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Published: Sunday November 15, 2009 MYT 12:55:00 PM

Carlton FC awaits Tourism Malaysia sponsorship renewal

MELBOURNE: The Carlton Football Club is fighting against time to get approval from Malaysia's Tourism Ministry with regard to the renewal of Tourism Malaysia's highly successful sponsorship of the club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Preparation for the start of the AFL season has begun and Carlton is anxious to get Tourism Malaysia logos and signage as well as publicity material up and running ahead of the pre-season opening in January.

Tourism Malaysia's sponsorship of the Carlton Football Club has turned out to be a very smart marketing strategy, according to the Malaysian High Commissioner in Canberra, Datuk Salman Ahmad.

"The success of the sponsorship of Carlton, one of Australia's greatest sporting clubs, is evident in both the exposure generated for Malaysia and in the increase in the number of tourists visiting our country," Salman told Bernama.

"We should grab every opportunity in Australia to promote Malaysia and I think the link established with Carlton is fantastic and for Malaysia's good," he said.

The relationship with Carlton has provided Tourism Malaysia with more than A$2 million exposure on television alone in Australia in the nine months to September this year.

Providing such brand awareness has boosted the reputation of Malaysia in Australia to the point that Malaysia is considered a major tourist destination for Australians.

This increase in awareness is evident, particularly to the estimated 700,000 supporters of Carlton around Australia, who now list Malaysia as the number one destination when considering an overseas holiday.

There has also been a direct benefit to the Malaysian economy as a result of the sponsorship.

Since Tourism Malaysia became the joint major sponsor of Carlton, visitors to Malaysia have increased by up to 30 per cent from the Australian states of Victoria and Tasmania alone.

In addition to the general media exposure of Malaysia, the Carlton Football Club website, the second most visited club website in the AFL network, with over 120,000 unique visitors each month, has features on Malaysia.

This is certainly a successful partnership for Malaysia and a sound business association for Tourism Malaysia, one that will only benefit Malaysia further with the continuation of the relationship with Carlton going forward. - Bernama.

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