Australian arrivals to Malaysia have risen consistently throughout the year. In the month of June, there were 31,651 Australian visitors, contributing to an overall figure of 194,861 for the first half of 2008.

Director of Tourism Malaysia Sydney, Shahrin Mokhtar, says the encouraging figures recorded from Australia have maintained its position as one of the top 10 countries travelling to Malaysia.

Currently, Singapore maintains its position as the largest tourist generating market for Malaysia, with 976,873 arrivals in June alone. Arrivals from Singapore between January and June totalled 5,475,930.

“Our plans to continue working with neighbouring countries, Singapore and Thailand, along with their national carriers, will help in our joint efforts to promote the unique qualities of the region as a whole,” says Shahrin.

“This is to effectively cater to the increasing trend of Australian travellers to not just see one particular country when they travel, but several in the chosen region.

“Time is always of the essence, especially among young professionals, and increasingly, these travellers are becoming selective on what they see, where and within a tight time frame.

“Soon, travellers will be seeing even more packages promoting the three countries - Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand,” says Shahrin.