Make new BFFs in Malaysia

MANILA, Philippines - With more than 80 flights between the Philippines and Malaysia per week, there’s no doubt that Filipinos’ interest in Malaysia, whether for business or leisure, is steadily growing – and showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

This is why Tourism Malaysia-Manila held the special Networking and Open Opportunity discussions along with a launch of their latest campaign at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati.

Attending the event was no less than Dato Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, director general of Tourism Malaysia, who flew in to the country just to be part of the happy gathering.

In his speech, Taiyab shared, “For MyFest 2015, we aim to have 29.4 million tourist arrivals and RM89 billion in tourist receipts, leading up to our ultimate goal of 36 million tourists and RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020. This is part of the government’s National Blue Ocean Strategy to create value innovation through public-private partnership collaboration. To that end, I would like to invite all of you to work with each other and develop new tourism products and packages that will highlight our culture, and promote it as a tourist attraction to the rest of the world.”

Be Friends Forever campaign

In line with the “Year of Festivals, Endless Celebrations” campaign, the BFF or Be Friends Forever complements the year-long campaign of the Manila office. These three letters effectively mirror the bonds that were built, the fun and adventure shared and the lasting memories that have been created from traveling with best friends.

“We have always believed that traveling builds more than just character and life experiences. In an eventful place such as Malaysia, you can also build lasting memories, memories that you will cherish forever, especially if built with close friends and family.  In this endless celebrations theme lies a call for people to take these celebrations with them long after they have returned home,” shared Taiyab.

For this new campaign, Tourism Malaysia would like to position itself as somewhat of a best friend who’s looking out for his visitors, who wants them to have fun, caters well to their needs and helps create the best memories during their travels.

Likewise, the campaign would also like to evoke the feeling that Malaysia remains a destination of choice for families and friends who are looking for a very enjoyable vacation.

Taiyab added, “This special campaign inspired by the Filipinos’ love affair with selfies and picture taking focuses on not just keeping but sharing these lasting memories captured digitally and immortalized on social media. Inasmuch as I would love to think that all of us here are all BFFs, I want to let all Filipinos who have traveled at least once to Malaysia to know that we consider all of them and the future generations of countless Filipinos who will take time out to visit my beloved Malaysia, as our best friends forever and my hugs and kisses go out to all of them.”

And given that Tourism Malaysia assures guests of a very enjoyable time, the BFF campaign is a great way to let others know what exactly they can expect from their trip – through the experiences of those who have already been to Malaysia.

The campaign encourages travelers who have been to Malaysia to post their favorite vacation photos on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #mybffxoxo, which also qualifies them to win special monthly prizes from Tourism Malaysia, as well as the grand prize for the promotion – a three days/two nights stay in Malaysia accompanied by his or her best friend (or family member).

With so many things lined up as well as more events and attractions being held and put in place in this charming country, Malaysia is excited to welcome more Filipino tourists and treat them to an exciting mix of attractions and experiences that make Malaysia one of the most visited countries in Southeast Asia.

Join the celebration this Year of Festivals 2015 and share your fun filled memories in Malaysia, just use the hashtag #mybffxoxo. 

For more information, Like  “Tara Na Sa Malaysia” on Facebook or visit www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my