Etihad Airways has announced a partnership with Tourism Malaysia to attract visitors from Europe and the Middle East to the country via the airline’s Abu Dhabi hub.

The agreement between the two organisations will support the tourism board’s Visit Malaysia 2020 marketing campaign which has been developed to encourage tourism from Europe and the Middle East.

Etihad Airways began flying to Kuala Lumpur in 2007 and has since flown 2.7 million passengers to the Malaysian capital.

Today, Etihad Airways operates a daily flight to Kuala Lumpur which is operated by the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Hareb Almuhairy, senior vice president destination and leisure management, Etihad Aviation Group, commented: “Tourism Malaysia has been a proud partner of Etihad’s for many years and Kuala Lumpur remains one of the most important destinations in our global network.

“The Southeast Asian country continues to be a popular choice for travellers in the UK and Europe as well as the Middle East, and visitors will benefit from the convenient connection through Abu Dhabi.”

Malaysia is an attractive and diverse country for tourism, giving visitors the chance to explore experiences as varied as the cosmopolitan capital Kuala Lumpur, the stunning islands of Penang and Langkawi, prehistoric rainforests, and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Kinabula Park, among many other world-class attractions.

Datuk Musa Hj Yusof, director general, Tourism Malaysia, commented: “The campaign aims to welcome tourists from Europe, Middle East and beyond to Malaysia as well as to promote the Visit Malaysia 2020 initiative, which seeks to attract 30 million tourists and around RM 100 billion (£18.5 Billion) in tourism receipts by the year 2020.”