Tourism Malaysia eyes Anzac tourist market

Set to excite: Batik Air is expanding to the Australasia region with the launch of its latest route between Kuala Lumpur and Auckland. — CHAN TAK KONG/The Star

SEPANG: Tourism Malaysia is stepping up efforts to attract more tourists from the Oceania region with a particular focus on the New Zealand market, says a Tourism Malaysia official.

Iskandar Mirza Mohd Yusof, its International Promotion Division (America/Europe/Oceania) senior director, said New Zealand is a crucial market.

He said Tourism Malaysia will be launching a week-long sales mission and tourism product seminar in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide from today to Sept 3.

“This initiative is a collaborative effort bringing together tourism operators, government representatives and travel agents to engage with our partners in Oceania,” he said when welcoming passengers on a Batik Air flight from Auckland at Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday.

“We are thrilled to announce that Batik Air will be increasing its flight frequency with six weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Auckland from now on,” he said.

He added that Malaysia Airlines also offers eight direct flights on the same route.

“Last year, Malaysia welcomed 18,000 tourists from New Zealand. This figure is poised to rise with the increased frequency of flights and intensified promotional activities. On average, tourists from New Zealand spend one to two weeks exploring the rich offerings of Malaysia.

“As of June, Malaysia has already welcomed 17,972 visitors from New Zealand, a promising trajectory towards surpassing the figures from the previous year,” said Iskandar Mirza.

Batik Air and Lion Group strategy director Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy said the KL-Auckland route highlights its strong commitment to provide convenient travel options.

The airline also offers New Zealanders “multiple services to explore beautiful destinations such as Penang, Langkawi, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu”.

“We hope tourists from New Zealand will take advantage of the reasonable rates,” he said.

Batik Air offers all-inclusive one-way promotional fares between KL and Auckland at RM1,619 for economy class and RM5,319 for business class on brand-new Boeing 737-8 aircraft.