Sizzling start to VMY 2007
January 13th 2007 22:15
extracted from news straits times malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia finally opened her doors to the world in style.
With the push of a button, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveiled a 60-metre high Ferris wheel, dubbed "Eye on Malaysia", to mark the opening of the much anticipated Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 campaign.
A year of intense marketing and RM200 million later, the campaign took off with a big bang as hundreds of thousands of Malaysians watched Taman Tasik Titiwangsa sizzle under colourful fireworks.
The rain failed to dampen the spirit of people from all walks of life who took the opportunity to showcase to the world that Malaysia celebrates everything as one nation.
For the record, this is the third such campaign to be held. The first VMY in 1990 attracted 7.45 million tourists and earned RM4.5 billion. The second in 1994 resulted in 7.13 million visitors but earned a whopping RM8.3 billion.
The VMY this year is themed "One Golden Celebration" as it is held in conjunction with the golden jubilee celebration of 50 years of nationhood.
A "Colours of Malaysia" concert, aptly named to represent the multicultural society, featured popular artistes, including Anita Sarawak, Sheila Majid and Michael Wong.
The concert also featured a fusion dance of the different cultures of Malaysia, followed by the Malaysian theme song, accompanied by an extravagant firework display.
A special guest appearance by two Malaysian astronaut candidates, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar and Dr Faiz Khaleed, who came to meet the prime minister, was well received by the crowd.
The prime minister’s entourage later boarded a special boat that took them across the lake for an opportunity to hop on to the country’s largest observation wheel to get a bird's eye view of the city.
The wheel is one of the 50 major activities prepared in the hope that tourists will arrive in droves.
The campaign also offers over 200 tourism events, including shopping carnivals, aerospace and pyrotechnic shows, which are expected to generate some RM44.5 billion from a total of 20.1 million visitors this year.
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia finally opened her doors to the world in style.
With the push of a button, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveiled a 60-metre high Ferris wheel, dubbed "Eye on Malaysia", to mark the opening of the much anticipated Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2007 campaign.
A year of intense marketing and RM200 million later, the campaign took off with a big bang as hundreds of thousands of Malaysians watched Taman Tasik Titiwangsa sizzle under colourful fireworks.
The rain failed to dampen the spirit of people from all walks of life who took the opportunity to showcase to the world that Malaysia celebrates everything as one nation.
For the record, this is the third such campaign to be held. The first VMY in 1990 attracted 7.45 million tourists and earned RM4.5 billion. The second in 1994 resulted in 7.13 million visitors but earned a whopping RM8.3 billion.
The VMY this year is themed "One Golden Celebration" as it is held in conjunction with the golden jubilee celebration of 50 years of nationhood.
A "Colours of Malaysia" concert, aptly named to represent the multicultural society, featured popular artistes, including Anita Sarawak, Sheila Majid and Michael Wong.
The concert also featured a fusion dance of the different cultures of Malaysia, followed by the Malaysian theme song, accompanied by an extravagant firework display.
A special guest appearance by two Malaysian astronaut candidates, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar and Dr Faiz Khaleed, who came to meet the prime minister, was well received by the crowd.
The prime minister’s entourage later boarded a special boat that took them across the lake for an opportunity to hop on to the country’s largest observation wheel to get a bird's eye view of the city.
The wheel is one of the 50 major activities prepared in the hope that tourists will arrive in droves.
The campaign also offers over 200 tourism events, including shopping carnivals, aerospace and pyrotechnic shows, which are expected to generate some RM44.5 billion from a total of 20.1 million visitors this year.
opening ceremony clip from YouTube
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