KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) is considering replacing its popular promotion slogan “Malaysia: Truly Asia” but the Tourism and Culture Minister himself is not having anything to do with it.

“Out of the question!” Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said in a text message to The Edge Financial Daily.

However, in a brief to bidders last May, Tourism Malaysia had called for proposals for a new branding exercise to replace the 15-year-old award-winning theme, as well as the “Cuti-Cuti 1Malaysia” campaign, which is targeted at domestic tourism.

According to sources, the change is expected to take place once the new recipients of the Tourism Ministry’s creative, advertising and promotions contracts reveal their proposals to the Board after the Chinese New Year holidays.

While there is little concern over changing the 15-year-old domestic tourism campaign, it is feared that meddling with the winning international campaign may undo the effect of the current branding theme.

According to ministry sources, while the new promos are expected to still latch on to Malaysia’s diversity, it is also said to introduce more Islamic elements to capitalise on the Middle East market as well as the growing halal industry.

“Malaysia: Truly Asia is 15 years old. Tourism Malaysia feels it is time for a change to inject new life into a tired campaign,” said a source close to the bids.

While Cuti-Cuti Malaysia was an in-house ministry idea, Malaysia: Truly Asia was created in 1999, when agency Integrated Strategic Communications (ISC) was invited by then tourism minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir to brainstorm with winning agencies on a new creative campaign.

Abdul Kadir had wanted ISC’s input based on its work in conceiving the “To Know Malaysia is to Love Malaysia” campaign in the 1980s.

Last November, Tourism Malaysia announced the recipients of RM454 million in advertising and promotions contracts for its 2015 to 2017 campaign.

They are: DNA Comm Sdn Bhd (Asean), Smascom & Design Sdn Bhd (East Asia comprising China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan); HBR Media Asia Sdn Bhd (North Asia comprising Japan, South Korea and East Russia); Sen Media Sdn Bhd (South Asia comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka); Penumbra Communications (M) Sdn Bhd (West Asia covering the Gulf, Yemen, Iran, Egypt, and North and South Africa); M&C Saatchi (M) Sdn Bhd (Europe and the Americas including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela); Publicis Communications (M) Sdn Bhd (Oceania namely Australia and New Zealand); and Sumur Mutiara Sdn Bhd for the domestic market.

Filmpoint Sdn Bhd was appointed creative agency for global niche products and events.

Under the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan, the government is targeting 36 million tourist arrivals with RM168 billion in tourist receipts by 2020.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on February 9, 2015.