Malaysia's tourism sector continues expand with visitors from the Middle East thronging to the Muslim-majority country, ensuring travel companies such as http://www.malaysia-hotelresorts.com a steady flow of high-end clients. According to Malaysia Tourism, the growing popularity of Malaysia as a holiday destination for Middle Eastern tourists is likely to lure as many as 300,000 visitors from the Gulf region in 2007.
"We are looking for 300,000 Arab tourists, and the number of visitors from the Gulf has risen phenomenally over the last few years," says Tuan Razali Tuan Omar, Malaysia Tourism's director for the Middle East and Iran.
About 190,000 tourists visited the predominantly Islamic nation from the Middle East in 2006. Saudi Arabia was the most prolific regional market for Malaysia, followed by the United Arab Emirates.
Local travel agents have benefited from the surge in Middle Eastern visitors - and the comprehensive online booking agency Malaysia Hotels-Resorts.com is one such company to reap the benefits.
Malaysia-HotelResorts.com offers dozens of accommodations from around the country that can be quickly found and booked via the World Wide Web based on instant verification and confirmation.
The increased trend of Middle Eastern tourists reflects an overall surge in international visitors. Malaysia Tourism estimates 20 million travelers will bring in US$12 billion in revenue in 2007. That figure is up from US$8.72 billion in 2005.
Many reasons account for the rapidly growing number of Middle Eastern tourists, including the fact that Muslim visitors do not require visas to travel to Malaysia and can stay up to three months upon arrival.
Malaysia Tourism has also promoted Arabic-language announcements at key travel points, and pushed tourism outfits and retailers to hire Arab-speaking staff.
The affordability of travel in Malaysia has also lured visitors from the Gulf. The cost of living in the Southeast Asian nation is relatively inexpensive, and accommodation at four and five-star hotels on average is about US$150 per night.
Worldwide travel by Muslim tourists has grown significantly because of increasing wealth in their communities, and they now account for 10% of the global tourism market - one of the fastest-growing segments. The amount Muslim visitors spend is also 10% to 50% higher than the average leisure or business traveler.
Whether it is a five-star resort with the ultimate in comfort and service, or basic accommodations for those on a tight budget, http://www.Malaysia-HotelResorts.com's easy-to-navigate website lists the most respected hotels throughout the country.