OPENING REMARKS BY DEPUTY MINISTER, OFFICIAL LAUNCHING CEREMONY OF THE UMRAH, HAJJ INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR 2019
OPENING REMARKS BY
YB. TUAN MUHAMMAD BAKHTIAR BIN WAN CHIK
DEPUTY MINISTER
MINISTRY OF TOURISM, ARTS AND CULTURE, MALAYSIA
OFFICIAL LAUNCHING CEREMONY OF
THE UMRAH, HAJJ INTERNATIONAL TOURISM FAIR 2019
12 SEPTEMBER 2019 (THURSDAY)
BILIK SARAWAK, BASEMENT 2, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL KUALA LUMPUR
(SALUTATIONS WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE ORGANIZER)
Assalamua'laikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh, Salam Sejahtera and Salam Sayangi Malaysiaku.
1. First and foremost, I would like to thank the organizer for inviting me today for the official launching ceremony of The Umrah, Hajj International Tourism Fair 2019. I am honored to be here.
2. I was informed that, last year event has achieved great outcome. This is really a commendable move. Congratulations BUMITRA MALAYSIA!
3. The Umrah, Hajj International Tourism Fair is an opportunity to provide insights of prospects of Islamic tourism between members and industry players through networking sessions. Ideally, this initiative is a key of development that will boost our tourism industry and take us to the next level through further cooperation and shared goals between the players.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
4. The Islamic tourism sector is one of the high potential market segments. Malaysia has been at the pole position for nine consecutive years in the Global Muslim Traveler Index by MasterCard and Crescentrating that studies the patterns and trends of Islamic tourism globally.
5. In 2018, Malaysia recorded an estimated 5.2 million Muslim tourist arrivals. The enormous potential of 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide should be seen as an opportunity to penetrate by all relevant tourism stakeholders.
6. Non-Muslim countries such as Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and others are increasingly tapping into this prodigious Muslim traveller market. The earlier mentioned Global Muslim Traveller Index estimates that global Muslim travellers will reach 160 million by 2020. This figure is expected to increase to 230 million by 2026.
7. On Monday 22 July 2019, the Prime Minister had launched the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, which is a national mission targeting 30 million tourist arrivals to the country with RM100 billion in tourism receipts.
8. We are ever-more ready for Visit Malaysia 2020, of which our plans focus on commencing initiatives with the objectives of pushing the best tourism products, pulling in the international crowd and at the same time, for Malaysians to enjoy the experience the country has to offer as much as our international visitors.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
9. MOTAC through Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) has established several strategies to strengthen the nation's tourism industry, specifically Islamic tourism. This includes:
I. Developing and promoting Sekolah Pondok as an Islamic tourism attraction and experience in the field of ‘edu-tourism'.
II. Enriching Mosque Tour Experiences by creating a module for mosque tour guide volunteers to further enhance their knowledge and deliver the best experience for visitors.
III. Intensifying research and training in Islamic tourism including human capital and career development.
10. I would also like to urge players to accept changes, to innovate and follow new trends to stay relevant as well as to inspire you to work harder.
11. To conclude, I wish everyone a very successful and fruitful The Umrah, Hajj & International Tourism Fair and I look forward to having the pleasure of meeting everyone for a rewarding knowledge sharing event!
12. On that note, I now, officially open the 10th The Umrah, Hajj and International Tourism Fair 2019.
Thank you.
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