Malaysia Property To Be Boosted By Increased Tourism

Malaysia property is to be boosted massively from rising tourism off the back of a massive programme whereby international print, online and tv journalists are invited to sample the best of what Malaysia has to offer tourists.

The so-called Mega Fam (familiarization) Programmes take place throughout the year and there is also the Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival (MMSC) which took place between July 4 to August 31 this year. The MMSC saw participation from as many as 52 foreign journalists and TV crews from 11 countries, including four from India; representatives of The Hindu, Malayala Manorama, and TV 9.

The scheme is supported (and probably funded) by local and foreign airlines, Malaysian hotels and State governments.According to Tourism Malaysia the publicity and exposure gained — particularly through participation of foreign media in the programme — has been very high. A total of 3,389 participants were hosted last year, generating a publicity value of more than RM (Ringitts Malaysian) 100 million. A total of 26 programmes had been organised in conjunction with major festivals and tourism events, tourism Malaysia said.

The top ten tourist generating markets from January to May this year were Singapore (4.9 million), Indonesia (9 lakhs), Thailand 6.26 lakhs), Brunei (4.6 lakhs), China including Hong Kong and Macau (4 lakhs), India (2.31 lakhs) Ausutralia (1.9 lakhs), the Philippines (1.86 lakhs), the United Kingdom (1.69 lakhs) and Japan (1.57 lakhs). The trend is on the upswing year after year with recession making no impact.

Tourism is very much a growth market in Malaysia, as it has been for several years. The massive growth and growth potential in the tourism sector has made Malaysia property very attractive to overseas property investors according to international property investment consultancy Property Frontiers.

“The massive growth in Malaysian tourism in the last few years, and projections for impressive growth over the new 10 years have proven to be a major draw to foreign investors in recent years. The fact that the tourism is mostly regional, making it somewhat recession proof is also an attraction,” he said, adding:

“However, what we are seeing now is an increase in the amount of Brits who want to go and live or have a second home in Malaysia. This is because the fantastic metropolis of Kuala Lumpur is bountiful in everything including job prospects, living costs are low, English is the main language, crime is a lot lower than in the UK, and the health service is first rate.”