Malaysia is expected to see 25 million tourist arrivals this year, with tourist receipts totalling RM60 billion. For the first five months of this year, Malaysia has already attracted 9.4 million tourists, signifying a 1.2% increase compared to the same period in 2011. This is in line with the Ministry of Tourism’s aim of achieving 36 million tourist arrivals with RM168 billion in tourist receipts by the year 2020.
Prime Minister, Mohammed Najib Tun Haji Abdul Razak, officially launched the new gantry and street lighting in the Bukit Bintang –KLCC area which was followed by a festive launch party along Jalan Bukit Bintang in front of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.
The event was also attended by the Tourism Minister, Dr. Ng Yen Yen, and Joyce Yap, Chairman of the BBKLCC Tourism Association, which acted as theorganiser of the event. They were joined by a number of senior officials from various government departments and representatives from shopping malls, retailers, and hoteliers in the area.
The launch event marks the start of the first phase of the Bukit Bintang – KLCC street lighting project, with an official lighting up ceremony of the new gantry and street lights which decorate the streets of Malaysia’s premier shopping district, from Suria KLCC to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, Sungei Wang Plaza and all the way to Berjaya Times Square.
The festive launch event saw hundreds of dance troupes from the various malls together with dancers dressed in traditional and fancy costumes lining-up the streets and performing a variety of Malaysia’s cultural dances for the enjoyment of invited guests, tourists, and shoppers. The RM2 million projects was a key initiative by the BBKLCC Tourism Association, supported by Tourism Malaysia and Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) to elevate the status of Kuala Lumpur, in particular the Bukit Bintang-KLCC shopping district as a world class shopping destination.
The new decorative street lights, coupled with the fully air-conditioned pedestrian bridge linking the Bukit Bintang area to KLCC will further demarcate the whole BBKLCC shopping district as a world class shopping haven, rivaling other renowned shopping districts in the region, such as Orchard Road in Singapore. In addition, the lights will give an added feeling of warmth and security to visitors, as well as being a tourist attraction in itself.
The BBKLCC Tourism Association was formed in September 2011 to coordinate the marketing and promotional activities, as well as the development of the shopping precinct into a major tourist shopping destination.