Tourism Malaysia is hosting the ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia programme from 14 to 21 November 2014. A total of 100 participants from 10 ASEAN countries, comprising celebrities, media and tour agents, will be joining this “Amazing Race” type event that combines exploration, corporate social responsibility, homestays, and social media photography competitions into one exciting race across some of Malaysia’s best tourist destinations.
The race will go through four states, namely Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Penang. The participants will travel by bus from Kuala Lumpur to Negeri Sembilan and Johor, and then proceed to Penang via flight while engaging in various activities along the way!
The challenges and activities will emphasise on culture, people, nature and food, in line with Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to promote the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFEST) 2015 campaign.
The race will also expose the participants to some of the country’s best tourism products, which will help them to promote and sell Malaysia better. Through their experiences, the media will be able to provide first-hand information to their readers or viewers, while the travel agents can develop new holiday packages for their clients.
Additionally, the participation of ASEAN celebrities will also help raise the awareness of MyFEST 2015 and boost the promotion of the country’s tourist destinations through their social media following and fan clubs.
Celebrities who will be joining this year’s ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia include former Miss World Malaysia 2008 and singer Soo Wincci, Miss Myanmar International 2014 Khin Wai Phyo, Thai singer-actress-model Ying Kanyapatch, Indonesian actress Mytha Lestari, and Vietnamese singer-actress Nguyen Thi Phoun.
Malaysia Airlines is the official airline of the ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia 2014. It flies to ASEAN countries with a total of 355 flights weekly and 58,508 seats capacity per week. The event is also supported by DiGi, Themed Attractions Malaysia, Sheraton Imperial, Grand Lexis, Shangri-la Golden Sands and LEGOLAND.
The ASEAN market remains as the largest contributor of tourist arrivals to Malaysia. In 2013, a total of 19.1 million tourists from ASEAN countries visited Malaysia, constituting 74.3% of the country’s total arrivals.
For the first seven months of 2014, Malaysia has already received 11.9 million tourists from ASEAN countries, signifying an increase of 10.8% against the same period last year.
