Tourism Malaysia has tied up with Visa Malaysia to support the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) in driving inbound tourism, and to promote Malaysia as a preferred travel destination, especially in the retail sector.
The MoU was signed by Tourism Malaysia director-general, Musa Yusof, and Visa Malaysia country manager Ng Kong Boon.
Shopping accounted for the lion’s share of tourist expenditure for Malaysia for the past four years, according to Musa. It took up 35.2 per cent of the total tourist receipts from January to September 2019, at RM23.3 billion (US$5.4 billion) – a 14.4 per cent increase from the same period in 2018.
Under the partnership, Visa will harness its data analytics capabilities and research to generate useful traveller insights, and work with Tourism Malaysia to enhance travellers’ experiences.
The collaboration will also leverage the Visa Preferred Merchant Programme, which features a variety of rewards and benefits for cardholders, including dining, shopping, family entertainment and medical wellness.
These benefits will be shared through Visa and Tourism Malaysia’s digital media and distribution channels globally. In addition, Visa will also help to promote domestic tourism and share a variety of offers that are relevant for local Visa cardholders.
