Double-Digit Growth from Kiwi Tourists in June

Double-Digit Growth from Kiwi Tourists in June

Auckland, New Zealand - 20 July 2009. Malaysia experienced a 7.5% increase in tourist arrivals for the month of June 2009 compared to the same month in 2008 and double-digit growth was recorded for tourist arrivals from New Zealand with a 33.4% increase. (Source: Immigration Department of Malaysia).

“We’ve had 11.3 million tourist arrivals from around the world in the first half of the year,” says Shahrin Mokhtar, Director of Tourism Malaysia Sydney. “Such strong results are even more rewarding given the global tourism downturn.”

Mr Mokhtar isn’t surprised at the surge in popularity of the region: “Malaysia is one of the most affordable countries to visit offering many items of comfort, luxury, world class services and activities at a fraction of what one may pay in other countries.”

Malaysia’s Shangri-la Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa in Kota Kinabalu is set to boost visitor numbers further by placing ninth in the best resort in Asia category and fifty-fifth in the top 100 overall best resorts of the world category in the current issue of Travel + Leisure magazine.

With a private beach, views of sparkling coral islands, and legendary attentive service, Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa offers the serenity of a secluded tropical Kota Kinabalu luxury resort just minutes away from the centre of downtown Kota Kinabalu.

This news rounds off a great month for Malaysian tourism, with visitor numbers growing despite a tough economic climate, Travel + Leisure magazine’s acknowledgement of one of the best resorts in the world and recently, readers of Global Traveler, a magazine aimed at US business executives, acknowledged Malaysia as the “best international destination” for the third consecutive year.

With the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival (MMSC), the country’s biggest shopping event, currently on until the end of August, the excitement around Malaysian tourism from New Zealand is set to continue!

www.tourismmalaysia.co.nz

ENDS

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