Milan, Italy: Etihad Airways and Tourism Malaysia announced in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday a $2.5 million (Dh9 million) joint-marketing partnership to boost tourism to the South East Asian country.
The partnership will cover marketing and advertising campaigns in the Middle East, Europe, UK and US that promote Malaysia as a tourism destination, said Etihad Vice-President of Marketing, Andrew Ward.
Etihad and Tourism Malaysia, an agency under the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism & Culture, will invest a total of $2.5 million in the campaign. The agreement was signed by Ward and Madam Chong Yoke Har, Deputy Director General (Planning) of Tourism Malaysia, at the joint Etihad-Alitalia pavilion at Expo Milano 2015.
Wednesday’s signing could be a boost for Malaysia’s tourism industry, which has suffered after the two air disasters last year involving national carrier Malaysia Airlines. Flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 and has still not been found and four months later, in July, flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine. Earlier this week, Malaysia Airlines new Chief Executive, Christoph Mueller, said the airline was “technically bankrupt.”
— Sami Zaatari is a trainee at Gulf News. The reporter travelled to Milan courtesy of Etihad Airways.
