GEORGE TOWN, Aug 2 — Malaysia is confident of achieving its targeted 28 million tourist arrivals for Visit Malaysia Year 2014 despite the recent incidents such as kidnappings and plane crashes involving the country, said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He believed that the country is still on track to achieve its target although many felt those incidents, including the Flight MH17 tragedy last month, will affect tourist arrivals.

“I would like to report that we are on track because tourist arrivals between January and May this year have increased by 10 per cent to 11 per cent each month compared to the same period last year,” he said when delivering his speech at the launch of the George Town Festival (GTF) 2014 at Dewan Sri Pinang here.

He said the country’s target by 2020 is to achieve RM168 billion in tourism revenue and to reach 36 million tourist arrivals.

“GTF is undeniably the festival that is one of the top tourist attractions not only in the country but in the region,” he said.

This year, the Tourism Ministry allocated a RM750,000 grant to the festival and partnered with GTF for the first time.

“I am pleased that agencies under my ministry has partnered with GTF and I’m proud to be a part of this successful event,” he said.

He said the ministry’s support for the festival is in line with the country’s Visit Malaysia Year 2014 in its efforts to draw more tourists to Malaysia.

He added that Malaysia is also aware of the importance of the arts and hoped to establish the country as a reputable art destination through its 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism (1MCAT) programme.

Nazri also commended Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for putting Penang on the forefront of tourism.

“I fully support what he has planned for Penang so Lim, I will work with you and support your plans to ensure Penang remains as a top tourist destination not only in Malaysia but also in Asean,” he said.

He noted that tourist arrivals to Penang also increased as the domestic arrivals were 268,000 while international arrivals were 196,000 between January and February this year.

“This means there was an increase of 33.4 per cent for domestic arrivals and 8.23 per cent for international arrivals,” he said.

Later, Lim thanked Nazri for supporting GTF with the funding and hoped that the ministry will continue to work together with the state government in support of the annual event and also other tourism programmes.

GTF is a month-long festival, starting on August 1, of art exhibitions, performances and various events held in George Town in celebration of the inscription of George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Find out more about GTF events at www.georgetownfestival.com.

Malaysia experienced two air disasters — MH370 in March and MH17 last month — since the start of the year as well as repeated incidents of abduction in the east coast of Sabah.