Visit Truly Asia Malaysia 2020 or more commonly referred to as Visit Malaysia 2020, brings out the best of what Malaysia has to offer to the world in a single, event-packed year. The year 2020 holds a special place in the heart of all Malaysians as we reflect and celebrate all our successes and challenges in transforming a once colonial land, into a thriving, multi-cultural and dynamic country.
While Malaysia has previously hosted four Visit Malaysia year since 1990, the upcoming Visit Malaysia 2020 will be held with a renewed vigour and passion. The focus on hornbill, batik, our national flower and the multi-colour theme reflect our desire look deep within, appreciate what we have, and showcase it to the world with pride.
Introduction
For a country rich in culture and natural wonders as our beloved Malaysia, tourism can certainly be a great economic pillar. Improving the sustainability of tourism, arts and culture in Malaysia is thus a responsibility of paramount importance. Each element in the logo individually showcases the diversity of experiences a tourist may embark on only on Malaysian soil. In addition to giving foreign tourists a taste of Malaysia’s bountiful offerings, the features in the logo also urges local Malaysians to advocate the preservation of our country’s identity as the nation moves forward in this fast-moving era of globalisation.
Design Elements
The style of the logo is inspired by Malaysian Batik. The magnificent rhinoceros hornbill is perched on the left side of the logo. The iconic bird illustrates the unique fauna and eco-adventures that Malaysia has to offer. A red hibiscus adorns the top right of the logo. In the national language, Bahasa Malaysia, the hibiscus is known as “bunga raya”, loosely translated to “flower of celebration”. The flower encapsulates the celebration of cultural diversity in Malaysia. The wild fern below the hibiscus is locally known as “paku pakis”. The edible plant is a favourite among Malaysians of all races, and is apt to represent the unique flavours of Malaysian cuisine.
Colours
The main colours blue, red and yellow used in the logo represent the colours of the national flag, Jalur Gemilang. The orange colour illustrates the year-round sunshine Malaysia receives. Lastly, the green colour represents the abundance of nature in Malaysia. The brilliance of these colours is eye-catching, and invites the onlooker to take a closer look.
From The Very Beginning
The Visit Malaysia Year promotional campaign has came a long way, with its very first edition back in 1990. It was something that most Malaysians would remember till today.
Visit Malaysia Year 1990
With that unforgettable song, Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) was first launched in 1990 with the theme “Fascinating Malaysia. Year of Festivals”. The campaign was a huge success with Malaysia charting 7.4 million in tourist arrivals compared to 4.8 million in 1989. To enable tourists to easily recognize Malaysia, the orang utan, the endangered species found in East Malaysia was used as a mascot and it was named Wira. Apart from it, Kuala Lumpur’s famous landmark, Sultan Abdul Samad building was featured as the official Visit Malaysia Year 1990 logo. Malaysia’s Independence Day on August 31 was the anchor for 84 major events, 14 festivals and nine exhibitions during VMY 1990.
Visit Malaysia Year 1994
“Fascinating Malaysia. Naturally More” with 10.22 million in tourist arrivals. The success of VMY 1990 spurred another VMY in 1994. This time around, the theme was “Fascinating Malaysia. Naturally More”. VMY 1994 maintained its words “Fascinating Malaysia” for the theme but injected a punch line “Naturally More” to reflect more exciting things and events lined up for that year.
Visit Malaysia Year 2007
“Malaysia Truly Asia” and 20.97 million in tourist arrivals
The third VMY was launched in 2007 in conjunction with Malaysia’s 50th Independence Anniversary. Hence, the theme “Celebrating 50 years of Nationhood” was most befitting to reflect this important anniversary celebration. Efforts were also intensified in all advertising and promotional activities, including the call for action “The time is now. The place is Malaysia” together with its successful and impactful slogan “Malaysia Truly Asia”.
In line with the 50th Independence Anniversary, over 200 events across the country with 50 major events were held to showcase Malaysia’s wealth of tourism attractions. All in all, VMY 2007 charted a tremendous success beyond expectations with 20.97 million in tourist arrivals and RM46.1 billion in tourist receipts. This means a rise of 3.42 million and RM9.8 billion from the previous year.
Visit Malaysia Year 2014
“Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia” with more than 28 million tourists
In 2014, Malaysia celebrated its fourth Visit Malaysia Year with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia” to reflect the diversity in unity of all Malaysians. The Proboscis Monkey had been chosen as the mascot while the promotional campaign has started in 2013 with a series of year-long special events and activities leading to VMY 2014.
Year of Festivals 2015
The year 2015 was known as the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFEST) 2015. Continuing the momentum and efforts of Visit Malaysia Year 2014, MyFEST 2015 is set to make Malaysia the top-of-the-mind tourist destination, encouraging tourists to stay longer in order to enjoy the festival offerings nationwide. Themed “Endless Celebrations”, the year-long calender is packed with festivities of every genre; for instance cultural festivals, shopping extravanganzas, international acclaimed events, eco-tourism events, arts, music showcases, food promotion and other themed events.
Malaysia Truly Asia
“Malaysia, Truly Asia” captures and defines the essence of the country’s unique diversity. It sums up the distinctiveness and allure of Malaysia that make it an exceptional tourist destination.
More on the official launch of Visit Malaysia 2020 Campaign Logo.