Ucapan YB Menteri Pelancongan Dan Kebudayaan Malaysia Sempena Majlis Pelancaran Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014 (TMM 2014)

TEKS UCAPAN
YB DATO' SERI MOHAMED NAZRI BIN TAN SRI ABDUL AZIZ
MENTERI PELANCONGAN DAN KEBUDAYAAN, MALAYSIA

SEMPENA
MAJLIS PELANCARAN TAHUN MELAWAT MALAYSIA 2014 (TMM 2014)

4 JANUARI 2014
DATARAN MERDEKA, KUALA LUMPUR

YAB Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin
Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia

YB Menteri-Menteri Kabinet
YB Timbalan-Timbalan Menteri Kabinet
Duta-duta besar ke Malaysia
Wakil-wakil media massa
Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan yang dihormati sekalian.

Bismillahirrahmanirrahim
Assalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Salam Sejahtera dan Salam 1Malaysia

Alhamdulillah, sekali lagi dapat kita meraikan Tahun Melawat Malaysia setelah kejayaan menganjurkan tiga kempen masing-masing pada tahun 1990, 1994 dan 2007.

1. Terlebih dahulu, ucapan setinggi penghargaan kepada YAB Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, kerana sudi hadir pada malam yang gilang-gemilang ini untuk melancarkan satu lagi misi nasional yang amat penting iaitu pelancaran Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014.

2. Sesungguhnya kepimpinan YAB Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin sebagai Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Kabinet Pelancongan Negara telah membawa industri pelancongan negara ke satu tahap yang membanggakan. Prestasi sektor pelancongan yang telah dicapai setakat ini akan terus memberi perangsang kepada kita semua untuk meningkatkan usaha untuk memajukan lagi sektor pelancongan demi memastikan Malaysia terus menjadi destinasi utama pilihan pelancong.

3. Justeru, bersempena dengan Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014 ini, marilah kita semua berganding bahu menjadi tuan rumah atau "host" kepada tetamu-tetamu yang berkunjung ke negara kita, khususnya dari luar Negara. Apa yang penting adalah untuk sentiasa menjamin kepercayaan dan keyakinan para pengunjung dengan memberi layanan dan kualiti perkhidmatan yang terbaik. Ini sudah pasti akan meningkatkan imej negara dan mampu menarik para pelancong asing untuk datang semula ke Malaysia.

Ladies and gentlemen,

4. It is indeed heart-warming to see so many people gathered here tonight to witness the launching of Visit Malaysia Year 2014. This is the culmination of the concerted efforts and support of so many people involved to ensure that tourists have an enjoyable and memorable stay in Malaysia. This launch symbolizes our readiness to roll-out the exciting and captivating events, tourism products and services that we have in store for tourists, specifically for Visit Malaysia Year.

5. On this note, I would like to record my highest appreciation to all Government agencies from the Federal, State and Local Authorities and all industry players - airlines, tourism taxi ambassadors, hoteliers, travel associations, tour operators, homestay owners, shopping malls, attractions operators, NGOs, local and international media and our rakyat - for your support and great contributions year after year in making the industry a dynamic and colourful one. With this Visit Malaysia Year, let us look forward with greater enthusiasm and pride to accelerate the growth and development of the tourism industry and economy.

6. In conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014, we are pleased to announce that we have developed have developed more than 600 international tour packages and 1001 domestic tour packages and prepared more than 200 major events that will take place throughout the length and breadth of this country.

7. From the depths of our magnificent seas and coasts, to the heights of our mountain ranges, mega bio-diversities and 130-million year old rainforests, we have formulated something for everyone to enjoy, be it in our cities, towns or rural outskirts. From toddlers to youths and adults to senior citizens, we have also covered all the bases to ensure that there will always be something that caters to their needs and preferences, in line with our brand of Malaysia, Truly Asia.

8. For instance, craving for a variety of food? We have the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia ranging from street food to fine dining. Looking to indulge in some retail therapy? We have the 1Malaysia GP Sale, the 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival and the 1Malaysia Year-End-Sale. Care for some entertainment? We have scores of concerts from the ever-popular Rainforest World Music Festival to Shah Rukh Khan and Calvin Harris live in Malaysia and IL Divo's "A Musical Affair" concert.

9. Should you need some adrenaline-rush for sports enthusiasts, then check out some of the world's foremost sporting events like the CIMB Golf Classic, Royal Langkawi International Regatta, Ironman Asia Pacific at Langkawi and Putrajaya, World Wrestling Entertainment, the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Petronas Malaysia Formula 1 Grand Prix and the inaugural FIA Formula-e Race.

10. Fancy some cultural activities? Yes, we have an endless parade of them, from Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Gawai, Tadau Kaamatan and Christmas Open Houses to the San Pedro Festival and Colours of 1Malaysia showcasing our cultural diversity. These are just some of the highlights. We have much more to offer and do Visit Malaysia in 2014 to enjoy the spectacular events and packages that we have planned for tourists.

11. At this juncture, I would like to introduce our mascot for Visit Malaysia Year 2014 that is the proboscis monkey. The proboscis monkey was chosen as the official mascot to give credence to, and to raise awareness on the importance of wildlife and nature conservation, while instilling interest among tourists towards the gift of nature as a national tourism asset.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

12. This year's theme, "Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia", "We are the Host" is a reflection of our unique selling point not only in terms of our rich cultural and heritage diversity but also our peace, stability and warm Malaysian hospitality. Undeniably, cultural understanding and appreciation has been an important element in uniting Malaysia since the beginning of our country's history.

13. In line with this, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture have introduced the "We are the Host" campaign. This is to create awareness on the need for everyone to play their respective roles in being a great host. In this regard, I wish to share the essence of being a great host, which is reflected by the acronym HOST,

H for Heart, which implies our caring heart for tourists to bring home pleasant memories.
O represents Open, which means that we welcome all tourists with open arms.
S is for Smile, which is a universal welcome and shows that we are tourist-friendly.
Lastly, T for Together. So, together let us all join hands in unity to make Visit Malaysia Year a great success.

14. In closing, kindly allow me to once again on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, express our most profound gratitude for your support and attendance here this evening. In order to achieve our targets of attracting 28 million tourists and generating RM76 billion tourist receipts in 2014, let us begin by welcoming the world with our open hearts and minds.

Hadirin yang dihormati sekalian,

15. Akhir kata, ucapan setinggi penghargaan sekali lagi kepada YAB Tan Sri Dato' Hj Muhyiddin Hj Mohd Yassin, Timbalan Perdana Menteri Malaysia, kerana sudi hadir pada malam yang sungguh bermakna ini untuk melancarkan Tahun Melawat Malaysia 2014 - satu misi nasional yang amat penting!

Sekian, terima kasih.

Wabillahitaufiq wassalamua'laikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh

Kemaskini Terakhir : 21 April 2014