Tourism industry wants greater efforts to woo visitors

 

Tourism players are calling for new ideas to woo visitors as the industry continues to recover from the global pandemic.

PETALING JAYA: From ensuring sustainability to getting national buy-in for efforts to promote Malaysia, tourism industry players have come up with various proposals to woo visitors to the country.

Consortium of Inbound Tourism Alliance chairman Uzaidi Udanis said industry players such as hoteliers and tour operators must ensure the best service while tourism and transport industry consultant YS Chan reminded the government that wooing business travellers is equally important.

Uzaidi said tour packages should meet sustainability requirements. “I hope the government will revisit Budget 2024 to add incentives for ensuring sustainability,” he told FMT Business.

“We want to protect our environment and ensure that our culture is promoted in line with environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements,” he said.

He pointed out that tour packages that are in line with ESG needs are high in demand now. “Tourists now want the experience,” he said.

Uzaidi said these efforts should include the conservation of Malaysia’s rainforest and promoting its diverse cultures. For instance, he said, there should be a move to ban or reduce the use of plastic given that it harms the environment.

Chan said the quality of promotional items and advertisements to woo tourists should be raised. “What we have now is no longer effective given the information overload,” he told FMT Business.

Both Chan and Uzaidi also want to see greater involvement among Malaysians in efforts to welcome tourists.

Chan said the programme to train people, particularly those at the frontline of tourist touchpoints, from tourist guides to sales assistants, to serve as “Mesra (warm and friendly) Malaysians” should be revived.

He said the module, which was launched in 2019 for Visit Malaysia Year 2020 had proven to be successful but it was later discontinued.

“This world-class training programme remains relevant for now and in the years leading to Visit Malaysia Year 2026,” he said.

Uzaidi said that apart from travel agents, tour operators and other players in the industry, all Malaysians should make tourists feel welcome.

Both also see the 30-day visa-free entry for visitors from China and India as the start of greater efforts to woo tourists to Malaysia.

Chan said there is potential for Malaysia to attract more tourists even after the visa-free entry period ends.

“Apart from those who travel for leisure, there are those who could come to Malaysia on business or to visit friends and relatives,” he said.

The decision to grant visa-free entry to Chinese and Indian nationals this month, announced recently by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, is expected to lead to a surge in arrivals from both countries.

Uzaidi sees the month-long promotional efforts as a trailer to the Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

As of Nov 15, a total of 26 million tourists have come to Malaysia, just short of the 26.1 million who visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop to travel across the globe.

Malaysia recorded more than 12.6 million arrivals from Singapore this year, making our southern neighbours the most frequent visitors to the country.

The other visitors include 3.16 million Indonesians, 2.07 million Thais, 1.4 million Chinese, 904,841 Bruneians and 780,532 Indians.

The rise in the value of the US dollar against the ringgit has also begun to attract more European and American visitors.

Uzaidi expects the trend to continue.

“Our advantage is that you can now get a decent breakfast here for as little as US$1,” he pointed out. - FMT