On January 19, as an important event of the 2020 China-Malaysia Year of Culture and Tourism, the Malaysia-China Culture and Tourism Promotion and Business matching Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. This event was hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MoTAC) and Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Malaysia , organized by the China Cultural Centre in Kuala Lumpur (CCCKL) and Beijing Sunny International Communications Ltd., supported by the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia. Messrs. Zhang Xu, Vice Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, Mr Mohd Zamri bin Mat Zain, MoTAC’s Deputy Secretary, Mr Zhang Xilong, Deputy Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, Mr Zhang Zhen, Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, Mr Zhang Jiexin, Director of the Cultural Centre and others attended the event.

In his speech, Vice Minister Zhang Xu introduced the measures and achievements China had undertaken in optimizing the comprehensive tourism environment and accelerating the development of tourist destinations in recent years. He expressed that under the “One Belt One Road” initiative, China and ASEAN tourism exchanges had achieved tremendous progress. President Xi Jinping initiated the implementation of the Asian Tourism Promotion Plan in 2019 to further promote tourism exchanges and development between China and Asian countries. China attaches great importance to cultural exchanges and tourism cooperation with Malaysia. In 2018, the scale of two-way tourism exchanges exceeded 4 million people. In 2020, through the “2020 China-Malaysia Year of Culture and Tourism” and other activities, the scale of tourism exchanges between the two countries would surely breach a new level.

Mr Zamri said that China had become one of the main sources of inbound tourists to Malaysia. In 2018, Malaysia received a total of 2.9 million Chinese tourists, an increase of 29% year-on-year. From January to September 2019, inbound Chinese tourists reached 2.4 million, a year-on-year increase of 5.7%. Both Malaysia and China are rich in culture, art and heritage. Through effective planning, development and promotion, the two countries would be able to maximize and reap the benefits through the close cooperation in cultural tourism. 

At the event, cultural tourism products customized for Malaysia which promoted in-depth understanding and business connection between the industries of the two countries were effected through promotional videos, tourism product promotion, and business negotiations between the two parties. During the promotion session, China introduced her distinctive tourism products to the participating Malaysian tourism counterparts and traveling business community. With the “Belt and Road Initiative” and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics as the background, it focused on snow and ice tours, Silk Road tours, tours of mythical realms and other tourism products popular among Malaysian tourists. 

All these activities enabled tourists to sense the fever of the Winter Olympics in advance, experienced the fun of ice and snow, perceived the essence of cultural heritage, appreciated the taste of folk culture, and sampled its local delicacies. The Malaysian side focused on introducing Malaysian tropical natural scenery, historical and cultural monuments, modern urban landscapes and other tourism resources to her Chinese counterparts. In the professional negotiation process, the two parties conducted effective business-matching arrangements that yielded remarkable outcomes.