Kuala Lampur, Aug 14 (IANS): Come September, Malaysia will host the South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA), which is expected to attract a host of foreign visitors, according to the organiser.

Malaysia Major Events (MME), a division of the Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, is bringing the event here.

Officials said Malaysia would host the prestigious event for the first time, scheduled for Sep 12 and Sep 13 at Stadium Negara here, reports the Malaysian Star.

MME general manager Tony Nagamaiah said over 100 Indian movie stars would 'grace the red carpet' and there would be performances by several top film stars, among them Tamannaah Bhatia, Anirudh, Devi Sri Prasad, Shriya Saran, Shiv Rajkumar, Lakshmi Menon, Nivin Pauly, Regina and Rakul Preet Singh.

At a press conference Thursday, he said that the event was expected to bring more than 5,000 international visitors, especially from India and neighbouring countries, as it was also being held for the first time in Southeast Asia.

"India and Malaysia have enjoyed an excellent relationship over the decades and, in fact, India is one of our top tourist markets.

"Given that the Indian diaspora is stretched across the Southeast Asia region and further, we are confident that fans from our neighbouring countries will also take this opportunity to experience the South Indian cinema industry," he said Thursday.

Nagamaiah also said hosting SIIMA is an opportunity for Malaysia to increase global exposure on the unique experiences it has to offer.

SIIMA chairman Vishnu Induri said the selection of Malaysia as the venue of the event was the right choice.

"Indian films are very popular here. So, this is the right place for us to hold SIIMA, and I am very happy with the support from the Malaysian government, especially as it is Visit Malaysia 2014," he said.