Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (picture), deputy minister of tourism, arts and culture, said the number of "slower" people in the country is expected to increase during Malaysia's 2020 visit.

He noted that a recent international study found that by 2020, a large percentage of Asian travelers are craving "slow travel" or longer vacations.

He added that there were travelers from Koreans (31%), Hong Kong (29%), Taiwanese (28%) and Japanese (27%) who wanted to live with them in a fast pace in their respective cities Opposite ways.

When launching the "Industry and Industry Appreciation Dinner" organized by the media, he said: "After the rise of free, independent and one-way travel, the main travel trend in 2020 is slow travel, which is expected to grow by 20% compared to previous years." Malaysia Tourism Authority Friday evening (December 13).

Muhammad Bakhtiar also stated that by 2020, destinations within Asian destinations will have more interest than Europe, with more than 75% of their preferred destinations in the region.

He added: "For Malaysia, our rich natural and cultural heritage is a valuable asset to capture the interest and growth of this region."

He said that global travel technology giant Amadeus also said that the fastest growing online travel searches to Malaysia were South Korea, Indonesia, China, Thailand and Singapore.

"In terms of search volume, the United States and the United Kingdom also top the list, behind the fourth and fifth largest markets, respectively, behind China, South Korea and Singapore," he said.

Muhammad Bakthiar also announced that Christmas Open Day, New Year and the launch of the 2020 visit to Malaysia will be held simultaneously at Dataran Merdeka on December 31.

Meanwhile, Zulkifly Md Said, deputy director of the Malaysia Tourism Board, read the speech on behalf of Datuk Musa Yusof, the director general of the tourism board. Months have shown positive signs of achieving next year's tourism goals. .

He added: "International tourists recorded a total of 20,109,203 tourists and tourist expenditures reached RM66.14 billion."

He also said that tourism is one of the main drivers of the national economy, contributing RM94.5 billion in 2018 and creating 3.5 million jobs.

He added: "Obviously, the tourism industry has touched the lives of many people."

He praised the media for promoting the country's development through the "Malaysian Truly Asia" brand internationally and in the "Cuti-Cuti Malaysia" movement at home.

He urged media participants to continue to support efforts to promote "Malaysia Visit 2020" to ensure its success.

About 350 guests from the media industry, hoteliers, travel associations and travel agencies attended the event.

(Source by The Star)