THAILAND TRAVEL NEWS: Malaysia’s Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Ng Yen Yen, has called for greater collaboration between Thai and Malaysian tour operators to promote travel between the two countries.

Dr. Ng said tour operators in Malaysia should collaborate more with their counterparts in southern Thailand to boost tourist traffic between Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia and Phuket in Thailand.

“Malaysia and Thailand have a huge potential for such partnership as both have their own distinct tourism products, despite their historical and geographical ties”, she said.

Dr. Ng cited Malaysia’s ecotourism, with its famed 130 million years old virgin rainforest and rich biodiversity, as well as its fascinating shopping experience as among the products that could attract tourists to Malaysia

The comments were made in Phuket yesterday, September 2, at an event in honor of the commitment and long-term support by local Thai tour operators and tourism organizations in promoting cross border travel.

Dr. Ng said the increasing number of direct flights between Malaysian cities and Phuket provided advantages for tour operators in both countries to market each others destinations, providing a better travel experience for visitors.

Dr. Ng particularly emphasized the historical link between Penang and Phuket and the unique Peranakan culture as something that travel agents in both countries should promote more.

“We hope that through such collaboration, tourists who visit Langkawi and Penang will also visit Phuket and likewise visitors to Phuket will also come to Malaysia”, Dr. Ng said.

By John Le Fevre

Thailand Travel News for September 04, 2010