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Tourism Malaysia Wins Award
11 January 2022 | Written by Chris Alexander

Tourism Malaysia has been named ‘National Organization of the Year’ at the 12th annual Indonesia Travel and Tourism Awards (ITTA). This is the second year in a row that the agency, which operates under Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), has come home with the award for best national organization. 

In giving the award to Tourism Malaysia, ITTA highlighted the agency’s efforts to promote tourism between Indonesia and Malaysia, especially against the ever-changing tourism backdrop resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. The award was presented by the president of ITTA Foundation, Panca Rudolf Sarungu, to the Deputy Director of Tourism Malaysia, Haryanty Abu Bakar, at an award ceremony held in Jakarta on 15 December. 

Upon receiving the award, Haryanty expressed her hopes for the future of tourism in Malaysia and beyond. “Tourism Malaysia is optimistic about the success of the Malaysian and Indonesian tourism industry [in 2022] and hopes that the pandemic will end soon and the border gates will be reopened,” she said at the awards ceremony. 

ITTA also noted that Malaysia can offer a model to other tourism operators and agencies in the region, due to its positive and proactive response to the challenges posed by the pandemic in recent times. According to Panca, the awards have the potential to “ignite the spirit of industry players with the hope that each winner will be a source of inspiration for others in facing 2022.” 

Along with a recent spate of awards, Malaysia is beginning the new year with optimism and looking to the future. Through the Langkawi International Travel Bubble programme, the country is cautiously opening its borders to international arrivals, with more destinations expected to follow soon. 

Led by MOTAC and the award-winning Tourism Malaysia agency, Malaysia appears well placed to navigate the new normal in the months ahead and deliver success in the post-pandemic travel era.