Malaysia woos Saudi tourists, students

Malaysia has become a major destination for Saudi tourists as more than 87,000 Saudis visited the country last year, said Muhammad Khalid Abbasi Abdul Razak, Malaysia's consul general in Jeddah, on Wednesday.

Addressing a reception on the consulate premises to mark Malaysia’s 54th National Day, he said more than 2,000 Saudis are currently pursuing higher studies in his country. He disclosed plans to hold an exhibition of Malaysian universities in Jeddah.

Abdul Razak underscored the deep-rooted relations between Saudi Arabia and his country. “Both countries share similar, if not identical, positions on many international and regional issues…We also enjoy excellent cooperation in numerous fields,” he said.

He thanked the Saudi government for hosting thousands of Malaysian pilgrims who come for Haj and Umrah every year. This year about 30,000 Malaysians are expected to perform Haj.

“Trade and investment still remains as the major cornerstone of Saudi-Malaysian relations,” the diplomat said. In 2010, bilateral trade reached $2.96 billion, up 35.1 percent from 2009. Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s 19th largest trading partner globally.

“It is heartening to note that in 2010, export from Malaysia to Saudi Arabia witnessed an increase of 10.9 percent compared to 2009. I am optimistic that our long standing bilateral ties in trade and investment, including in tourism and education, can be further expanded and diversified through partnership between the public and private sectors,” he said.

The reception was attended by Muhammad Nabil Bokhari, chief of protocols at the Foreign Ministry’s branch office in Jeddah, members of the diplomatic corps in Jeddah as well as a large number of Malaysians including pilgrims who have come for Umrah.

Source - http://arabnews