Malaysia's tourism minister has urged the country's mid-tier hotels to rebrand and upgrade as the authorities believe that the demand for these hotels will grow in the future.

According to year-to-date October 2009 data, Malaysia welcomed 19.47 million international arrivals, reflecting a 7.4% growth over the same period in 2008.

Among the growth markets, China recorded a 27.4% increase over the same period. The authorities also mentioned that Malaysia will focus on countries such as the Southeast-Asian countries, China, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, Germany, the Netherlands and Kazakhstan in the coming years.

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