IN BRIEF ABOUT MALAYSIA

Photo Contributed by nationsonline.org

To know Malaysia is to love Malaysia - a bubbling, bustling melting-pot of races and religions where Malays, Indians, Chinese and many other ethnic groups live together in peace and harmony. Our multiculturalism has made Malaysia a gastronomical paradise and home to hundreds of colorful festivals. It's no wonder that we love celebrating and socializing. As a people, Malaysians are very relaxed, warm and friendly. 

Geographically, Malaysia is almost as diverse as its culture. 11 states and 2 federal territories (Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya) form Peninsular Malaysia which is separated by the South China Sea from East Malaysia which includes the 2 states (Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo) and a third federal territory, the island of Labuan. 

One of Malaysia's key attractions is its extreme contrasts which further add to this theme of ‘diversity’. Towering skyscrapers look down upon wooden houses built on stilts while five-star hotels sit just meters away from ancient reefs. Rugged mountains reach dramatically for the sky while their rain forest-clad slopes sweep down to floodplains teeming with forest life. Cool highland hideaways roll down to warm, sandy beaches and rich, humid mangroves. 

In conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014, Pengembara Bebas team will travel to all corners of the country to find interesting places that can be visited.  For the perfect holiday full of surprises, the time is now, the place is Malaysia!

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND LET'S WORKING FOR VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR 2014

 Official Visit Malaysia Year 2014 Logo

Pengembara Bebas team wishes all readers and members of the travel community a Happy New Year! 2014 is here and with it the most anticipated moment for the travel and tourism sector – Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Being the fourth Visit Malaysia Year, there are high hopes for this edition to perform far better than the previous ones.

Performance by street busker KKSY Percussion

“Wunderbar!” Marcel, Andreas, Delano, Vroni, Andrew, Dan, Bethany - All From Germany And UK Enjoying The Celebration At Dataran Merdeka

Dataran Merdeka (Independent Square) came alive with bright lights, thumping music and energetic performers as tourists and  locals celebrated the launch of Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014. The historic square was transformed into a concert venue with a huge stage and a size-able crowd had built up by 8pm despite a persistent drizzle. Besides various exhibition booths and food stalls, which opened for business from 10am, the crowd was treated to performances by clowns, stilt-walkers, buskers and soccer freestyles.

Other performers for VMY 2014 Grand Launch; Awie, Amy Search, Nash, Azlan & The Typewriter and Hafiz

The launching ceremony culminated in a dazzling display of fireworks, cultural performances and dances close to midnight. Popular artistes included Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, Datuk Jamal Abdillah and Amy Search, while LimKokWing University students performed the VMY 2014 theme song.

Robotic Dance Performance by “Permata Hati Negara”

In his speech, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz called on all Malaysians to join hands in unity to make VMY 2014 a great success. He pointed to the ministry’s “We are the Host” campaign, noting that the acronym HOST (Heart, Open, Smile, Together), formed the essence of being a great host by welcoming tourists with open arms and helping them bring home pleasant memories.

The Awesome Celebration Ushering In The VMY 2014 Grand Launch

“In order to achieve our targets of attracting 28 million tourists and generating RM76bil tourist receipts in 2014, let us begin by welcoming the world with our open hearts and minds,” he said. He added that this year’s theme, “Celebrating 1Malaysia, Truly Asia”, was a reflection of the nation’s rich cultural and heritage diversity, as well as its peace, stability and warm Malaysian hospitality.

The Proboscis Monkey, The Official Mascot Of Visit Malaysia Year 2014 

Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri said the proboscis monkey, the official mascot, was chosen to raise awareness on the importance of wildlife and nature conservation. “It will also serve to instill interest among tourists towards the gift of nature as a national tourism asset,” and over 600 international tour packages, 1,001 domestic tour packages and over 200 major events had been prepared for Visit Malaysia 2014 these included the Fabulous Food 1Malaysia, 1Malaysia GP Sale, 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival, Rainforest World Music Festival and Il Divo’s “A Musical Affair” concert.

Sayang Kinabalu Land Of Hornbill Dance Performance

For sports lovers, they could enjoy events including the CIMB Golf Classic, Royal Langkawi International Regatta, Ironman Asia Pacific at Langkawi and Putrajaya, World Wrestling Entertainment, Petronas Malaysia Formula 1 Grand Prix and the inaugural FIA Formula e-Race. He added that there was also an “endless parade” of cultural activities such as Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas Open Houses and Colours of 1Malaysia. “From the depths of our magnificent seas and coasts to the heights of our mountain ranges, mega bio-diversities and 130-million-year-old rainforests, we have formulated something for everyone to enjoy, be it in our cities, towns or rural outskirts”.

The Building Mapping Show On The Facade Of Sultan Abdul Samad Building Is The One Of Its Kind To Be Held In The Building

We at Pengembara Bebas will be doing our part by providing the best content on all aspects related to travel   in Malaysia so that the world out there gets to learn how great a holiday destination Malaysia is. We hope you will join hands with us and share your knowledge of travel in Malaysia  by commenting on our posts or  conntributing posts to us to promote Malaysia to the rest of the world. With that said, let’s welcome the New Year with the hope that Visit Malaysia Year 2014 will be a success.