Are our tourism promotions in tandem with changes in international travel? ‒ Part 2

 

I JOINED the travel industry in 1973 as a tour guide and served in the largest inbound tour company for 19 years.

During this period, big overseas outbound tour operators that came to Malaysia were feted like kings, as they determined the destinations where many tourists would be headed.

Because of the volume of traffic under their control, they not only could secure airline seats and hotel rooms well in advance, but also the lowest rates.

As such, joining a group tour including flights, hotels, transfers, sightseeing and other services is still cheaper than a normal return flight ticket booked directly by passengers.

Although their annual tour catalogues were very thick, similar to that of IKEA, display space was limited. So, only the most saleable destinations were featured.

The countries and destinations found in outbound tour operators’ catalogues were visited by many tourists in that period, and those left out were simply off the radar.

Then, these big outbound tour operators could travel anywhere in the world for free, as there were no shortage of airlines, hotels and inbound tour operators eager to play host, hoping to provide services for the hordes of tourists that are expected to come visiting, either in tour groups or on their own as free independent travellers.

For example in 1993, Tourism Malaysia organised a seminar for USA/Canadian agents in conjunction with “Make it Visit Malaysia Year 1994”.

Malaysia Airlines provided complimentary seats from their home countries to Kuala Lumpur, and members of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) offered complimentary rooms.

Members of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) gave complimentary transfers and sightseeing tours in Kuala Lumpur and at other local destinations invited guests could individually choose to visit, with Malaysia Airlines again providing complimentary seats.

Earlier in 1990, the inbound tour company in Kuala Lumpur where I worked was the destination management company (DMC) for a large American-based outbound tour operator, which was a subsidiary of Japan Airlines. That year, it organised a gathering of all its affiliated DMCs in Hawaii.

I flew business-class to Honolulu and stayed at a Waikiki beach hotel, and also visited and spent overnight in the islands of Maui and Kauai, all on a complimentary basis.

While giving a talk there, I promoted the first Visit Malaysia Year in 1990. But things started to change with the popularity of the internet in the mid-1990s.

By the time the new millennium came, it was essential for businesses, particularly the travel industry, to embrace multimedia fully.

Along with going digital, information and communication became democratised. And big outbound tour operators no longer held sway in the travel business like before.

Today, inbound tour operators handle passengers arranged by overseas outbound tour operators and also from direct bookings received in their websites and social media accounts.

Those who operate tour vehicles also get to provide transfers and tours for well-known online travel agents (OTA) that have cornered the global market.

There is no way individual tourism industry players can compete on rates and reach with giant OTAs.

It is up to the ingenuity of individuals to make use of various networks, and creating meaningful stories and interesting videos which generate lasting impressions that can be viewed by audiences around the world.

For example, Trip.com’s 2025 report showed about 62% of travellers booked holidays based on social media, 78% chose destinations based on food festivals, and 91% were inspired by TV shows and online content.

Also, Malaysians are increasingly experience-driven and compare hotels with AI tools 2.5 times more than the global average.

Finally, we ought to remember that the vast majority of tourists today do not join tour groups or make their arrangements through intermediaries such as outbound tour operators.

Local inbound tour operators that offer unique or value-added tour packages would be able to receive bookings directly from independent travellers.

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia.