Speech by YB Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia at The Official Launch of Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014

SPEECH BY

YB DATO' SERI MOHAMED NAZRI
BIN TAN SRI ABDUL AZIZ
MINISTER OF TOURISM & CULTURE, MALAYSIA

AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF HASBRO TRANSFORMERS EXPO MALAYSIA 2014

TUESDAY, 28TH JANUARY 2014, 12.15 NOON
AT THE ARENA OF STARS, RESORTS WORLD GENTING

Bismillahirahmanirahi,
Assalammualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh, Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1 Malaysia

YBhg Dato Seri Lee Choong Yan,
President and Chief Operating Officer of Genting Malaysia Berhad

YBhg Mr Raymond Tew,
Chief Executive Officer of Target Exposition Sdn Bhd

Esteemed members of the media

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

1. It is my pleasure and privilege to be present here this afternoon for the official launch of Asia's biggest and largest Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014! I am equally happy to note that the world's iconic movie and toy brand, Hasbro Transformers are celebrating their 30th Anniversary in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. I would like to thank both Genting Malaysia Berhad and Target Exposition Sdn Bhd for inviting me to officiate this auspicious event which is expected to draw a record crowd of more than 250,000 visitors over the Chinese New Year holiday period from 31st January until 16th February.

2. Tourism is a catalyst and key pillar in the economic development and transformation of our nation. 2014 has been declared Visit Malaysia Year, and as the host, we are showcasing throughout the year, Celebrating 1Malaysia, Truly Asia and ushering millions of tourists from all over the world to our shores.

3. The tourism industry is Malaysia's second largest foreign exchange earner after manufactured goods and the seventh largest contributor to the national economy. In 2012, tourism contributed over RM47. 2 billion to the Gross National Income (GNI). The government has identified tourismas one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP), whereby we have set our sights in receiving 36 million tourist arrivals, RM168 billion in tourist receipts and the creation of 3.3 million jobsby 2020. This sustainable and high-yield sector will continue to drive Malaysia's economy, providing income and job opportunities to the rakyat.

4. The Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014, targets to achieve 28 million in tourist arrivals and RM76 billion in tourism receipts. With many more agencies working aggressively in organising similar mega events such as this, we are confident of achieving our targets. Last year, the country registered 25. 03 million tourist arrivals, placing Malaysia as the 10th most visited country in the world under the United Nations World Tourism Organisation's (UNWTO) ranking.

5. We cannot afford to be complacent and rest on our laurels. Certainly, we must all work even harder to ensure continued success. To do this, the government is continually embarking on various measures to improve and upgrade tourist offerings and services to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of Malaysia. At the same time, we will continue to seek collaboration, participation and cooperation from the private sector to help accelerate the overall competitiveness in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Ladies and Gentlemen

6. These days visitors are very knowledgeable, well travelled and their exposure to tourists' destinations is comprehensive. Besides enjoying the luxury of ambience and excellent service standards, they want fresh and unique experiences to complement their holidays.

7. With a strong business acumen and an illustrious 49-year history, the Resorts World Genting continues to receive over 20 million tourists every year. To stay far ahead of the competition, the launch of the RM5billion Genting Integrated Tourism Plan (GITP) by the Prime Minister YAB Dato Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak on December 17, 2013 encapsulates the roll-out of a major 10-year master plan for the development, expansion, enhancement and refurbishment of hotels, theme park and infrastructure at Resorts World Genting.

8. Besides teaming up with the Twentieth Century Fox to build a brand new RM1billion Twentieth Century Fox World theme park - the first of its kind in the world - there will also be new hotels coming up, premium shopping outlets, a 10,000 seat state-of-the-art concert hall, and additional new cable car system that will link tourists from the mid-hill to the resort from its existing two cable system and more.

9. It's a marvel that this resort which has now nearly 10,000 rooms will be adding more new hotels in anticipation of receiving an additional 10 million tourists; which works to 30 million tourists annually when the new theme park is opened in 2016. This would indeed be good news for Resort World Genting.

10. I heard the Resort is experiencing winter temperatures of 12 to 18 degrees the last couple of weeks. With the good weather and the upcoming developments, I am confident that it will encourage not only more and more Malaysians to visit the Resort, but also attract foreign visitors in abundance from neighbouring countries.

11. I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations to Resorts World Genting for recognising its enormous potential and spearheading these projects with the vision of continuous success as a major tourism hub and firmly cement its position as a well-known destination of choice in Malaysia.

Ladies and Gentlemen

12. Today's event can be considered as one of the major events to kick off celebrations for the Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Since the inception of Transformers only 27 international expos have been held all over the world so far. The Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014 is the largest to date in Asia, and all the items exhibited here are exclusive. Let's give them a round of applause.

13. I am also proud to learn that the 23 feet tall gigantic figurine of Optimus Prime and the 18 feet tall Bumble Bee Transformers are made by a Malaysian artist.I look forward to meeting our fellow Malaysian artist shortly as well as enjoy a first-hand experience of the 3D Mapping and Augmented Reality.

14. I am particularly happy that Target Exposition is working very closely with the VMY 2014 team, Ministry of Tourism and Culture and Tourism Malaysia to further promote this Expo. Having a strong network to publicise events such as this will help generate increased tourist traffic from our neighbouring ASEAN countries.

Ladies and Gentlemen

17. I am confident that the Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014 will be a phenomenal success and on that note, I officially declare open the Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014.

Thank you.

Kemaskini Terakhir : 21 April 2014