Malaysia Airlines and Tourism New Zealand announced a global partnership aimed at promoting travel and tourism to New Zealand.

This relationship will involve many joint and coordinated promotional activities throughout a number of key markets in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

New Zealand is currently enjoying strong growth in traffic FROM these key source markets and given Malaysia Airlines’ ongoing commitment to increase capacity to/from these markets, collaboration and coordination to take advantage of these traffic flows brings benefits to both parties.

“There are many other benefits that accrue, not just to Malaysia Airlines, but to the country itself” said Malaysia Airlines’ Senior General Manager - Sales, Distribution and Marketing, Ahmad Fuaad Dahlan, who represented the airline at the signing ceremony. “Visitor arrivals to New Zealand have been in strong growth FROM not only Asia, but Europe and the Middle East, which are also key markets for us.”

“By encouraging travellers to New Zealand to fly with Malaysia Airlines, we can tap INTO the growing market to New Zealand - which in turn will better develop and strengthen KLIA as a regional hub” he said. “We can also entice them to break their journey and stay in Malaysia enroute to, or when returning FROM New Zealand. In fact, we have specific Golden Holidays products which provide Malaysian stopover programmes and side-trip experiences, all of which will complement and embellish the total product offering to these passengers. So, the benefits become obvious and good, not just for Malaysia Airlines, but for Malaysia as well”.

Representing Tourism New Zealand at the signing ceremony was Tim Hunter, General Manager Operations, who said that ““Malaysia has been a strong performer to New Zealand in both holiday travel and in the meetings and incentive market,” he said. “On a country to country basis 21,200 Malaysians visit New Zealand and 11,400 New Zealanders visit Malaysia each year. By working together and coordinating activities on inbound and outbound tourism flows, both countries will benefit”.

“The agreement signed today means that our organisations will work closely in the future on initiatives such as joint marketing activity, media hosting and travel trade development projects.”

He further added that “as one of the first tangible outputs of this new relationship, Tourism New Zealand is holding its premier Asian travel industry event in Malaysia this year for the first time.”

Known as ‘Kia Ora’, the event opens today at the Hotel Istana in Kuala Lumpur and brings together nearly 100 of Asia`s top travel agents for 3 days, where they will be meeting with at least 45 tourism businesses FROM New Zealand”.

Ahmad Fuaad Dahlan also said that “many of these travel agents will themselves be visiting Malaysia for the first time. So, this in itself will create unique opportunities on which Malaysia may capitalize. While here, they will be able to see first hand, what Malaysia has to offer as an attractive, exciting and cosmopolitan tourist destination that it is. Clearly, this relationship between Malaysia Airlines and Tourism New Zealand will be a ‘win-win’ for both parties”.

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