Etihad vice president, marketing, Andrew Ward joins Chong Yoke Har, deputy director general, planning, Tourism Malaysia, to celebrate the signing of their partnership agreement at Expo Milan 2015

Etihad Airways and Tourism Malaysia have signed a global partnership agreement to boost inbound tourism to Malaysia by leveraging the airline’s global passenger network. 

Under the agreement, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates and Tourism Malaysia will put into effect a range of joint marketing activities targeting Malaysia’s leading inbound visitor markets – the UK, US, and Europe.

There will also be a focus on the Middle East region, including activities in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait.

Research by Tourism Malaysia revealed in 2014 there were more than 1.2 million visits from these key markets, a ten per cent increase compared to 2013.

Signing the agreement at the Etihad Airways-Alitalia joint pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 were Madam Chong Yoke Har, deputy director general, planning of Tourism Malaysia, and Andrew Ward, vice president marketing of Etihad Airways.

For two weeks, Tourism Malaysia will participate in the airline’s pavilion and showcase its travel packages and destinations to attendees through multimedia videos, traditional food sampling and Batik painting.

Etihad is considered the World’s Leading Airline by World Travel Awards

Ward said: “This partnership underlines the long-standing links between Etihad Airways and Malaysia, and will help to create even greater opportunities to increase the growing number of tourists and business travellers flying to the country with us.

“Malaysia is one of our top destinations, and Etihad Airways has carried more than one million passengers to and from the country since 2007, offering travellers from all around the world the chance to enjoy the many attractions of this beautiful country.”

From promoting the cosmopolitan capital of Kuala Lumpur to the exotic islands of Langkawi and Penang to the stunning Johor Bahru and island of Borneo – Sabah, the campaign will focus on multimedia marketing and familiarisation trips for travel trade and media from around the world to Malaysia.

Etihad Airways marketing messages and Malaysia’s ‘Years of Festivals’ campaign will be maximised throughout the partnership and the airline will also benefit from an enhanced presence on Tourism Malaysia’s traditional and digital platforms.

Chong Yoke Har said that Etihad Airways had demonstrated a strong and growing commitment to the Malaysian market since it first commenced services in 2007.

“Now with the new agreement, we can work together on robust tactical campaigns to make Malaysia the top-of-mind destination among Etihad Airways’ extensive customer base.

“This agreement is an important step towards Malaysia achieving its strategic goal of earning RM168 billion from the targeted 36 million tourist arrivals by 2020,” she said.

Etihad Airways currently flies twice daily between Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur, and offers flights to other regions in Malaysia through its codeshare partner Malaysia Airlines.

More Information

Etihad Airways began operations in 2003, and in 2014 carried 14.8 million passengers.

From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to 110 existing or announced passenger and cargo destinations in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas.

The airline has a fleet of 116 Airbus and Boeing aircraft, and more than 200 aircraft on firm order, including 69 Boeing 787s, 25 Boeing 777-X, 62 Airbus A350s and eight Airbus A380s.

Take a tour of the Etihad pavilion at Expo Milano 2015 here.

Tourism Malaysia is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia, focusing on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels.

Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene.

In 2014, Malaysia registered 27.4 million tourist arrivals and RM72 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner.