KUALA LUMPUR– The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Campaign is no longer solely about holidays when, for the first time ever, Tourism Malaysia collaborates with Malaysian Crafts and other agencies under MOTAC to inject a new perspective in promoting domestic tourism through the merger local craft, art, culture and heritage activities.

Themed "Crafting Holidays", the organization of the Malaysian Holidays Carnival (KCCM) 2024 which takes place from 25-27 October 2024 at the Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex, not only offers more than 200 sales of travel packages with discounts ranging from 15 to 50 percent, but also serves a variety of demonstrations and sales of heritage crafts and food.

Also launched is the Craft Complex Package that offers group guided tours and interactive craft activities at four craft complexes, namely Kuala Lumpur Craft Complex, Langkawi Craft Complex, Johor Craft Complex and Melaka Craft Complex. 

All of the local craft centers have their own attractions including components such as the Craft Sales Center, the Heritage Craft Museum and Gallery, the Craft Village, the Painter's Village, the Craft Ethno Park and the Kelulut Honey Park. In addition, visitors can also witness or participate in interactive craft demonstrations and activities such as rattan weaving, batik craft, ceramics, copper tooling and kompang making.

To make it easier for tourists to plan vacations and get craft products in each state, the Craft On The Go (COTG) application can also be downloaded and used by users to find out information about entrepreneur profiles, product details, sales center locations (outlets) and social media accounts. them.

Tuan Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture said that, since 1999, Tourism Malaysia has been promoting the branding of the Malaysia Holidays campaign which aims to invite Malaysians to take holidays within the country in a planned manner by taking advantage of special package offers promoted during organization of tourism sales fairs.

He said, the organization of KCCM 2024, which offers a unique experience in craft, art, culture and local heritage activities, is expected to boost domestic tourism (interstate and intrastate) and thus stimulate domestic visitor visits as well as an increase in tourist arrivals ahead of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

"In 2024, the ministry has set a target of 221 million domestic visitors with an expected domestic expenditure of RM92.7 billion. As of January until June 2024, the performance of domestic tourism recorded a positive development when 127 million domestic visitors were recorded with a domestic tourism expenditure of RM52.2 billion.

"This figure is targeted to continue to increase to 241 million visitors in 2025 and further to 261 million people in 2026 with expected domestic tourism expenditure reaching RM115.2 billion," he said.

Among the tourism packages offered to visitors include adventure activities such as heritage tours, water sports, scuba diving, birding and stargazing as well as accommodation packages, nature, theme parks and cultural experiences.

In addition to featuring the classic Malay village-themed Pasar Saloma with more than 30 stalls offering a variety of traditional dishes, pastries and craft products, visitors also have the opportunity to witness artist performances, cultural dances, flying roti canai shows, teh tarik and lucky draw activities.

KCCM 2024 is also organized by the Department of National Heritage, the Department of Culture and Arts, Istana Budaya, the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA), the National Visual Arts Development Board and Hotel Seri Malaysia and is supported by ASTRO, Star Media Group, Zoomer Media, Prowangsa, Advance Sign Indicator (ASI) and KL Hop-On-Hop-Off (HOHO).