Asian Countries Contribute To Increase In October Tourism Arrivals

Asian countries are the top 10 markets which contributed to an increase in tourist arrivals for October, with 1.1 million arrivals from Singapore followed by Indonesia, Thailand, China and Brunei, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said Tuesday.

"The tourism arrivals for October 2009 were from Singapore (1,104,415), Indonesia (223,238), Thailand (143,973), China (95,235), Brunei (75,517), Australia (56,601), India (54,206), the United Kingdom (38,842), the Philippines (37,902) and Japan (35,028)," she said at the launch of The Malaysia Year End Sales (M-YES) 2009, here.

The arrivals for the month of October recorded a significant increase of 14.3 per cent, which was 2,078,485 compared to 1,818,304 in October 2008.

Even though the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) reported a global slowdown in tourism movement this year, Malaysia recorded a fantastic growth in tourist arrivals with an increase of 14.3 per cent, she said.

Dr Ng said that despite the global challenges that the tourism industry had to contend with, the strong support from tourism industry partners both locally and overseas and the continuous promotion locally and abroad had made this significant contribution to the country's economy.

She said that for the period of January to October 2009, the cumulative tourist arrivals were 19,456,525, an increase of 7.2 per cent compared to the same period in 2008 (18,148,159), thus meeting the target of 19 million arrivals set for 2009.

"Shopping holds the second biggest share of tourist expenditure after accommodation, with its contribution of RM13.2 billion in 2008, compared to RM12.2 in 2007, signifying an increase of 8.4 per cent," she said.

On the Malaysia Year End Sales 2009 (M-YES), Dr Ng said the sales carnival took place simultaneously nationwide for 44 days, bringing shoppers a line-up of retail therapy, great dining experiences and fun entertainment.

Organised for the ninth time, M-YES will go on from Nov 21 to Jan 3, 2010, with some 350 retailers across the country participating by offering discounts and promotions, and will see a much-anticipated annual event by both locals and tourists.


Source : Bernama
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