DUBAI, May 7 (KUNA) -- Malaysian Tourism Minister NG Yen Yen said Friday that her upcoming visit to Kuwait was directed towards promoting tourism in Malaysia.
In a statement to KUNA on the sidelines of the Arabian Travel Market 2010 in Dubai, Yen said that she was happy to visit Kuwait for the first time, adding that Kuwait was very "important" to Malaysia.
Yen, accompanied by officials representing the private and public sectors, will be meeting Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Ahmad Al-Haroun, and will hold a conference to promote Malaysian tourism on Saturday.
The delegation, which also groups representatives of 15 hotels, tourism companies, alongside the Malaysian Airlines, will hold trade sessions before attending a banquet, she said.
She said that she was thrilled with the large number of Kuwaiti tourists which numbered 20,000 last year, adding that this year the holy month of Ramadan would fall in the summer vacation, which would introduce Kuwaiti tourists to Ramadan rituals in Malaysia.
As for cuisines it offered, Yen said that they varied from Indian, Chinese and others, saying however, that Halal food was a distinguishing factor of Malaysia.
Arab tourists are not required to apply for a visa in order to visit Malaysia, she added.
Although Malaysia took great steps towards development, it managed to protect the nation's environment against pollution, she said, and noted to the 17,000 islands and 200 international accredited hospitals and clinics attracted people to come to Malaysia for family and medical tourism.
Around 23.6 million tourist visited Malaysia in 2009, 7.8 percent higher than in 2008, she said.
The good exchange rate of the Malaysian currency helps boost educational tourism as the country offers programs in cooperation with foreign universities, enabling west Asian students to peruse their higher studies, she said.
This also helps transform Malaysia into a center for research and educational excellency, she noted.
Yen will also visit Qatar as part of her tour, directed at promoting her country's tourism. - Kuna