The official launch of Visit Malaysia Year 2007 Campaign (VMY 2007) was officiated by YAB. Dato' Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, in Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, at midnight on New Year's Eve.
The VMY 2007 campaign is a marketing and promotion prelude to the actual Visit Malaysia Year 2007 which coincides with Malaysia's 50th year of independence. A major effort by the Ministry of Tourism to aggressively develop and market Malaysia as the preferred international tourist destination , it also aims to increase foreign tourist arrivals to the country.
The Ministry expects to attract more than 20 million tourist arrivals through the campaign. The official launch started at 8:00 pm with live and multimedia performances for the public. It culminated with the unveiling of the VMY 2007 logo and a countdown to the New Year followed by an eight-minute fireworks display.
Prior to the announcement of the launch of VMY 2007, the Ministry of Tourism had started an initiative called 'Malaysia Welcomes the World', a preparatory programme for Visit Malaysia Year 2007 to upgrade the hospitality skills of Malaysians nationwide. "The task of this MWW campaign is not for the Ministry of Tourism alone.
All Malaysians should rise to the occasion as we open our doors to welcome tourists from all over the world in 2007. We hope that during the auspicious year when we celebrate the golden jubilee of our country's independence, Malaysians can rightly feel proud of our achievements by inviting the world to our doorsteps and taking good care of those who come to visit us, "said YB Datuk Dr. Leo Michael Toyad, Minister of Tourism, Malaysia.
The Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Malaysia and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur were the main organizers of the official VMY 2007 launch event, with AmBank Group as the main sponsor and TV3 as the official broadcaster. This is the third Visit Malaysia Year campaign following two previous successful efforts in 1990 and 1994 to woo tourists to the country.