By Selangor Journal Team
SHAH ALAM, March 10 — Selangor is aiming for a significant boost in visitor arrivals during the Visit Selangor Year in 2025, with a target of two million international tourists.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad said Selangor had seen the highest number of European tourists, who would particularly spend an average of eight to nine days exploring the state, either for business or leisure.
“Selangor saw the most tourists from Europe, with 94,264 in 2022 and 59,641 in 2021, an increase of 58.1 per cent.
“In 2022, the state received 10,819 tourists from Germany, the second highest after the United Kingdom, with 20,639 tourists influx,” he said in a recent statement.
Following the state agency’s sixth participation in the Internationale Tourimus Borse (ITB) Berlin 2024, held from March 3 to 8, Azrul said Selangor had embarked on a bilateral collaboration with several European countries, such as Czech and Estonia.
He said Tourism Selangor forged a Memorandum of Collaboration with the Association of Tour Operators and Travel Agents of the Czech Republic (ACCKA), the Estonian Travel and Tourism Association (EFTL) and Discova, a global Destination Management Company.
The partnership with the three travel associations was witnessed by Ambassador of Malaysia to the Federal Republic of Germany Datin Paduka Dr Adina Kamarudin, and Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Nigel Wong.
“These partnerships are expected to set the stage for a series of cross-promotional series for familiarisation trips to Selangor and the development of travel packages for the targeted market.
“It is also aimed at surpassing the target of attracting over seven million tourists by Visit Selangor Year in 2025.
“This six-day mission in Berlin aligns seamlessly with the international tourism campaign, ‘Splendid Selangor, Take Me Anywhere!’. This initiative reaffirms the state’s dedication to nurturing bilateral relations with interested nations while showcasing its rich array of attractions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Azrul said the state agency also showcased several of its iconic tourism products that highlight ecotourism, gastronomy (food tourism), theme park attractions, beaches and resorts, including the Gombak Hulu Langat Geopark, SplashMania Water Theme Park, Sky Mirror and Sekinchan.
“In line with the mission of sustainable tourism, selected local municipal councils showcased sustainable tourism attractions to key tourism industry players, travel agents and potential buyers, such as the Mah Meri Culture in Kuala Langat, Kampung Kuantan Fireflies Park in Kuala Selangor, and sustainable events such as stargazing, Wings of Kuala Kubu Bharu and Mountain Bike Challenge in Hulu Selangor,” the statement read.
The six-day trade mission brought together over 10,000 key tourism players globally from over 185 countries and welcomed over 120,000 visitors.
