The Visit Malaysia Year 2007 campaign was such a success that three states - Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah - are to embark on a similar campaign in their own areas for 2008.
Terengganu’s tagline is “Terengganu … Where Nature Embraces Heritage”, focusing on the state’s nature, tradition and heritage.
Event highlights this year include the Squid Catching Festival from May 9 to 11, Kenyir Lake International Triathlon May 25, Sultan Mahmud Bridge International Run July 20, World Gamelan Festival & Symposium August 15 to 17, Perhentian Discovery August 18 to 24,
FEI World Endurance Championship November 7 to 9, Terengganu Monsoon Cup November 27 to December 1, Terengganu International 4WD Rainforest Challenge December 13 to 22.
The most recent attraction in Terengganu is the Islamic Civilisation Park. Officially opened in February, it houses replicas of 21 famous mosques and monuments of the Islamic world and the first crystal mosque in Malaysia. It also has a commercial centre, convention centre, restaurants, open bazaar, open amphitheatre and pedestrian walk.
The state of Terengganu on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, which lies between Kelantan in the north and Pahang in the south, hopes to attract 3.5 million visitors this year.
Dubbed the Cradle of Malay Civilisation, Kelantan focuses its Visit Kelantan 2008 campaign on its unique culture with special highlights on folk based activities including Kelantan Cultural Performances on the first Saturday of each month, the Kite Festival May 24 to 27, 100 Rice Dishes & ASEAN Food Festival July 12 to 14, The ASEAN Dikir Barat Competition August 23 to 24, Loy Krathong November 1 and World War II Memoirs December 8.
Kelantan hopes to attract 5.7 million visitors this year and among its very strong Islamic influences, the state is also home to the longest statue of reclining Buddha as well as one of the largest statues of sitting Buddha in south east Asia.
The Visit Kedah 2008 is held in conjunction with the golden jubilee celebrations of the reign of the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, the Sultan of Kedah. A total of 70 events (including 29 to be hosted in Langkawi) have been planned to help the state achieve its target of 3.88 million tourists this year.
Events include the International Jet Ski Competition May 9 to 10, Islanders Music & Dance Festival Langkawi 2008 May 30 to June 1, the International Tomoi Competition from August 13 to 16 and the Jerai International Mountain Bike Challenge November 7 to 9.
The state of Kedah lies in the north of Peninsular Malaysia, flanked by Perlis in the north west, Perak on the south east and Penang on the southwest. It also shares a border with Thailand on the north east. Kedah is known as the “rice bowl of Malaysia” due to the vast rice fields found in the state.
Tourist arrivals to Malaysia in 2007 reached 20.97 million surpassing the 20.1 million target set by the government. This figure represents an increase of 19.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2006.
The total tourist receipts for 2007 was RM46.1 billion which has surpassed the targeted figure of RM44.5 billion. The month of December 2007 recorded tourist arrivals totalling 1,886,022, indicating an increase of 22.5 per cent compared to the same period in 2006.
The top ten tourist generating markets for December 2007 were Singapore (935,439), followed by Indonesia (171,615), Thailand (162,208), Brunei (145,386), China (72,409), India (36,800), Australia (34,810), Japan (32,337), the Philippines (28,425) and United Kingdom (27,848).