Malaysia said it is targeting 19 million tourist arrivals during Visit Malaysia Year 2007, up from 15.7 million last year who generated revenue of RM29.7 billion.

Deputy Tourism Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said Malaysia had now claimed five percent of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions) sector and aimed to increase this to 10 percent in a few years.

"We have set up a special bureau to promote this specific tourism sector and are confident of achieving the 10 percent target," he told the official Bernama news agency late Wednesday.

Ahmad said that as well as increasing the number of arrivals, Malaysia was also attempting to attract more "quality" tourists who spend more and stay longer, such as visitors from Arab countries.

From Arab states

Southeast Asian capitals in particular are enjoying an influx of big-spending tourists from Arab states, who say they feel unwelcome in Europe and the US as the world turns jittery after the recent London bombings.

The number of Arab tourists visiting Malaysia doubled last year. The government, drawing on its status as a Muslim majority country, is targeting some 200,000 Arab arrivals this year, or a 40 percent increase.

Bernama said Tourism Malaysia figures showed arrivals had increased from 10.6 million in 2003 to 15.7 million in 2004. The biggest market was Singapore, followed by Thailand, Indonesia and China.

Tourism is Malaysia's second-largest foreign exchange earner.