By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 18: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) has invited 80 German agencies and tourism representatives to explore Malaysia and promote the country as a prime destination.
According to its minister, Dato Seri Tiong King Sing, this followed an official visit by the ministry led by him to the ITB Berlin 2025 International Tourism Trade Show, where he extended the invitation during a meeting with the German Travel Association (DRV).
“I have been informed by the president of DRV, Norbert Fiebig, that the association oversees between 60 to 80 members, consisting of travel agencies, tourism-related institutions, and major airlines in Germany.
“According to DRV, Malaysia has not yet become a primary destination for German tourists, and many industry players are still unfamiliar with Malaysia’s unique tourism offerings.
“In this regard, DRV has suggested that its members be invited to Malaysia to experience the local tourism firsthand, which would help them create and promote tourism packages to the European market,” he said in a Facebook post on March 17.
From that, Tiong opened up slots for 80 DRV members to come and explore Malaysia, with the costs for accommodation, meals, and domestic transportation covered by the ministry.
However, he said, they must submit an action plan and an estimated number of potential tourists they intend to bring to Malaysia as a result of this visit.
Speaking on ITB Berlin, he said it is the world’s largest tourism trade show, bringing together various tourism industry players, including travel agencies, airlines, and international industry leaders, making it an essential platform for him to promote Malaysia to the European market.
He also officially launched the Malaysia Pavilion at the ITB Berlin 2025 exhibition and promoted various initiatives and attractions in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026).
“During this visit, I also held meetings and engagement sessions with three major tourism industry players from Germany, Poland, a European airline, and the German tourism industry association to discuss strategic cooperation opportunities.
“This visit, in turn, strengthens bilateral cooperation and opens new avenues for market penetration of European tourists, in line with the VM2026 target to attract more international visitors to Malaysia,” he said. — DayakDaily
