GENTING HIGHLANDS, Jan 28 — The government is continually embarking on various measures to improve and upgrade tourist offerings as well as services in order to enhance Malaysia’s attractiveness and competitiveness, said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

He said that at the same time, government officials would continue to seek collaboration, participation and cooperation from the private sector to help accelerate the overall competitiveness in the tourism and hospitality industry.

“These days, visitors are very knowledgeable, well-travelled and their exposure to tourists’ destinations is comprehensive.

“Besides enjoying the luxury of ambience and excellent service standards, they want fresh and unique experiences to complement their holidays”, he said when officiating at the Hasbro Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014 at the Arena of Stars here today.

The minister stressed that tourism was a catalyst and key pillar in the economic development and transformation of the country.

Mohamed Nazri explained that the tourism industry was Malaysia’s second largest foreign exchange earner after manufactured goods and the seventh largest contributor to the national economy.

“This sustainable and high-yield sector will continue to drive Malaysia’s economy, providing income and opportunities to the people,” he said.

Commenting on the expo, Mohamed Nazri expressed his confidence that it can be considered as one of the major events to kick off celebrations for Visit Year Malaysia 2014.

“Since the inception of Transformers, only 27 international expos have been held all over the world so far and the expo in Malaysia is the largest to date in Asia,” he said.

The Transformers Expo Malaysia 2014 will be held for 17 days, from Jan 31 until Feb 16, at the Arena of Stars here.

Over 1,520 collectibles and memorabilia contributed by the Malaysian Transformers fans who call themselves TransMy are to be showcased at the exhibition along with two main characters, namely the 23-feet Optimus Prime and 18-feet Bumble Bee, both worth nearly RM2 million.

Tickets are priced at RM45 for children between four and 12 and RM55 for adults. — Bernama