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Wonderful Malaysia

Hari Raya Haji in Malaysia

Many, especially the non-Muslims, wonder what exactly Hari Raya Haji is, why there are two Hari Rayas and why Hari Raya Haji is important enough to be observed as a public holiday. If you are in the dark or have always wondered but not bothered enough to Google why, read on for a ‘crash course’ on Hari Raya Haji (also known as Hari Raya Aidiladha).

Traditionally, any Muslim who does not have any financial or physical constraints is required to make a trip at least once in their lifetime to the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for the haj pilgrimage event. After the pilgrimage, the title of ‘haji’ will be given to the men and ‘hajjah’ to the women. The day Hari Raya Haji is celebrated marks the end of the pilgrimage, indicating that Hari Raya Haji is indeed a festival and a day to celebrate those who have visited the holy city and completed their pilgrimage.

Hari Raya Haji 1

During the Haj period, tens of thousands of Muslims swarm the holy city of Mecca to perform specific rituals, one of which is walking counter-clockwise seven times around the Ka’abah, which is a cube-shaped structure covered with a black cloth that symbolizes the Muslim prayer direction. Devotees also kiss the black stone at the corner of Ka’abah, move back and forth between Al-Safe and Al-Marway, drink from the Zam Zam well, stand at Mount Arafar, throw stones, shave their heads and lastly, sacrifice an animal before concluding the rituals of Hari Raya Haji.

The sacrifice slaughtering doesn’t only take place in Mecca but at almost every mosque in the country. The sacrifice typically takes place at around 11a.m. until noon. The sacrifice of an animal is done to honour Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ismail, as a sign of respect to the God. The child’s life was spared at the very last moment when God took Ismail’s place and gave.

Hari Raya Haji 2

Korban (“slaughter”) will only be performed by a male devotee. Usually, cows will be slaughtered but at times, goats are sacrificed as well. Individuals or families who can afford to contribute an animal will purchase one and donate it to the mosque; at times even the state government contributes too. To minimize the suffering of the animal, the slaughtering process is done swiftly. A prayer is made during the sacrifice; it is believed that toxins will be eliminated from the animal upon recital of the prayers. A portion of the meat is kept for the family while the others are distributed to the local community, especially to those in need.

While Hari Raya Aidilfitri is celebrated on a grander scale with new clothes, cookies and delicacies, Hari Raya Haji is a quieter affair celebrated to commemorate the sacrifices made by the prophet.

Below the Hari Raya Haji dates for the next few years:

26 October, 2012
15 October, 2013
05 October, 2014
24 September, 2015
13 September, 2016
2 September, 2017
22 August, 2018
12 August, 2019
31 July, 2020

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Wonderful Malaysia

Overall growth of tourist arrivals Malaysia

Malaysia recorded an overall growth of +1.2% tourist arrivals with 9,438,592 tourists for the first five months of 2012 as compared to 9,323,827 for the same period last year, according to the Tourism Minister, Dato’ Sri Dr. Ng Yen Yen. ASEAN region still contributed the largest number of tourists to Malaysia with 73.4% of the total arrivals. The positive growth come from Indonesia (+19.3%), Philippines (+41.7%), Vietnam (+35.2%), Myanmar (+6.9%) and Laos (+19.9%). Other notable progressive medium and long haul markets include Saudi Arabia (+50.7%), China (+34.1%), Japan (30.6%), Russia (25.8%), Kazakhstan (25.2%), Denmark (14.4%) and India (+7.8%).

Total receipts by tourists from January to May 2012 rose by +1.9%, generating RM21.8 billion to the country’s revenue as compared to RM21.4 billion in 2011. The tourists’ per capita expenditure for that period is estimated at RM 2,309 an increase of 0.7% as compared to RM 2,294 in 2011.

The minister added that in line with the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan 2020 towards achieving 36 million tourist and 168billion in receipts by 2020, it is important for Malaysia to shift its focus on growing yield per tourist rather than to rely heavily on growth in tourist arrivals. “To attract the higher yield segment, we will need to enhance connectivity to key priority markets.” For a start, Tourism Malaysia works to increase flight frequencies to 6 priority countries namely China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Taiwan besides developing an air-rights allocation framework to facilitate efficient development of these key routes and others.

One of the most successful programs that have been identified by the Ministry to develop rural based tourism is the Homestay Program. The tourism program recorded a significant increase with 38.4% of occupancy rate compared to 24.9% for the same period last year. A total of 133,689 tourists visited our homestay from January to May 2012 of which 110,322 were domestic tourists and the rest 23,367 were foreigners. This is a 70.7% increase compared to the same period last year where we only received 78,333 tourists. Tourist receipts from homestay program for the first five months of 2012 also proliferated to RM 7,376,446.50 (+53.1%) compared to RM4, 817,158.30 in January to May 2011. Increased spending by these tourists has stimulated the rural economy. The homestay tourism program has encouraged local communities to be a part of rural based tourism whilst maintaining their traditions and identities.

Recognized as one of the National Key Economic Areas, the tourism industry remains as one of the major contributor to Gross National Income, foreign exchange earnings and employment. In 2011, tourism ranked seventh (7th) largest contributor with a GNI total of USD12.3billion and the third (3rd) largest foreign exchange earner after manufacturing and palm oil. The Malaysian tourism industry in 2010 provided 1.8 million jobs (15.9%, share of employment in tourism to total employment). Amongst the 12 Entry Point Projects are duty free shopping, luxury tourism, designating KLCC–Bukit Bintang area as a vibrant shopping precinct, improving business tourism and increasing the supply of 4 5 star hotel rooms, etc.

The percentage on tourist shopping recorded from January to May 2012 shows 32.3% (RM7.04 billion) of the total tourist receipts. This is an increase compared to 30% last year. The covered walkway connecting Bukit Bintang and KLCC completed early this year to facilitate shopping has shown a positive impact.

To attract high yield tourists, we need quality four five star hotel rooms. Currently there are 59,804 four five star hotel rooms available in Malaysia. By 2020, 37,000 additional four five star hotel rooms are required. The Ministry of Tourism targets to increase 3000 four five star hotel rooms in Malaysia as at end 2012. Currently 71% of the target is achieved with 2,123 rooms completed. The government’s liberalization policies and lucrative tax incentives have resulted in domestic and foreign investments on hospitality assets across Malaysia.

Malaysia has premised itself as a world class destination for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). The Malaysia Convention Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) successfully secured 33 major events throughout January to May 2012, attracting total delegates of 50,770 and generating an estimated economic impact of RM499.9 mil. The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) Rankings 2011 ranked Kuala Lumpur number 21 in the world and number 5 in Asia Pacific. Malaysia ranked number 29 in the world and number 7 in Asia Pacific.

Domestic tourism is also another important part of Malaysia’s tourism industry. The number of domestic tourists in 2011 increased 15.7% (45,731,000 as compared with 39,539,000 in 2010). In 2011, the spending by domestic tourists was RM27.0 billion, registering a 13.9% increase as against RM23.7 billion spent in 2010. This is the success of the “Cuti Cuti 1Malaysia” Campaign.

In order to grow the tourism industry, efforts have been intensified towards enhancing existing tourism products and developing new, creative and innovative tourism products. This included the “1Malaysia International Shoe Festival 2012?, “1Malaysia International Tourism Exchange 2012?, “1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism 2012? and the recently concluded “1Malaysia International Tourism Night Floral Parade 2012?.

The Ministry of Tourism’s ‘Malaysia: Truly Asia’ branding is recognized worldwide and the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has ranked Malaysia the ninth most traveled to destination in the world.

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World Hajj & Umrah Convention 2012

The World Hajj Convention will host UK, Europe and Saudi Arabia’s foremost Hajj Umrah service providers, showcasing their commitment to the development of the Hajj Umrah industry.

Be inspired by an international array of esteemed speakers of academicians, government representatives, religious leaders and other leading figures; who will deliver cutting edge insight into the future of Jeddah, Makkah and Medina.

Workshops and Seminars will provide a wide intellectual platform for participants to interact and partake in open discussion on related topics, exchanging ideas and suggestions, making it the most comprehensive and unique travel event in the UK

The WHUC has been structured to be held over a two day weekend programme during February 2012; comprising of the main conference, business to business networking event, Hajj Excellence awards ceremony, trade exhibition areas and a World exclusive Hajj exposition presented by the British Museum.
 

For more information, please visit http://whuc.org