TV presenter and author Simon Reeve spoke about his travels to Malaysia at the opening of Kuoni’s new store within John Lewis at London’s Westfield shopping centre at White City.
Reeve, known for his BBC series tracing the equator, and Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, spoke about his trip to the country, where he visited Sabah and Borneo, a destination he said he would return to “in a shot”.
Wednesday’s launch event was organised in partnership with Malaysian Airlines, Tourism Malaysia and Sabah Tourism.
Kuoni customers who dropped into the store received Malaysia Airlines giveaways handed out by cabin crew, including discounted tickets with two winners each bagging a pair of return business class flights to Kota Kinabalu and a five-day, four-night stay at the Ocean Wing suite of the Shangri-La Rasa Ria hotel.
Malaysia Airlines chose the launch of Kuoni’s store to announce its global sale, which starts April 23.
Adrian Keating, Malaysia Airlines’ regional manager for the UK, Ireland, Europe & North America, said: “We were proud to be part of this exciting launch with Simon as he inspired everyone with amazing travel tales showcasing what a fantastic and varied holiday destination Malaysia is.”
Shahrir Ali, director for the UK and Ireland at Tourism Malaysia added: “We value opportunities to work directly with the trade and their customers on initiatives like this, that drives awareness of our destination. There was a brilliant atmosphere, as store visitors listened to Simon’s travel experiences and found inspiration for booking their own Malaysia holidays.”