CELEBRITIES, MEDIA & TOUR AGENTS FROM ASEAN PARTICIPATED IN THE EXPLORE QUEST MALAYSIA 2013 TO BOOST VMY 2014

I just came back from the Explore Quest Malaysia 2013 (11-17 Nov 2013) recently.

It was a fun and unforgettable trip to me. Through this trip, I got to visit several places I had never been and also made a lot of  wonderful friends from Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar and Malaysia.

 I'm really honored to be invited together with 107 celebrities, media and tour agents from ASEAN to participate in the week-long ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia 2013.  This programme, specially organised by Tourism Malaysia for the first time, marks an effort to ensure the continual growth of tourist arrivals from the ASEAN market especially during the celebrations of Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. 

The ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia 2013 is a combination of exploring, corporate social responsibility, homestay, fun activities and Instagram Photo Competition where we will told to harshtag all the photo we took with harshtags like #vmy2014 #ExploreQuestMalaysia #AirAsia #DigiExploreMY. We travelled from Kuala Lumpur to Perak and Langkawi  by train and bus, while engaging in various activities along the way.

Beside going for city tours, visit KidZania and Kellie’s Castle, experience rail tourism, participate in community activities and traditional games, we also witnessed a mock traditional Malay wedding ceremony.

In conjunction with the event, a press conference chaired by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’ Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, was held at the Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur on 11 Nov 2013. It was followed by a welcome dinner to thank all the participants for their support to the programme. 

“As in previous years, the ASEAN market was the largest contributor of tourist arrivals to Malaysia in 2012, recording 18.8 million visitors. It encompassed 75.1 percent of the country’s total arrivals,” said Dato’ Mirza.

“As such, Tourism Malaysia will continue to carry out promotions to constantly excite the markets with new attractions and holiday ideas to rejuvenate their interest in returning time and time again,”  he continued.

The programme offers the media and travel agents first-hand information on the country’s tourism products, which will enable them to promote and sell Malaysia better and with more confidence. Other elements like culture, people, and nature will also be given emphasis in all the activities especially for the photography competition.

Through the tours, it is hoped that travel agents can provide more exciting and attractive holiday packages, while the media can share their first-hand experiences with their readers.

The ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia 2013 also involves the participation of ASEAN celebrities, who will help to boost the promotion of the country’s tourist destinations and raise the awareness of VMY 2014 through social media and their fan clubs. They include supermodel and singer Phan Le Ai Phuong from Vietnam, TV host and choreographer Sheenalyn Vera Cruz from the Philippines, actress Chaw Chaw Yu Mon Kyaw Tint from Myanmar, Actor and Model- Mai Pisan Srimankong from Thailand.

In order to ensure the success of this programme, Tourism Malaysia has forged a smart partnership with The Star and Star Radio Group which comprises Suria FM, Capital FM, Red FM and 988 (the official media partners), Malaysia Airlines (the official airline), and AirAsia (the official low cost carrier). 

In addition, Tourism Malaysia also received support from various organisations, which include the Perak State Government, the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA), and Malayan Railways (KTM), as well as DiGi, KidZania Kuala Lumpur, Munchy’s, Nippon Paint, Pensonic and Pepsico.

In 2012, a total of 18.8 million tourists from ASEAN countries visited Malaysia. For this year, the country has set a target to attract 19.9 million tourists from this region. For the first half of 2013, Malaysia has already received 9.2 million tourists from ASEAN countries.

Check out some of the fun photo taken during the trip by me:

Goodies bag for the participants

View from Seri Pacific Hotel

Batu Cave

National Monument

Kellie's Castle

View from the swimming pool of Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh

At Kuala Kangsar, demonstration on how Labu Sayong is done.

Free flow Durian and Rambutan eating at Bukit Gantang Homestay 

Thailand  Actor and Model- Mai Pisan Srimankong doing some community work.

This is the place for my homestay at Bukit Gantang.

Oriental Village, Langkawi

Lankawi Cable Car or Panorama Langkawi Cable Car is one of the major attractions in Langkawi Island

 Opening hours of Langkawi Cable Car: 

Mon-Thurs: 10.00am - 6.00pm

Wednesday: 12.00pm - 6.00pm

Weekends: 9.30am - 7.00pm

Langkawi Cable Car Office

Oriental Village, Jalan Telaga Tujuh,

07000 Langkawi, Kedah Darul Aman,

Malaysia

Telephone : 604 9594225

Fax : 604 9594121 

The sunset view at the top station of Langkawi Cable Car is awesome!

Langkawi Beach. Sun, Sea & Sand.

Why is there a Eagle statue in Langkawi? 
Langkawi means reddish brown eagle in colloquial Malay. The Malay word for eagle is helang - which is shortened to "lang". Kawi means the colour reddish brown.[citation needed] It was given the title of "Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah" in 2008 by Kedah's Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah as part of his golden jubilee to impress on tourists that it was part of Kedah.

Tiffany and myself had a great fun time in Langkawi.

Of cause not forgetting the company of the fun-loving friends I knew through this trip...

Will definitely remember all the fun time we had...

I enjoy watching the sunset...

Petronas Towers in KL

Love

View from my hotel's windows in Tower Regency Hotel, Ipoh.

I am a big KID!

Thanks Tourism Malaysia for arranging all the meals throughout the trip.

The local kids in Langkawi

Come to Langkawi, you must take the boat ride out and watch the eagles.
The view is great and you really feel very close to nature.

 Kilim Geoforest Park

Witnessed the wedding of Rizal and Liyana. So lovely both of them.

Opps... Did I not mention it was a Mock Traditional Wedding...

 Liyana enjoying her boat ride with the nature.

An unforgettable game we played during our stay.
This game is really addictive and I miss playing with you all...

Tree planting in Langkawi!

Will never forget the fun moment we had.

Thanks Air Asia for being the sponsor for this trip.