Selangor showcased its array of unique experiences and over 100 events and festivals at ITB Berlin 2024
ITB Berlin News spoke with Azrul Shah Mohamad, the CEO of Tourism Selangor, about the Malaysian state’s wide range of experiences and events
The state highlighted its original multi-segment offerings with the “Splendid Selangor Take Me Anywhere” campaign it promoted at ITB Berlin this year.
What were Selangor Tourism’s objectives at ITB Berlin this year?
We promoted our campaign “Splendid Selangor Take Me Anywhere” for the international market, highlighting the fact that Selangor has more than 100 events and festivals planned such as the Wings of Kuala Kubu Bharu in Hulu Selangor bird watching event, a beach festival, a half marathon, the Ban Canl Carnival, and lots of other events throughout the year. By the end of 2024 we are targeting 5.6 million tourists.
We also showcased our Visit Selangor Year 2025 initiative for next year, under which we are looking to attract seven million tourists. We need to start this year with promotion and by creating brand awareness and we did that at ITB Berlin, a show we absolutely could not miss. So many countries and regions are represented at ITB Berlin and with our presence we looked to inform people that Selangor is in Malaysia and has a lot to offer in and of itself.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport is in Selangor so when people come to Malaysia, they are actually already in Selangor. That’s why we want to make them aware of the wider region and everything it has to offer.
A compelling reason to visit Selangor and Malaysia in general right now is the favourable currency exchange rate for European and other global tourists, which makes it a very good bargain
How is Selangor promoting itself as a compelling destination?
Selangor is the most developed state in Malaysia and has nine unique districts, all of which have unique offerings across multiple segments. For the global market, we are now concentrating on certain segments like ecotourism, agrotourism, arts and culture, and food tourism, as well as theme parks, and adventure tourism offerings.
There are lots of countries and regions offering ecotourism, but we strive to include elements of experiential tourism as well. This means that when visitors come to Selangor, they can stay with the villagers, and can be a part of their families, and they can participate in unique experiences like firefly watching.
Another compelling reason to visit Selangor and Malaysia in general right now is the favourable currency exchange rate for European and other global tourists, which makes it a very good bargain and stretches visitors’ budgets, allowing them to stay longer.
Food tourism is also a major point of interest and is becoming bigger and bigger because Selangor has everything from traditional food to fusion food, and that is very appealing to international tourists.
How is Selangor leveraging digital platforms to attract visitors?
We have an app, GoSelangor and we also use social media in addition to our website, selangor.travel.com, which offers lots of places to visit and suggestions about what to do.
Balancing development and sustainability
Mr Mohamad emphasised the delicate equilibrium between sustainability and encouraging tourism investments in the region. “We want to balance nature, tourism and development,” he said. “In Selangor we protect the environment and at the same time try to encourage investments in the region.” Several tourist developments in Selangor strike that balance, such as the Avani Sepang Goldcoast Resort, which is set on a pristine beach, as well as developments on the preserved island of Pulau Ketam, and the Ampang Lookout Point over Kuala Lumpur.
