Malaysian trade diversifies markets to ride out Ramadan slump

Inbound tour operators in Malaysia are diversifying their source markets in the face of a decline in the lucrative Middle Eastern market, as the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan will coincide with the Gulf’s peak summer travel season until 2017.

“We don’t think the market will improve much for the Middle East summer next year,” said Ally Bhoonee, World Avenues Malaysia’s executive director, who saw a 10 per cent drop in business from the GCC countries this year.

“We have started to promote to Maghreb countries in North Africa – Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco – which are a good diversification alternative as most travellers from these countries spend seven to eight days in Malaysia and buy full-board packages.” World Avenues has also opened a representative office in Paris in July to attract more business from France.

Likewise, Ganneesh Ramaa, manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia, has started promoting Malaysia to the East African states of Kenya and Tanzania to offset the arrivals decline.

Meanwhile, Yap Sook Ling, managing director at Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel, saw a 15 per cent year-on-year drop in business from the GCC market, in addition to an ongoing price war among tour operators eager to seize a piece of the market. AOS is therefore intensifying efforts to get more regional business. “ASEAN is a volume market. Stays are shorter, but you get volume year-round,” she said.

Tourism Malaysia’s deputy director-general (promotion), Azizan Noordin, believes the Middle East market will recover in 2018, when Ramadan no longer clashes with the summer season.

Meanwhile, to attract Middle Eastern travellers to experience Ramadan in Malaysia and make them feel at home, the Malaysian NTO has rolled out efforts to educate hoteliers and inbound tour operators on how they can fulfil the needs of this market.

“We also worked with the religious department in Malaysia to invite imams from the Middle East to lead the Tarawih prayers in key mosques in Kuala Lumpur,” he added.

Tourism Malaysia has also stepped up promotion of the annual 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival in the Middle East, as the festival coincides with the peak summer travel season.

-TTG Asia.