Dato Azizan Noordin, Tourism Malaysia's deputy director general, can see the charm of Rotorua for tourists. Photo / Ben Fraser
Dato Azizan Noordin, Tourism Malaysia's deputy director general, can see the charm of Rotorua for tourists. Photo / Ben Fraser
A Malaysian tourism boss charmed by the "natural beauty" of Rotorua and wider New Zealand is looking at ways to increase tourism between the two countries.
Dato Azizan Noordin, the deputy director general of Tourism Malaysia, spent time in Rotorua last week to look at what makes New Zealand sosuccessful in tourism.
"This was a good opportunity to see the place for myself as many people already travel to New Zealand, and more specifically Rotorua, to have a holiday.
"Rotorua has a lot of natural beauty as a destination so it is clear why so many people choose it as a tourist destination. The pure cultural experiences and warm interactions with Maori make Rotorua a unique place to visit," he said.
Mr Noordin was in Rotorua only for a couple of days. He said while his trip was fleeting, he was able to look at ways to encourage more travel between the two countries.
"This visit was primarily about strengthening the bond between New Zealand and Malaysian tourism. There is already quite a good number of New Zealand people visiting Malaysia but there is room to increase that.
"It is a two-way street. Yes, we want more Malaysian people coming to New Zealand for a holiday but we also want to see more New Zealand people coming to Malaysia."
