PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was made to play film director at the launch of Zoom! Malaysia, a new campaign by the Tourism Ministry and Tourism Malaysia aimed at stimulating domestic tourism.

Seated in a director's chair and holding a loud hailer, he shouted 'roll' and then immediately after, a giant backdrop opened to show another backdrop, with large, colourful wording, Zoom! Malaysia.

In and around the largest 'O' alphabet were three dimensional pictures of places of interest, cultures, local fruit as well as the exciting flora and fauna like the hornbill and rafflesia.

The monthly Zoom! Malaysia is part of the new domestic tourism campaign to replace Cuti-Cuti Malaysia. The inaugural issue of the travel special pullout, done by the Ministry in collaboration with New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro, was released the day after its launch on May 14.

The catchy phrase of Zoom! was chosen, based on the premise that when a visitor 'zooms' in on a destination, he or she will not only understand the reality and attributes of a place but also appreciates the true beauty that encompasses culture, people, heritage and nature.

Abdullah urged Malaysians to be the first line of defence when it comes to promoting the country. He said we have to look after tourism destinations by making sure that the environment, especially in villages, beaches and rivers, are clean so that they would continue to attract tourists.

"All Malaysians have to make sure the country is as appealing as possible to tourists to make their stay memorable," he said, adding that being friendly, helpful and cheerful would go a long way to make the country a prime destination.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman said as many as 20.9 million tourists visited Malaysia last year and that RM44.5 billion was earned in foreign exchange.

She added that domestic tourism too had vast potential and should be given more focus and attention. The number of Malaysians who stayed in local hotels increased by 13.65 per cent in 2007.

Azalina said the Tourism Ministry would soon go all out to promote the culture of Think And Act Tourism.

"We have to embrace the Think And Act Tourism culture so that we would not only be talking about things but would also be acting on them, such as making sure our environment is clean and that tourists are not cheated."