email: anthonykhtan@yahoo.co.uk
The Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia together with the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) will be organising the third series of the World Tourism Conference (WTC) to be held in Melaka from 21 to 23 October 2013.
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The Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (centre) briefing the media at the press conference accompanied by his senior officers
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| WTC 2010 held in Kota Kinabalu |
WTC was first hosted in Kuala Lumpur in 2007 with the theme, “Tourism Success Stories and Shooting Stars” while in 2010, the conference’s theme was “Tourism Success Stories and Rising Stars” in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
This year’s theme is “Global Tourism: Game Changers
and Pace Setters” with the conference supported by the State Government of
Melaka.
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Two of Melaka's many tourist attractions. In the
background is the Porta de Santiago and the
colourful decorated trishaw
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Melaka is colourful, historic city, which has been developed over 500 years as a trading centre. There has been with so much cultural exchanges between the East and the West passing through the Straits of Malacca.
The influences of Asia and Europe, especially from the Indians, Portuguese, Dutch and British have endowed Melaka with a multicultural heritage that has left a unique mark in its architectural landscape, cultural heritage and lifestyle.
“Melaka was chosen as the venue for the WTC 2013 since it is has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status and amplifies Malaysia’s rich and diverse culture and heritage to foreign visitors, delegates and participants,” said the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.
“Key professionals from all over the world in the tourism
industry will gather at this conference to deliberate and address challenges
beyond mass tourism, opportunities in innovative tourism marketing and
strategies for tourism product development and innovation.”
He
added that the conference will benefit not only tourism industry players but
also policy makers and other stakeholders through the sharing of experiences
and knowledge in tourism planning, development and marketing.
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| Melaka's own red square which is a popular site for photography by tourists. If you do not take a picture here , you have not been to Melaka. |
The
UNWTO expects the Asia-Pacific region to grow by 330 million arrivals in two
decades from 204 million in 2010 to 535 million tourist arrivals in 2030.
With
global tourist arrivals projected at 1.56 billion in 2030, every nation is set
to benefit from this phenomenal growth.
UNWTO Secretary-General Dr Taleb Rifai said in a message,“The WTC 2013 will bring together a wide range of reputed world tourism leaders, high-level policy makers and experts from both the public and private sectors to exchange experiences, put forward valuable ideas and provide guidance for future tourism development.”
UNWTO Secretary-General Dr Taleb Rifai said in a message,“The WTC 2013 will bring together a wide range of reputed world tourism leaders, high-level policy makers and experts from both the public and private sectors to exchange experiences, put forward valuable ideas and provide guidance for future tourism development.”
He said that tourism is one of the world’s biggest generators of employment and export earnings as well as a key driver for economic growth and sustainable development.
WTC
2013 should not be missed by the tourism industry players in Malaysia such as
hoteliers, tourism officers, airlines and airports representatives, tour
operators, tourism product operators as well as tourism and hospitality students
as they will get the opportunity to connect, share with and learn from one
another at the conference.
The main objectives of World Tourism Conference
2013 are to discuss and address current and relevant issues related to the
tourism industry. The key areas for discussion will be:
· Beyond Mass Tourism: how destinations can prosper
with higher yield markets by capitalising on niche products which are priced
correctly and targeted to the right markets.
· Innovative Marketing: the importance of creating
innovative products and a strong brand identity to develop dynamism and
continuous progress in the industry.
· Directions for Tourism Product Development:
exploring the potential of tourism products such as homestay and its variants,
domestic tourism, as well as youth and Gen-Y travellers, and synergies between
conservation and commercial viability.
They include the Head of Travel Google from United States, Rob Torres; Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Korea Tourism Organisation (South Korea), Lee Charm; Chairman of VisitBritain (United Kingdom) Right Honorable Christopher Rodrigues CBE; Vice-Chairman of China National Tourism Administration (China), Du Jiang; CEO of Air Asia X Sdn Bhd (Malaysia); Azran Osman Rani and Managing Director of Tourism Australia, Andrew McEvoy.
The minister also announced that a day prior to WCT 2013’s opening, Malaysia is also the host for the Asian Association of Convention and Visitor’s Bureau flagship event, the seventh Asia for Asia Summit.
The summit, also to be held in Melaka, will discuss strategies, innovative ideas and best practises on developing the business events industry in this region.
Registration for the WTC 2013 is now open. Visit http://www.wtc2013malaysia.com for more details.
