Chris Evans, Managing Director, New Horizons Holidays

Local Australian operator wins award for excellence

Tourism Malaysia has announced the 2010/2011 winners of the prestigious Malaysia Tourism Awards, with local WA tour operator New Horizons Holidays among the award recipients.

The winners collected their awards in front of the King and Queen of Malaysia, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Haminah Hamidun and Tourism Minister Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, at an awards ceremony in Kuala Lumpur in late December 2011.

New Horizons Holidays won the Innovative Foreign Tour Operator award, for the Oceania region. This is the second time New Horizons Holidays has received this prestigious accolade, and is a reflection of the company’s dedication to providing unique holiday experiences in Malaysian destinations including Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Sabah, and Sarawak. The award was received by Managing Director, Chris Evans (picture attached).

A total of 39 recipients were presented with awards for excellence, across a range of tourism sectors including hotels, tour operators, MICE and media. Individual recipients included food ambassador Datuk Redzuawan Ismail (popularly known as Chef Wan) and internationally-acclaimed shoe designer Prof Dato’ Jimmy Choo, who were awarded the Minister of Tourism’s Special Award for promoting Malaysia abroad.

At the awards ceremony, Tourism Minister Dato’ Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen urged industry players to practice sustainable Green Tourism in an effort to grow the industry without sacrificing nature, culture, or heritage. In recent years the Ministry of Tourism has developed standalone community based ecotourism products and destinations, including the homestay programme which was launched in 1995 and is continuing to grow in both scope and popularity.

For more information on Malaysia please visit www.tourismmalaysia.com.au or www.facebook.com/tourismmalaysiaaustralia

For a full list of winners from the 2010/2011 Malaysia Tourism Awards please visit http://www.tourism.gov.my/_img/events_festival/attachment/MalaysiaTourismAwards.pdf