Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia’s newly appointed Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, revealed plans for the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY2014) campaign during his 9-day North American tour which included stops in Los Angeles, Vancouver and New York.

Highlights of the trip included the Minister’s announcement of the Proboscis Monkey as the official mascot of VMY2014. The animal, which is found only in the jungles of Borneo, is a strong and unique symbol of the Malaysian government’s recognition and commitment to nature, and part of their wildlife conservatory initiatives in 2014.

He was also pleased to promote upcoming attractions and openings in Malaysia, including the LEGOLANDO Water Park, which will open on October 21, 2013 adjacent to the LEGOLAND Malaysia theme park. The opening of the water park is the second part of the LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort project, which will be completed when the third piece, the hotel, makes its debut.

The tour ended in New York City with the launch of a digital billboard in the heart of Times Square, a first for Tourism Malaysia.

Visitors can look forward to a year of festivities and celebrations, all offering a kaleidoscope of colors and thrills to capture the true essence of Malaysia. An extensive line-up of over 200 world-class events, including 50 cultural events, to celebrate VMY2014 are being finalized to excite American and Canadian tourists to visit Malaysia.

VMY2014 is a global campaign that will be heavily promoted in key markets. The campaign aims to attract 28 million tourists to the country next year, in efforts to reach their target of 36 million tourist arrivals by the year 2020 as outlined in their Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan 2020. Source: eturbonews