Malaysia on Track to Reach 28 Million Tourist Target - Minister

GEORGE TOWN (Penang) Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is on track to achieve its target of 28 million tourists this year despite the challenges, said Tourism and Culture Minister Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz. "Our goal this year is 28 million tourists. In recent months, we have been subjected to inconveniences such as kidnapping (in Sabah), the loss of our two planes, many feel it will affect our target. "I would like to report we are still on track because tourist arrival between January and May has increased 10 percent to 11 percent compared to the same period last year," he said at the launch of the George Town Festival (GTF) on Friday. Also present was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Nazri said the GTF was undeniably one of the top tourist attractions not only in the country but also in the region, and the ministry was proud to be part of it. "I am pleased with the progress of this festival because agencies under my ministry have partnered with GTF as this is in line with Visit Malaysia 2014 in our efforts to draw more tourists to Malaysia," he said. The month-long GTF is a celebration of northwestern state of Penang's status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and showcases 147 art and culture programmes. Nazri noted that art had always been a significant part of society; the 1Malaysia Comtemporary Art Tourism festival (1MCAT) was introduced to establish Malaysia as a reputable art destination, he added. The fifth GTF kicked off with 'Circus Circus', a unique circus ensemble by four countries, Finland, Japan, China and Thailand. -- BERNAMA