Translate more published works into foreign languages to boost tourism - Nancy

She said this would help captivate the interests of international communities to recognise the cultural pluralism and tourist destinations in Malaysia.

"The move can also attract the interest of book lovers or literary tourists to travel to the fascinating places in the country," she said in a statement today in conjunction with the 2020 National Library (PNM) Book Awards yesterday.

Nancy said the ceremony, held online via the PNM Facebook page, was the best platform to showcase quality books in the local list of publications as well as elevate Malaysia's best works globally.

She said the awards were also to appreciate the contribution of the book industry players to the development of national books as well as to enhancing knowledge and the culture of reading among Malaysians.

"The awards are also to encourage the submission of books to PNM as national heritage treasures and catalyst as well as to support the National Creative Industry initiative in line with the Kuala Lumpur as the World Book Capital 2020.

"Based on statistics, the titles of the new books registered under the Deposit of Library Material Act 1986 are18,566 last year, she added.

The awards ceremony saw each of the 22 winners, comprising 11 writers and 11 publishers, taking home RM3,500 cash, trophy and appreciation certificate.

The books that were submitted are the first edition in 2018 and 2019 and produced by Malaysian publishers as the main criteria and in compliance with international standards.