BMW MALAYSIAN OPEN 2012 ANNOUNCES TUN DR. MAHATHIR AS PATRON OF THE EVENT
Tun Dr. Mahathir Announced as Patron of the BMW Malaysian Open marks his support of its efforts to augment Malaysia as sports tourism haven.Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 22nd January 2012 - It was recently announced that the much anticipated third edition of the BMW Malaysian Open, a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tournament, will take place from the 27th February to 4th March 2012.Since its beginnings in 2010, the BMW Malaysian Open has showcased Malaysia to the world. Last year, the tournament drew over 7682 spectators from all over the world and was viewed by 300 million households worldwide. The third edition of this tournament will attract even more visitors both regionally and globally as it features an impressive line-up of stars including 7-times Grand Slam winner Venus Williams.Today, BMW Malaysian Open 2012 proudly announces Tun Dr. Mahathir as a Patron of this much anticipated event. The former Prime Minister is a strong supporter of bringing international sporting events here and envisions Malaysia as a premium tourist destination with focus on popular destinations such as Langkawi. Staging of a world-class event such as the BMW Malaysian Open continues to position the country's standing in the international sporting arena and the patronage of Tun Dr. Mahathir will certainly add to these efforts. This will be echoed by the tournament organizers planning event and player activities leading up to, and during the tournament making Langkawi a focal pointTun Dr. Mahathir, Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister and an International Brand Icon is a proud Kedahan and a visionary in showcasing the island of Langkawi to the world. His aspiration to make Langkawi an international sports tourism destination has created an influx of tourist since the mid-1990s.The island that been given the World Geopark status by UNESCO is also the pride and joy of an internationally heralded icon. The island most reputed as the perfect holiday retreat is growingly popular as a sports tourism destination playing host to international sporting events like Le Tour de Langkawi, Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge and the Royal Langkawi International Regatta.The close partnerships with the Ministry of Tourism and the Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) have paved the way to increasingly and actively promote world-class sports event such as The BMW Malaysian Open in support the country’s aims to become a major sports tourism destination in the Asia-Pacific region. It is for this reason that the BMW Malaysian Open will strongly work together with government agencies to promote the BMW Malaysian Open 2012 whilst showcasing Malaysia, with focus on Langkawi as an ideal tourist destination.Mr. Geoffrey Briscoe, Managing Director of BMW Malaysia said, “We are delighted to have been able to make this announcement as Tun Dr. Mahathir is certainly the country’s master brand builder as he is long credited with spearheading the phenomenal growth of Malaysia’s economy. We believe that this augurs well for the BMW Malaysian Open as we’ve set out to augment the Malaysian sports and tourism industry.”YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Abdul Razak Latiff, President of the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM) said, “This tournament has really established itself in its first 2 years and this in turn has aided the development of tennis in Malaysia and moves us towards being a key sports tourism destination in the world. I am really excited to have Tun Mahathir as patron of this tournament as his involvement will add an important element to the tournament and reinforces our efforts to bring more local and international attention to tennis here in Malaysia.”Mr. Keld Kristiansen, Executive Chairman, Carbon Worldwide said, “Bringing the Formula 1 to the shores of Malaysia was also a brainchild of Tun Dr. Mahathir as the sport was seen as an important instrument to promote Malaysia to the world with more than 300 television stations who telecast the race. The BMW Malaysian Open is certainly an extension of this effort at it is set to become another premiere sporting event in the country.”Sports tourism in the country currently accounts for RM5 billion per year. It is set to become one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry, which received a revenue of RM56.5 billion (USD18 billion) last year.The Ministry of Tourism has targeted to improve the country's position to be within the top 10, in terms of global tourist receipts in 2015. To achieve this target, the Government is set to attract a larger share of high-yield travellers and to capture a bigger share of high growth segments. The BMW Malaysian Open resonates this ambition and its close partnerships with the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth and Sports clearly underlines these efforts.The BMW Malaysian Open 2012 will be held at the plush Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Resort where 32 of the world’s leading players will compete for the singles title and 16 teams for the doubles title, in a knockout competition format. They will compete for a prize-purse of USD220, 000.The Event is promoted and organized by Carbon Worldwide Worldwide Sdn Bhd in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Malaysia and sanctioned by the Lawn Tennis Association of Malaysia (LTAM).