TEHRAN – A group of Iranian travel agents and tour operators has recently visited attractions in Malaysia on a familiarization tour organized by the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

Eight travel agents and representatives toured the country for an eight-day, seven-night (8D7N) stay in Penang, Genting Highlands, Sunway, and Kuala Lumpur from November 16 to 23, Travel Daily News reported on Friday.

Participants had the full-fledged experience of immersing themselves in heritage, city life, and eco-adventure activities throughout their stay in Malaysia. This fam trip is also co-hosted by Emirates, Park Royal Penang Resort, Penang Global Tourism, Sunway Lagoon Hotels, and Toranj Tours & Travel, the report said.

Participants also had the opportunity to visit Resorts World Genting, a premier leisure and entertainment resort in Malaysia, and Sunway Resort in Kuala Lumpur, which has just reopened after a once-in-a-generation transformation.

Dato’ Haji Zainuddin Abdul Wahab, Director-General of Tourism Malaysia, expressed his hope that the experiences under this fam trip would encourage Iranian travel agents to experience tourism products firsthand and actively sell tour packages to Malaysia.

“Iran remains one of Malaysia’s top international tourists generating markets in the Middle East (West Asia) before the pandemic. In 2019, Malaysia welcomed 46,559 arrivals from Iran, and we will continue to promote Malaysia as a safe holiday destination,” the official said.

Tourism Malaysia is expecting a surge in tourist arrivals, especially from ASEAN and European countries.

AM