Tourism ministry to roll out new campaign in place of Visit Malaysia 2020

Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is introducing a new tourism campaign to replace the Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) campaign which was recently axed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri said recently that the new campaign will be a long-term one which will reinforce the "Malaysia, Truly Asia" brand and highlight the unique experiences available in the country.

She added that MOTAC believes this latest effort will boost the competitiveness and sustainability of Malaysia's tourism industry, while ensuring its inclusivity. "The tourism industry provides employment and business opportunities to over 3.7 million Malaysians and is one of the country's largest contributors with a GDP of 15.3%," she said.

Nancy added that tourism industry players such as transportation, accommodation, shopping and F&B have incurred losses of over RM9 billion from January to March 2020. As such, a strategic action plan has been implemented, following a discussion with tourism industry players. According to her, the plan "will help revitalise the industry and ensure the well-being of Malaysians who depend on this industry". Among the list of individuals present include representatives of the associations from the hotel and tourism industry, tour guides, taxi drivers, and bus operators.

MOTAC will also hold discussions with the Ministry of Finance and relevant agencies "to refine the views" expressed by the tourism industry players, especially regarding the forms of assistance that can be channeled to the industry.

Recently, the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) informed all industry partners of the VM2020 campaign to replace the VM2020 logo with the Malaysia Truly Asia logo on all marketing collaterals and promotional items. It also encouraged all industry partners to take advantage of the stimulus package offered by the Malaysian government for the tourism industry. The stimulus package sees the Malaysian government setting aside RM500 million to provide all Malaysians with digital vouchers of up to RM100 per person for domestic flights, rails and hotel accommodations. Additional matching grants for tourism promotion will be provided, the government said previously.