Tourism Minister YB Dato’ Sri Dr Azalina Dato’ Othman Said has launched a new website called ‘Malaysia: Truly Business’ to spearhead a new initiative designed to present Malaysia as one of the world’s most attractive destinations for business and industry to bolster the country’s tourism industry and mark the country’s new administration under its new Prime Minister.

Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak said, "I applaud our Tourism Ministry's pro-active sponsorship of this significant business information website to attract the attention of a multitude of the world's captains of industry to look at Malaysia as their new investment destination once we are all out of the current worldwide economic downturn, or even as a timely move to help quicken their return to economic well-being during these most challenging times".

More significantly, this initiative will herald a new era in building the brand of Malaysia, which is now already highly regarded in tourism circles, and represents a concerted effort to attract the world business community by the custodians of the multi-award winning ‘Malaysia: Truly Asia’ brand, the ISC Group. In leveraging Asia's Best Long-Term Marketing and Branding Campaign - ‘Malaysia: Truly Asia’ - Malaysia’s economic strength and vibrant business environment will now come to the fore to provide a convincing case to potential investors, business owners, second home owners, conventions or visitors.

The new ‘Malaysia: Truly Business’ website is to become a key resource for potential investors to research and evaluate Malaysia as a superior business and investment destination, serving as a gateway to doing business in Malaysia. The one-stop portal of compelling facts will be a platform for Malaysia to showcase to the world a multitude of business and investment opportunities in various sectors including financial, manufacturing, services, and technology.

The MTB website succinctly presents ‘The 168 Reasons’ why Malaysia is the best destination for business and investment as stated by the likes of the World Bank, WTO, Grant Thornton, AT Kearney, The European Commission, the World Economic Forum and a host of others. All cited reasons are what non-Malaysian authoritative and international sources have acknowledged as the country’s attractive assets for investors.

Malaysia is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for visitors. A market-oriented economy and pro-business Government policies provide a dynamic and vibrant business environment, one that is sustained by political stability, a well-developed infrastructure, a strong economy despite the current downturn, and a productive workforce, all of which provides attractive incentives for investors.

The website also directs its visitors to the relevant Malaysian agencies such as Malaysia My Second Home, Tourism Malaysia (MICE – Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions), Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation.

Bursa Malaysia as well as the key economic corridors, amongst others. These agencies provide updated business intelligence on economic and sector trends and information on how to set-up a business here, as well as advise on corporate taxation, R&D incentives, regulations, and financial and non-financial government
programs.

In officiating the MTB website launch, Tourism Minister Dato’ Sri Dr Azalina Dato’ Othman Said said, “With the blessing of our new Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak, and in response to the Minister of International Trade and Industry’s recent call for Malaysia to start attracting more foreign investments for the country’s future development and progress, my Ministry has stepped up to sponsor this website as a timely addition to our successful, multi-award winning “Malaysia: Truly Asia” international tourism campaign.

“Selling the country as a business destination will also further enhance tourism arrivals and receipts. And it costs almost the same to market to a MICE tourist as to an individual tourist. However, an individual MICE tourist generates approximately 30% more income for the country and they generally come in large groups. And when multinational companies establish their operations here, they also bring numerous expatriates who do extensive travel within the country, as well as host regional business meetings in Malaysia”.

The appeal of, and incentives to, selecting Malaysia as a destination of choice are also borne out by the growing success of the ‘Malaysia My Second Home’ (MM2H) program, which welcomes significant numbers from the expatriate community every year. From 2002 until 2008, over 12,500 foreigners had participated in the MM2H program. MM2H’s momentum is picking up and MTB aims to extend Malaysia’s appeal beyond its tourism value and leverage the economic benefits generated by the influx of foreign nationals as Malaysia seeks to expand its service economy and its appeal as a long-term investment destination in more ways than one.

The ISC Group developed the initiative as part of its ongoing efforts to promote Malaysia to the world, complementing the highly successful ‘Malaysia: Truly Asia’ campaign. Over the span of nearly nine years, the international campaign has won nearly 30 top international awards and citations for not only its highly-acclaimed appeal but also its marketing effectiveness in tripling the annual number of visitors to Malaysia and quadrupling its earnings from tourism.

ISC Group’s founder and President/CEO Austen Zecha said: “Our Group of agencies always have Malaysia’s best interests at heart. Having worked closely with Tourism Malaysia over the past nine years, we are in a unique position to most effectively convey the message that Malaysia also means business to the world.

“It would be a travesty, indeed, for the world business community to miss out on opportunities here because it lacks knowledge of the many compelling reasons why Malaysia is a prime business destination as it is now already one for international tourists. We aim to show the world that perhaps one really can mix business with pleasure, and the time is now, the place is Malaysia”, he added.

“We simply must be on the radar screen of the world’s business and investment leaders as they seek new opportunities once we come out of the current economic downturn, otherwise we will miss the boat”.

The ISC Group also pro-actively undertook the business-sponsored economic confidence restoration campaign for Malaysia when it stayed independent of IMF and World Bank assistance during the 1997-99 Asian Economic Crisis with its successful “Malaysia: Bullish on Bouncing Back” international campaign.

Source: http://www.adoimagazine.com/newhome/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4056&catid=1&Itemid=5

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