Dubai: Malaysia attracted 147,646 tourists from Middle Eastern countries last year, an increase of 17 per cent over the previous year.
The number of UAE nationals visiting Malaysia grew by 40 per cent to 29,606 in 2005, according to Tourism Malaysia statistics.
With 53,000 tourists, Saudi Arabia remained the most important market for Malaysia.
"This year we are looking for 30 per cent more Arab tourists than last year," tourism minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor told Gulf News yesterday.
Malaysia is holding a region-wide promotional campaign to attract visitors during this summer holiday season.
A group of 81 exhibitors is participating at this year's Arabian Travel Market (ATM).
"The aim of this mission is to promote Malaysia as the ideal holiday destination to the people in this region," the minister said.
"The number of visitors from the Gulf region has risen phenomenally over the last few years, which explains Tourism Malay-sia's enthusiasm to woo more visitors from here," he added.
The country is making aggressive efforts to project a tourist-friendly image, especially for those from Arab-speaking countries.
"At Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), we have announcements in Arabic. We have encouraged employment of more Arab-speaking staff at travel agencies and hotels and urged the shopping complexes to put up signs in Arabic," Adnan said.
Malaysia has also launched a "Feel-at-Home" campaign specifically to target Middle East tourists.
A Kuala Lumpur street has been given the Arabic name 'Ain Arabia'. The area is a showcase of various Arabic and Middle Eastern food and cultures.
Visiting Arab families are handled by a special immigration lane at KLIA.
UAE nationals do not require visas to travel to Malaysia and can stay up to three months after arriving in the country.
The total number of tourist arrivals in Malaysia reached 16.43 million in 2005, resulting in earnings of $8.72 billion.
"Our aim is to achieve 20 million visitors and $12 billion in tourism revenues in 2007," the minister said. The target for this year is 17.5 million tourists.
"We have successfully achieved our past growth expectations, and are set to continue that trend," he added.
In 2007, the country is celebrating 50 years of independence from Britain. To commemorate the occasion, the government has declared 2007 as "Visit Malaysia Year."
