This year, Malaysia's gearing up to attract tourists from around the world. The visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007, launched by Prime Minister Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi on January 6, 2007 aims at aggressively promoting Malaysia to increase tourist arrivals, as well as encourage domestic tourism among Malaysians.
The campaign was launched with the un­veiling of The Eye on Malaysia, a 60-metre ferris wheel that allows visitors to experi­ence a 360-degree panoramic view of Kuala Lumpur and a Flora Fest Parade, a spectacu­lar of floats dressed in all kinds of flowers found in Malaysia.
This year, the 50-year-old country has set a target to attract 20.1 million tourists, out of which almost 300,000 will be Indians with over 240 events including five international mega events such as Malaysian International Aerospace Adventure, International Fire­works Display, Malaysian International Tattoo and KL international Buskers Festival.
Malaysia is increasingly becoming a vaca­tioning hotspot for Indian tourists. Javed Akhtar, CEO, TravelPort Holidays India Pvt Ltd says, "Indian tourists are increasingly opting for family and honeymoon packages in Malaysia. And after the easing of the visa procedure, the number of tourists opting for Malaysia has gone up by 65 per cent. More­over, flights to Kuala Lumpur have become cheaper, providing an incentive for tourists to holiday there."
While easy documentation procedures and easy availability of Indian food facilitate Indi­an tourist traffic into Malaysia, its serene beaches at Langkawi, Taman Negara National Park in Pahang, Petronas Towers at Kuala Lumpur, the British relics of Penang and Malacca and the Formula 1 racing circuit at Sepang, are great attractions too.
Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Bor­neo in East Malaysia are also developing into tourist hotspots. Sarawak or the Land of Hornbills is Malaysia's largest state with al­most 30 different and distinct ethnic groups allows for exploration of natural resources. Sabah or the Land Below the Wind with its Mount Kinabalu (the highest peak in South East Asia) and Tungku Abdul Rahman Park is­land and turquoise waters that provide for plenty of snorkelling opportunities, is a per­fect gateway to nature. Andy The, managing director, Borneo Incentives Sdn Bhd says, "In­dia is indeed a great potential market for Sabah to match as it has already its infra­structure your market needs i.e. lots of shop­ping complexes, a wide variety of interna­tional cuisines, may it be in hotels, resorts, private restaurants and eateries. Sabah has four North Indian restaurants and more mushrooming up. Handicraft centres, day . and night markets, yachts for hire, spas and helicopter tours too beckon tourists."
The Malaysia — My Second Home Programme, promoted by the Government of Malaysia allows people from all over the world who fulfil certain criteria, to stay in Malaysia as long as possible on a social visit pass with a multiple-entry visa. The Social Visit Pass is initially for a period of ten years (depending on the validity of the applicants' passport) and is renewable. Since 1996, when the programme was introduced, more than 10,000 foreign tourists have opted for this programme. Last year alone there were 1,728 people registered under the pro­gramme that has various flexible conditions, and enables high net worth individuals from foreign countries to stay in Malaysia for at least five years or for a longer period of time.
The Malaysian economy registered RM 17.40 billion (approximately USD 5 billion) in receipts from 10.22 million visitors in 2000 (just a year after implementing the three-pronged action plan to bring in more tourists). This constituted a 28.9 per cent in­crease between 1999 and 2000. with the ex­ception of 2003, where the number of tourists dwindled because of the SARS epi­demic and the Gulf War, this upward trend continued until today. From the tourism re­ceipts (tourism revenue) contribution, there exists a steady growth.
Malaysia's services sector is the largest sector in the economy. Almost 51 per cent of the total national workforce is employed ei­ther directly or indirectly with the tourism sector whether in the form of hotels, restau­rants, travel agencies, airlines, transporta­tion, etc. RM 36.3 billion (USD 10.3 billion) came from the tourism sector thus making it as the second economic contributor for 2006. The Services Sector accounts for about 54 per cent of the national GDP. By providing job opportunities, the tourism sector has played a role in keeping unemployment down to a low at 3.5 per cent.
The formation of the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) in 1972 under the purview of the Ministry of Trade and industry (MITI) for strategic planning and focus charted a new era in the history of the tourism indus­try in Malaysia. Since then, the Malaysian economy remains relatively robust with manufacturing and tourism taking the lead.

Source: Eco Times