After one-year-long intensive preparations, Malaysia officially launched the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 Saturday night, the third and also the largest tourism promotion year drive in the country.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi attended the grand launching ceremony in Lake Titiwangsa Park here, together with diplomatic envoys based in Malaysia, foreign tourists and thousands of Malaysian people from all walks of life.

In his speech, Badawi outstretched his welcoming arms to visitors from all over the world, inviting them to come to this Southeast Asian nation to share its natural beauty and multiculture, promising the best service for the money they spend here. The prime minister gave a clear message, "Malaysia welcomes the world."

The VMY 2007 came in conjunction with the celebration of 50 years of independence and nationhood of this tropical country. The Malaysian government hopes to woo 20 million foreign tourists this year and earn 44.5 billion ringgit (12.36 billion U.S. dollars) worth of tourist receipts, giving a boost to the growth of national economy and the development of tourism-related industries.

To ensure the year-long campaign a success, the government and tourism industry had joined hands to make relentless efforts in the year 2006.

Senior tourism officials went on frequent tours to key targeting markets in Asia and Europe, vigorously promoting Malaysia as a premier tourist destination. Meanwhile, the government took concrete actions to upgrade the infrastructure in scenic spots, improve the communications and traffic service and simplify visa application process for foreign visitors.

Training programs were also provided for those involved in the tourism sector to drive home the culture of smile. The government called on all Malaysians, from immigration officers to taxi drivers, to be polite and friendly with foreign tourists so that they can feel at home during their stay in this country.

In terms of tourism products, the country continued to promote its traditional advantages, namely, its cultural and natural heritage, and leverage on the tag line "Malaysia Truly Asia", first introduced in 1999.

For this year, the Ministry of Tourism planned 50 major events throughout the country, covering cultural, sports, natural as well as fashion fields, enabling visitors to witness colors of Malaysia, which is a unique multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious country.

To name just a few, major events include the floral fest in Kuala Lumpur, dragon boat racing in Penang, rainforest musical festival in Sarawak and Eco-challenge in Pahang national parks.

The VMY 2007 demonstrates the government's determination to tap the great potential of the tourism industry, which stands as the third economic pillar and the second largest source of foreign revenue in this country.

Under the ninth Malaysia plan (2006-2010), the government will strive to realize the full potential of the tourism industry in order to enhance its contribution to the service sector in particular, and the economy in general.

Malaysia allocated 1.8 billion ringgit (500 million U.S. dollars) to the tourism industry for the 2006-2010 period, a great surge compared with the allocation of 700 million ringgit (194.44 million U.S. dollars) for the previous national plan.

The country sets a target of 24.6 million foreign tourist arrivals for 2010, with the tourist receipts expected to reach 59. 4 billion ringgit (16.5 billion U.S. dollars).

Currently, ASEAN countries remain the largest source of tourist arrivals to Malaysia, followed by China, India and west Asia, according to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism.

Malaysia regards China as a very import market and will continue to upgrade its tourism service to attract more Chinese tourists, Malaysian senior officials have reiterated on many occasions.

Source: Xinhua