Tourism Malaysia Marks 2015 as the Year of Festivals with the Theme "Endless Celebrations" and Launches the BFF Campaign

I've been to Malaysia a few times in the past and have always enjoyed my stay because there are a lot of activities to do and beautiful sights to see. This year, Tourism Malaysia marks 2015 as the Year of Festivals with the theme "Endless Celebrations." 

Legoland Malaysia's Opening Day - September 2012

Likewise, Tourism Malaysia-Manila launches the BFF or Be Friends Forever campaign that aims to let others know what to expect when they go to Malaysia through the experiences of those who have already been there. 

Travelers who visited the beautiful country are encouraged to post their favorite vacation photos on Facebook and Instagram using the hashtag #mybffxoxo for a chance to win special monthly prizes from Tourism Malaysia and the grand prize of a three days and two nights stay in Malaysia accompanied by his or her best friend (or family member).

Malaysia captured in photos

Yesterday at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City, His Honorable Dató Mirza Mohammad Taiyab, Director General of Tourism Malaysia, shared, "For MyFest 2015, we aim to have 29.4 million tourist arrivals and RM89 billion in tourist receipts, leading up to our ultimate goal of 36 million tourists and RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020." He added that this is part of his government's National Blue Ocean Strategy to create value innovation through public-private partnership collaboration. 

"To that end, I would like to invite all of you to work with each other and develop new tourism products and packages that will highlight our culture, and promote it as a tourist attraction to the rest of the world," His Excellency encouraged local travel agents and airline companies who were present during the event.

Dató Mirza

"We have always believed that traveling builds more than just character and life experiences," continued Dató Mirza, "In an eventful place such as Malaysia, you can also build lasting memories that you will cherish forever especially if built with close friends and family. In this endless celebrations theme lies a call for people to take these with them long after they have returned home."

BFF, after all, effectively mirrors the bonds that were built, the fun and adventures shared, and lasting memories created from traveling with one's best friends. Tourism Malaysia is positioning itself as a best friend as well to its visitors to cater to their needs and help create the best memories. 

Tourism Malaysia entertainers

The campaign further wishes to imbibe the feeling that Malaysia remains to be a destination of choice for families and friends who are looking for a very enjoyable vacation. Dató Mirza pointed out, "This special campaign, inspired by Filipinos' love affair with selfies and picture taking, focuses on not just keeping, but on sharing these lasting memories captured digitally and immortalized on social media."

I appreciated most what he said next, "In as much as I would love to think that all of us here are BFFs, I want to let all Filipinos, who have at least travelled once to Malaysia, know that we consider all of them, and the future generations of countless Filipinos who will take time out to visit my beloved Malaysia, as our best friends forever and my hugs and kisses go out to all of them."

with the proboscis monkey, Tourism Malaysia's mascot

So, if you've also been to Malaysia before, start posting on social media those nice photos taken there with your BFF, now! Don't forget the hashtag #mybffxoxo!

For updates and more information, log on to www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my and like Tara Na Sa Malaysia on Facebook.