"We pay a lot of attention to MICE": Dato' Zamruni Khalid, Malaysian Ambassador to France

What are Malaysia's ambitions in the MICE segment, and how is the destination developing its offering? 

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - We are really encouraging the MICE and business travel in Malaysia, which is also positioning itself as a leading destination bleisure. Over the next few months and years, for example, we expect to see a number of hotel openings, business establishments in particular, at Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Three five-star hotels are expected in Kuala Lumpur: Park Hyatt, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad. These are major hotel projects, which should be completed in 2023 and 2024.

What about connectivity, which has been declining for several years now, particularly for the French market?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - We would like to improve on this point. There have been no direct flights between Paris and Kuala Lumpur for a number of years now, following the crisis in the airline industry. Malaysia Airlines. Most of the time, therefore, travellers pass through London to take a Malaysia Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur. But there are also plenty of opportunities to connect via the Middle East hubs, with code-share flights, in addition to the flights operated by Air France to Bangkok and Singapore, and KLM's direct flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Qatar Airways also wants to increase frequencies to four flights a day. Etihad will also increase frequencies to two flights a day. There are also Emirates, Turkish Airlines, and now Kuwait Airways, Saudia Airlines, Oman Air...

Do you hope to see the return of a direct flight to Paris in the near future?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - We hope so. We'd like to see it happen soon, but for the moment it doesn't seem to be a priority for Malaysia Airlineswhich focuses on its regional network before thinking globally.

What is the market for French travellers to Kuala Lumpur?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - I don't have any specific figures for the MICE segment, but from the beginning of 2023 until May, there has been a significant increase in the number of French tourists. There were around 42,000 French travellers visiting Malaysia from January to May. So I think we're going to reach over 80,000 French visitors in 2023, maybe 90,000.

Is this a satisfactory result compared with the pre-Covid results?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - Yes, it's a good figure, because it's close to pre-crisis attendance levels, even though we've sometimes exceeded the 100,000 visitor mark. This year, we're confident of welcoming around 90,000 French nationals, and the MICE market generally follows the dynamics of tourism. If tourism from France increases, so will MICE and business travel.

What are the overall figures for business travel and MICE in Malaysia?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - This year, we expect to welcome more than 700,000 business travellers, with an economic impact of nearly €710 million. We are paying a great deal of attention to MICE, through the Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau. Among the major events in 2023 are the Congress of the Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations, the Global Communications Conference and the World Congress on Men's Health and Gender Medicine. These events will be held this year, and over the next two years Malaysia will host the International Congress for Tropical Medicine and Malaria (ICTMM2024) and the World Chemistry Congress in 2025. In 2025, Malaysia will also be hosting the rotating presidency of theASEANThis will of course generate a large number of meetings. Leaders from outside the region, such as the United States, Australia, Japan, China and South Korea, will also be present... There will also be a meeting of foreign ministers in the middle of the year, with around twenty countries represented, in addition to the ten ASEAN foreign ministers. So we're looking forward to 2025, because it's going to be a busy year for Meetings & Events.

Will this spike in activity prompt you to open new MICE facilities?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - We already held the rotating presidency in 2015, at which time we relied in particular on the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). Since then, the Kuala Lumpur catalogue has been further strengthened with the launch of the MITEC (Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre). So I'm not worried about our capacity to host the various events scheduled, especially with the various hotel openings I mentioned earlier.

Will the events be concentrated solely in Kuala Lumpur, or will other cities also be involved?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - Most of the major events will take place in Kuala Lumpur, but meetings are also planned all over the country, official meetings have already been scheduled in Kuching [the capital of Sarawak, on the island of Borneo, editor's note], others will be held in Penang, Putrajaya... But visitors particularly appreciate being in Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpurwhich is a very lively destination, with a wide range of products and services. bleisure for business travellers.

So there's plenty of cause for optimism in the months and years ahead?

Dato' Zamruni Khalid - We are very optimistic. Last year, we welcomed around 10 million tourists even though we had just reopened the borders. This year, we expect to welcome more than 16 million, and some are even aiming for 20 million. By way of comparison, we had already reached 25 million before the health crisis, and we could reach this target as early as next year. We are also working specifically on 2026which has been designated "Visit Malaysia Year. Numerous activities will be organised throughout the year, particularly on the cultural front, with many festivals. We could be approaching 30 million visitors by then.