourism Malaysia led tourism sales missions to Bahrain and Kuwait from 7 to 9 May to reach out to travel agencies and capitalise on the outbound tourism growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
The delegation led by Tourism Malaysia’s senior director of the international promotion division (Asia/Africa), Manoharan Periasamy, visited Manama and Kuwait City to promote Malaysia as a top-of-the-mind tourist destination region.
In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 309,224 tourists from the GCC region delivering MYR3.2 billion (AED 2.8 billion) in tourism-related revenue, considerably higher when compared to other tourists visiting Malaysia.
The sales mission also strengthened Malaysia’s presence in the market, particularly to develop and promote Malaysia as a preferred holiday destination to GCC tourists and update the travel trade industry about new tourism products, packages, and attractions.
The delegation comprised 14 organisations, including hotels and resorts, travel agents, associations, and representatives from state tourism boards. For the Malaysian private sector participants in the mission, it was an ideal platform to enhance networking with their GCC counterparts.
A travel mart in both cities allowed Malaysian travel content suppliers to network, discuss potential partnerships and develop travel packages.
Among other sales mission activities, the Tourism Malaysia mission delegates met with Gulf Air, Kuwait Airways, and top travel agents.
