KUALA LUMPUR, 8 November 2023: In collaboration with Tourism Malaysia, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents worked with Rachel Gray, a recognised British artist of wildlife portraiture, to launch the ‘Sustainable Malaysia Initiative’ at the Tourism Malaysia Pavilion during the World Travel Market 2023 earlier this week.
Rachel Gray produced one large format of the Malaysian tiger, a recognised endangered species. The portrait, through the use of technology, will be converted to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT’s), which have an intrinsic value and will be auctioned for sale at a date to be finalised later in the year.
The proceeds from the auction and sale of the Non-Fungible Tokens will go towards supporting sustainable tourism at the Royal Belum State Park in Perak and sustaining the indigenous communities that reside in the park.
The Malaysian tourism delegation was attending the World Travel Market in London from 6 to 8 November 2023.
“Known and loved for our rich biodiversity, especially from the European market, this initiative is hoped to bring further awareness of Malaysia’s ecotourism products and sustainable tourism, apart from supporting the local communities and their conservation efforts. This is also in line with our focus to promote Malaysia as the Top-of-the-Mind Ecotourism Destination of the World,” said Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia secretary-general YBhg Dato’ Roslan Tan Sri Abdul Rahman.
Also, MATTA president Nigel Wong took the opportunity to thank Malaysia Aviation Group for their support in providing a return ticket to London for Rachel Gray for this important campaign at the WTM London.
“The collaboration with Rachel Gray is particularly important as we feel that Rachel’s work tells the perfect story of the beauty of Malaysia’s rich wildlife heritage that we are trying to save and sustain for the benefit of the generations to come but also for us all here and now,” said Wong.
“This is also the first collaboration between MATTA and the British artist. We are proud of our close ties and the journey we are taking together towards a more sustainable future.”
