KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor has signed bilateral agreements with the Czech Republic and the Republic of Estonia as part of its move to draw more European tourists to the country.
The agreements were signed in Germany on the sidelines of the week-long Internationale Tourismus Borse (ITB) Berlin 2024 trade fair, which was held recently. Tourism Selangor CEO Azrul Shah Mohamad said the event was led by Tourism Malaysia, with the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) and Tourism Selangor as part of the delegation.
“The six-day event gathered over 10,000 key tourism players from 185 countries out of 195 and welcomed more than 120,000 visitors. ITB served as an excellent opportunity for us to promote Selangor as a tourist destination.”
Azrul said Selangor drew the most number of tourists from Europe in 2022 at 94,264. The figure is an increase of 58.1% from 59,641 in 2021.
“In 2022, Selangor received 10,819 tourists from Germany, the second highest of 20,639 from the UK.”
He said in line with the mission of sustainable tourism, selected local municipal councils showcased sustainable tourism attractions to key industry players, travel agents and potential buyers, including the Mah Meri culture in Kuala Langat, Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park in Kuala Selangor and sustainable events such as stargazing, Wings of Kuala Kubu Bharu and the Mountain Bike Challenge in Hulu Selangor.
“European tourists typically spend an average of nine days in Selangor on business or family vacations. We are now aiming for a substantial increase in tourist arrivals during Visit Selangor Year in 2025, and are targeting to welcome two million international tourists by next year.”
During ITB, Tourism Selangor seized the opportunity to showcase iconic tourism products such as the Gombak Hulu Langat Geopark, Mah Meri culture, SplashMania Water Theme Park, Sky Mirror and places of interest in Sekinchan. Selangor’s offerings focus on ecotourism, gastronomy (food tourism), theme park attractions, beaches and resorts.
Azrul said the state government represented by Tourism Selangor also signed a Memorandum of Collaboration with the Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agents of the Czech Republic (Atotacr), the Estonian Travel and Tourism Association (Etta) and global destination management company Discova. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Malaysian ambassador to Germany Datin Paduka Dr Adina Kamarudin and Matta president Nigel Wong.
Azrul said the collaboration between affiliated entities and travel associations would be further strengthened through a business-to-business meeting facilitated by Matta. He said the meetings will bring together industry players from Atotacr, Etta, Lufthansa City Centre, the Dutch Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators and the European Travel Agents and Tour Operators Association.
“The partnerships will set the stage for a series of cross-promotional trips to Selangor and the development of travel packages for the targeted markets. Through this, we aim to surpass the target of attracting over seven million tourists by Visit Selangor Year. The six-day mission in Berlin aligns with the international tourism campaign ‘Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywher
