NEW YORK: The new vice-president at Tourism Malaysia’s New York office has identified ‘good business potential’ in certain niche market segments which will be promoted during his tenure.
Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali listed them as adventure, nature, diving, business travel and MICE (meetings, incentive travels, conferences and exhibitions).
“These segments are inherent with good business potential. But we also need to enhance the awareness of travellers from this part of the world about the attractions of Malaysia as a destination,” Johanif, who arrived here two weeks ago, told Bernama in an interview.
Johanif noted that in a fiercely competitive place like New York, prices for long-haul flights were of crucial importance.
“However, being a long-haul destination for American travellers, Malaysia’s attractiveness can be further enhanced by offering it in combination with another destination in Southeast Asia such as Thailand or Singapore,” he said.
Malaysia received a total of 240,134 visitors from the United States (US) in 2012 which was, in fact, higher than the actual target of 230,000 visitors set for the US offices. The 2012 figures showed a 10.8 per cent increase over 2011. — Bernama