MUTIARA HOTELS and RESORTS WELCOME TRAVELLERS FROM MAINLAND CHINA

On the eve of one of the region’s most significant travel sales marts, the Mutiara Hotels and Resorts are all geared up for an increase in travellers from Mainland China. China is the most populous nation on earth and with a rapid growth in Chinese travellers abroad, Malaysia is ideally suited to cater to the needs of these tourists.

Mr Halim Merican, General Manager, Yield and Revenue Management for the Mutiara Hotels and Resorts said: "The China Travel Mart to be held in Kunming, China next week (8 to 11 November, 2001) is a very important meeting for the regional travel industry. Everyone in the travel trade has been affected by recent world events but interestingly, one of the countries which is showing some resilience is China and this is encouraging for the hospitality industry especially for a country like Malaysia".

Mr Halim continued: "The numbers of people travelling from China has been growing over the past few years and we have no reason to believe that this will decline significantly despite the recent general downturn in the industry. Actually, our indications are that this sector of the market will grow and we are encouraged by the increasing numbers of scheduled and chartered flights that have been announced for travel between Mainland China and Malaysia".

"There is a lot of interest for Chinese travellers to visit Malaysia because of the strong links between the two nations," Mr Halim said.

"We have six properties that cover most of the great destinations and sights in Malaysia – in Johor Bahru, Langkawi, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Pedu Lake in Kedah and Taman Negara in Pahang, but we currently notice that our properties in Kuala Lumpur and Penang are the main attractions to Mainland Chinese travellers as they are close to the things that appeal to them - tourist sights, shopping, food and of course, entertainment, " he added.

The Mutiara Beach Resort Penang has added benefits in that it is not only accessible to Penang’s historic attractions but it offers an excellent resort on an isolated beach", he added.

Mr Halim also made mention of the excellent support that the Malaysian tourism industry offers travellers from Mainland China. "Malaysia has some of the best facilities for tourists with the excellent gateway at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, fast and efficient domestic connections, guides who are fluent in several Chinese dialects and some of the best Chinese food in the world. The Mutiara Hotels and Resorts continue this welcoming tradition with first class facilities, staff who are conversant in Chinese and some great value for money Chinese restaurants", he commented.

The Mutiara Hotels and Resorts see there is great potential for more Mainland Chinese to visit Malaysia and therefore place significance on the upcoming China Travel Mart by sending the its business development team to represent the group.

"There are very strong ties between Malaysia and Mainland China and we see these strengthening", said Mr Halim. He continued: "The increased flight capacity between the two nations is encouraging and over the next few months we should see growth from this sector of the market. Therefore, we are gearing ourselves up to cater to the expected growth and being at a travel mart like this ensures that we secure business from Mainland China for the next 12 months and beyond".

Mutiara Hotels and Resorts are managed by PERNAS Hotel Management Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of PERNAS International Holdings Berhad. The group has six properties located in key cities and resorts in Malaysia that include Burau Bay (Langkawi); Johor Bahru (Johor); Kuala Lumpur; Pedu Lake (Kedah); Penang and Taman Negara/National Park (Pahang).