Travel Bloggers To Promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 (Bernama) -- In efforts to finding new ways or channels to communicate and provide information on Malaysia's tourism, the government is working with local travel bloggers to generate interest in the social media to promote Malaysia to the world. Tourism Malaysia director-general Mirza Mohammad Taiyab said in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, the initiative no doubt, enhanced the agency's ability to promote the country. "It reflects on Malaysia's commitment and effort in using digital marketing to promote the country's tourism as we recognise the growing role of social media in tourism promotion. "We expect an influx of foreign tourists to the country. Even before that happens, we have to make sure that our message is not only of celebrations of Visit Malaysia Year 2014, but more so of the offerings of tourism products reaching our target segments," he said at the launch of Travel Bloggers To Travel Vloggers (TB2TV) Seminar here Wednesday. The four-day seminar which begins on Thursday, is aimed at promoting Malaysia and Visit Malaysia Year 2014 campaign on sites, apart from generating interest in the social media among Malaysia's travel bloggers, locally and globally. During the seminar, six international bloggers and video specialist will be mentoring 30 local travel bloggers to fully utilise social media to the limit. Mirza said travellers today trusted the experience of other travellers. "They speak to people who have been there, hearing out their experiences and therefore, they want to have information, as accurate as they can," he said. He said this was an opportunity to venture into something which was rather new in our part of the world and in no time, Malaysia's own team of travellers and bloggers would eventually come out with wonderful programmes being posted in various site for the benefit of travellers looking for information from sources, other than the national tourist office, travel agent or airlines. -- BERNAMA