Basic HTML Version
46 | FireFlyz
TOURISM
MALAYSIA
More Than Your
Average Travel Destination
SeeingMalaysia in a different light through niche tourism
T
ourism
in Malaysia
has evolved beyond just
the islands and shopping
destinations. The coun-
try, with the full support
of Tourism Malaysia, is
now aiming to introduce
all other different ways to explore and
experience the location with other tour-
ism activities such as cycling, sailing,
birdwatching, sports fishing and golfing.
The Director General of Tourism
Malaysia, Dato’ Mirza Mohammad Tai-
yab, has his eyes set on making “niche
tourism” another point of interest for
visiting tourists. Mirza hopes that more
visitors with varying interests will be able
to enjoy what the nation has to offer with
the planned plethora of activities.
sites for migratory birds. We are doing
our part to promote birdwatching tours
in Malaysia. We believe it will attract
a unique set of tourists to the country
through events like Raptor Watch at Tan-
jung Tuan, Fraser’s Hill International Bird
Race and the Sarawak and Borneo Bird
Festivals. In fact, we had just organised
a seminar on birdwatching at Cyberview
Resort & Spa in February.
Being a country surrounded by seas,
lakes and rivers, naturally Malaysia can
be an ideal destination for angling/sports
fishing. How far has this activity been
promoted?
Tourism Malaysia has been involved in
various angling events to promote the
country as a destination for this activity.
This year, we will be taking part in the
Japan Fishing Festival in Yokohama
and also the ninth Miri International
Deep Sea Fishing Tournament, the Royal
Director General, TourismMalaysia
- Dato’ Mirza Mohammad Taiyab
TourismMalaysia has been actively pro-
motingcyclingtourism inthese fewyears.
What is the progress so far?
Promoting cycling tourism goes in line
with the aim to promote eco-friendly and
healthy lifestyle. We see tremendous ap-
peal in Malaysia as a cycling destination
since our cities, towns and “kampungs”
(villages) are well-connected and offer
scenic routes. We have organised the
Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia Bike Ride across
the country and launched many cycling
packages like the recent “Discover Ma-
laysia by Bicycle Guidebook” where 74
new cycling tour packages have been
developed with local tour agencies. Last
year alone, 104 cycling packages were
developed attracting 3,547 participants.
How about cruising and sailing? What is
the potential of this industry in boosting
tourist arrivals?
In an effort to capitalise on an interna-
tional cruise passenger market that has
grown at an average of 14% annually,
a project is currently in the works to
develop a Straits Riviera comprising our
six primary ports and other secondary
ports. The number of cruise ship calling
at the country’s ports has been encourag-
ing with a growth of 5.6% between 2012
and 2013. As for yachting, 4,455 yachts
arrived in our marinas between 2010
and August 2014, which is also a very
encouraging number.
What is the potential of birdwatching in
Malaysia and what is TourismMalaysia’s
effort in promoting this activity?
In Malaysia, we have 795 bird species
with 63 endemic species. The variety of
climates and habitats has resulted in this
region being extremely rich in birds and
other biodiversity. Our country also lies
on the path of the East Asian-Australasian
Flyway that provides strategic resting