Special ‘Malaysia Pass’ programme for Korean golfers

KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism Ministry has introduced the “Malaysia Pass” programme for South Korean golfers designed to provide them with access to 30 golf courses and 15 resorts in Malaysia.

The golf courses are in Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Baharu, Melaka and Penang, its Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said in a statement issued to Bernama here yesterday.

The minister is on a working visit to South Korea and Japan to promote Malaysia as a tourist destination.

Tengku Adnan said the Malaysia Pass programme was flexible and could be tailor-made to include Korean-speaking guides and optional holiday destinations such as Langkawi, Pangkor, Terengganu, and Tioman.

He said Malaysia has more than 200 golf courses and those in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Kota Kinabalu were popular with South Korean golfers.

Tengku Adnan said that many of the Korean golfers were also interested in the “Malaysia My Second Home” programme.

As such, he said, his ministry and Tourism Malaysia were continuously promoting programmes like homestay, student tours, health and wellness, spa, golfing beaches and islands in Malaysia.

“In the context of tourist arrivals, last year, Malaysia received a total of 189,464 South Korean visitors. This is an increase of 19.8 per cent from the previous year.

“This year (January to February), Malaysia recorded 41,595 South Korean tourists which is a growth of 12.8 per cent from the corresponding period last year,” he said.