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TherecentlyappointedDirectorofMalaysiaTourismCentre(MaTiC), ZainAzrai binRashid,
speaks about his current roleof elevating the standardofMalaysia’sWorld-ClassOne
Stop Tourist Centre.
Reaching Higher Ground
A
s
one of the divisions
under the Ministry Of
Tourism And Culture
Malaysia, MaTiC serves
as a one-stop tourist
centre, the vision being
to place Malaysia on
the global map as one of the finest tourist
destinations in the world. “Through the
various services and facilities offered by
us, we are dedicated towards providing
quality service to both local and foreign
tourists,” explains Zain Azrai.
Services provided
Services offered include being a venue
provider for events, Tourist Information
Counter, Tourist Police Counter, Internet
access to Tourism Malaysia website,
F&B outlets, Hop On and Hop Off Ticket
Counter and cultural dance shows. In
addition to that, MaTiC has just launched
its own IP radio, MaTiC.fm which is an
initiative with the Ministry of Tourism and
Culture Malaysia, under National Blue
Ocean Strategy (NBOS), to further enliven
the spirit of tourism in this country with
interactive content.
“We are using the approach of NBOS,
with government and private sector
collaborations, in creating more effi-
cient programmes that will attract more
tourists with lower budgets but offer a
higher impact in return. This is in line
with Malaysia Tourism Transformation
Plan with a forecast of 36 million tourist
arrivals in 2020 and revenue of RM168
billion. Hence, MaTiC.fm is one of the new
mediums that we are pursuing to engage
with these huge numbers of tourists,”
says Zain Azrai.
Facing the challenge
Zain Azrai is ready to take MaTiC to the
next level. Since January 2002, the centre
has become the main pickup point for KL
city tours and has facilitated a tremendous
number of visitors who want to experi-
ence the essence of Malaysia through the
various cultural shows and events. “At
this point, I’m positive that MaTiC will
continue its momentum to attract both
local and foreign tourists through various
international events that are being held
here,” says Zain Azrai.
Art attack
Zain Azrai was highly enthusiastic about
the MaTiC Street Art Festival, which will
take place on Nov 7 and 8. It is also one of
MaTiC’s first major events since he joined
the centre. According to him, the event
will promote cultural tourism by bringing
together local street art enthusiasts with
activities like busking, graffiti demonstra-
tions, as well having independent clothing
label booths, motorcycle clubs gatherings
and mini concerts by local talents. The
festival goes hand in hand with his target
of having more collaborations and strate-
gic partnerships while keeping abreast of
current trends and needs of the tourists.
Help at hand
With statistics showing a rate of 65%
foreign visitors, MaTiC’s information
counter continues to help tourists plan
their holiday in Malaysia. Tourist as-
sistants at the centre can also be contacted
via email or phone call. If a tourist has a
problem regarding the law or a criminal
issue, they can contact MaTiC’s Tourist
Police Counter, where they can lodge a
report and get the help. “The local visitors
are mostly here to watch our cultural
show, especially students and members
of various NGOs. We work very closely
with agencies such as Istana Budaya,
JKKN and Homestay Association on our
cultural show. On top of that, we are the
chosen venue for events like Citrawarna
& Citrarasa 2014, KL City Grand Prix 2015
and Malaysia International Mask Festival
2015.”
Under his leadership, Zain Azrai aims
to encourage the involvement of more
outside parties and organisations on
activities and events held at MaTiC.
Through smart partnership, he hopes to
bring in larger crowds to MaTiC.
Zain Azrai is positive that
MaTiC will continue to attract
tourists through its many
international events