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- Tuah Travel & Tours (M) Sdn Bhd.

China outbound tourism projected for 2021 recovery

Majority of Chinese travel agencies surveyed in ITB China’s latest study expect China outbound tourism to recover in six to twelve months

Many Chinese travel agencies expect a gradual recovery of China outbound tourism in six to 12 months, according to a recent report by ITB China which examined the planned travel behaviour of the Chinese in the coming post-Covid recovery phase.

The 2020 China Market Recovery Special Edition is based on a survey among 200 Chinese outbound travel agencies and travel companies, including interviews with several industry experts.

Asked about the recovery of the Chinese outbound travel market, 43 per cent of those surveyed expect that outbound travel will recover within the next nine to 12 months. Some 33 per cent think it might take six to nine months, whereas 20 per cent believe it will take three to six months. Only four per cent expect to see a recovery within the next three months.

Eduardo Santander, executive director of the European Tourism Commission, said: “China was hit first and should therefore be one of the first countries to recover, which would prove to be positive for European-Chinese tourism cooperation. By the time Europe can go back to normal, China might be ready for longhaul travel again. We expect the European travel industry to recover in 2021.”

In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, Chinese travel operators and outbound travel agencies have been gearing up for recovery by restructuring their operations, engaging in internal employee training programmes as well as maintaining close external communication with partners and customers.

The survey revealed that even with the suspension of business during the outbreak, travel agencies and travel-related companies have proactively and consistently communicated with their customers. Some 66.5 per cent of the respondents communicate with stakeholders weekly, while 16.5 per cent share updates every two weeks, and 17 per cent communicate on a monthly basis.

James Liang, Trip.com group chairman, said: “Different measures taken by different countries and territories will hinder international travels, which will impose certain pressure on short-term upward tendency. However, in the long run, the industry is extremely resilient and any irreversible change is highly unlikely.”

-TTG Asia.

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Purchase our MyCity Pass that offers commuters unlimited rides on Rapid KL rail (LRT/ MRT/ Monorail) and BRT network for just RM 5 (1 Day) & RM 15 (3 Days). Get yours today!

-Rapid KL.

Malaysia eyes green zone regions for travel bubble plan

Nancy Shukri (middle) flanked by Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture’s Noor Zari Hamat (left) and Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau’s Abdul Khani Daud at the Meet in Malaysia campaign launch

Malaysia is exploring the possibility of setting up travel bubbles with green status destinations, as opposed to countries, in efforts to spur economic growth in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minister of tourism, arts and culture, Nancy Shukri, said the travel bubbles may not involve Malaysia as a whole but only select green zones within the country with other foreign destinations that are also green zones.

She added that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture will have its first meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 27 to identify the green zones in foreign destinations that could collaborate with Malaysia on the proposed travel bubbles.

“The proposal to hold a travel bubble with these countries is based on the potential of the market to contribute to overall economic growth, including trade activities, business, business travellers and the influx of foreign tourists, as well as significant short-term tourism income contribution to the country,” she said at a press conference on Friday, after launching the Meet in Malaysia campaign.

During the campaign launch, Nancy also shared that the ministry is looking at the possibility of creating travel bubbles with green zone regions in Australia, Brunei, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

She added: “Its implementation is subject to bilateral discussions with paramount consideration on the aspects of health, immigration, data tracking and continuous monitoring by respective agencies concerned in both countries.”

Nancy stressed that nothing had been finalised and no timeline has been determined for the creation of these travel bubbles.

-TTG Asia.

Motac optimistic with domestic tourism activities, urges public to comply with SOP

While there is no drastic rise in tourism activities, these are positive signs in revitalising the domestic tourism activities. NST/file pic

KUALA LUMPUR: Over 180,000 flight seats have been booked from June 10 to 28 for domestic travels between July and September, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this was reported by Air Asia, while Firefly had also seen an increase in bookings for domestic flights in July through its promotions.

"This is one of the positive indicators in measuring improvements for the tourism sector since ease of restrictions under the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) was enforced from June 10 to replace the MCO.

"Surveys show the public's willingness to travel domestically, in addition to promotional efforts by the sector."

She said there was an encouraging public response which reflected in average occupancy rates at several hotels in cities and resorts nationwide, especially at popular islands, highlands and forests. 

"While there is no drastic rise (in tourism activities), these are positive signs in revitalising the domestic tourism activities with traffic volume at main highways showing a weekly increase," she said.

Nancy was replying to a question by Yamani Hafez Musa (Bersatu-Sipitang) who had asked on public and tourist operators' reception towards the government's efforts to encourage domestic tourism. 

Nancy, however, said Malaysian tourism still had a long way to go in its recovery, especially sub-sectors that relied heavily on foreign tourists. 

She also reminded the public to always adhere to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set by the government to break the chain of Covid-19 infection.

Nancy added the RM90 million allocation for the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020) could be used for future campaigns following the programme's cancellation due to the pandemic.

"As of now, we are monitoring the situation closely and only cooperate with countries categorised as green zones (for cross-border travels).

"At the same time, we will ensure the public's compliance with the SOPs, which is one of the factors in place to help revitalise tourism sector which contributed 15.3 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product," she said in reply to a supplementary question by Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar).

-nst online.

Back-To-Back MotoGP Victories For Fabio Quartararo At Jerez

PETRONAS Yamaha SRT’s Fabio Quartararo takes second consecutive MotoGP win, DNF heartbreak for Franco Morbidelli

Fabio Quartararo didn’t put a foot wrong in today’s MotoGP race, leading from the lights to the flag and making it back-to-back victories in Jerez. Quartararo also extended his lead in the championship standings. Unfortunately, it was ultimately a race to forget for team-mate Morbidelli, who was forced to retire with mechanical problems after fighting in the podium positions.

Quartararo made the perfect getaway off the line and held the lead into the first corner. From then on the Frenchman made no mistakes and with every lap raced he continued to extend the gap to the rest of the field. While the race behind became one of attrition, Fabio saw none of it as he was in a race of his own out front. Despite slowing down to celebrate with his team on the final lap, Quartararo finished 4.495secs ahead of Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi, who helped to make it a Yamaha podium lockout – the first one since Phillip Island in 2014.

This second win sees Fabio extend his lead in the MotoGP World Standings to ten points, and maintain PETRONAS Yamaha SRT's place at the top of the Team's Championship.

While there were celebrations for Fabio, it was heartbreak for team-mate Morbidelli. The #21 rider, who started his 21st MotoGP race as a PETRONAS Yamaha SRT rider today, was having a good race. The Italian soon made his way through the pack in the opening laps of the race, and was soon in contention for a podium place. Unfortunately with nine laps left to go, Franco’s Yamaha YZR-M1 experienced technical issues and he was forced to retire from the race.

The next race for Fabio and Franco will be in just less than two weeks, when the MotoGP paddock moves to the Automotodrom Brno, in the Czech Republic, for their third race of the season (7-9 August).

-sepangracingteam.com

Penang pulls out all stops to woo domestic tourists

Instagrammable spots like this giant bird’s nest structure

make up Kampung Agong’s magnetic pull

Penang’s tourism scene is springing back to life, in part thanks to efforts by the state government and tourism industry partners to boost domestic tourism while the border remains closed to foreign tourists.

At The Habitat Penang Hill, an eco-tourism hotspot in Penang, visitor numbers have bounced back to “near normal”, with more than 90 per cent visitorship comprising locals and expatriates living and working in Malaysia, shared its managing director Allen Tan.

The Habitat Penang Hill has also recently introduced several new offerings, including Forest Bathing, a guided three-hour programme by a resident naturalist which helps participants destress and reconnect with nature by partaking in a series of breathing exercises in the rainforest.

Tan shared the programme was popular and timely with working people and those who had been cooped up at home for almost three months during the movement control order (MCO) period.

Amid its closure during the MCO, The Habitat Penang Hill conducted free virtual tours to stay top of mind. Down the road, Tan has in mind to create more virtual tours and to monetise them. Plans to set up an online retail store is underway too. He shared: “We intend to Covid-proof our business in the event of any unforeseen, future lockdowns that might happen.”

Kampung Agong, located on the mainland in Seberang Perai, is a community-based tourist attraction developed by the villagers themselves within their hometown. The place is packed with photo opportunities, such as giant swings resembling bird’s nests and a faux grand piano seated amidst miles of paddy fields. Its photogenic landscape is what drives visitors from all across the country here, shared its spokesperson, Nur Adlini Muhamad Khidir.

The attraction draws more than 500 visitors on weekends, made up mainly of families and friend groups coming from all over the peninsular and Penang Island by car.

The villagers had recently built a trio of village houses to accommodate guests on overnight stays to give them a taste of village living – and locals have been so taken with the idea that forward bookings are full on all weekends through end-September, shared Nur Adlini.

Another new attraction in Penang that has gained traction among locals is The Penang International Container Art Festival which runs till year-end.

Here, five shipping container art installations – the handiwork of local and foreign artists – are spread across George Town, Jelutong, and Balik Pulau on the island, as well as Butterworth and Batu Kawan on the mainland.

Malaysian Harmony Tour & Travel product planner, May Chiong, shared that the company has seen strong demand for Penang out of Kuala Lumpur, especially from the family segment looking for short weekend getaways, and that beach stays were selling well.

She said millennials travelling with like-minded friends from Kuala Lumpur were also attracted to the destination for short breaks as there were many Instagrammable-worthy places of interest to them.

Chiong was one of 19 outbound tour operators from the Klang Valley recently hosted by Penang Global Tourism (PGT) and Penang state exco for tourism development, arts, culture and heritage on a four-day familiarisation trip to Penang aimed at showcasing the state’s offerings.

PGT CEO, Ooi Chok Yan, said: “Many relate Penang to good food and its UNESCO George Town heritage status, but we wanted to showcase to agents that there is more to Penang than just that.”

Yeoh Soon Hin, state tourism, arts, culture and heritage committee chairman, shared: “Through this familiarisation trip, we hope to instil the perception that even local destinations can be as competitive as overseas ones, and that you do not have to go far to have a holiday.”

Last month, PGT also launched Penang Travel Deals, featuring deals on hotels, attractions and tour packages, as part of efforts to woo Malaysians to the state and help the local economy recover.

-TTG Asia.

Country-wide border closures could stall global economic recovery: WTTC

WTTC advises regional and local measures only to combat Covid-19 spikes

WTTC is urging global governments to adopt a carefully calibrated approach to country-wide border closures, and introduce localised measures only to combat Covid-19 spikes, warning that continued border closures could jeopardise global economic recovery and cripple the already battered travel and tourism sector.

The UN body said that it supports the opening of city to city “air corridors” between global financial centres where infection levels are low, such as London and Frankfurt and New York, to help restart business travel and aid the economic recovery.

As some countries around the world are experiencing local coronavirus spikes, this is forcing a re-think by a number of governments which are now having to consider reintroducing tough and unwelcome new “anti-travel” measures, WTTC said in a press statement.

According to the latest statistics from Johns Hopkins University in the US, the worldwide Covid-19 death toll has passed 606,000, while the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has now surpassed more than 14.5 million.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC president & CEO, said: “Enforcing country-wide restrictions is a blunt instrument which benefits no one – neither travellers, the local population, the economy or the travel and tourism sector which has been left reeling from the impact of worldwide travel restrictions.

“Such measures could undo the significant efforts to revive travel and tourism, which has recently shown encouraging signs of emerging from the worst of the pandemic, and which in turn, has brought hope to millions of people around the world who depend upon the sector for their livelihoods.

“Taking a more carefully calibrated approach to strategically combating coronavirus spikes with local measures rather than country-wide closures, will contain Covid-19 and preserve a country’s attempt to kick-start their economy by continuing to attract travellers to unaffected areas.”

The travel and tourism sector plays a critical role to powering the global economic recovery, generating one in four of all new jobs last year. WTTC’s 2020 Economic Impact Report shows that during 2019, the sector supported one in 10 of all jobs, or 330 million jobs in total; and made a massive 10.3 per cent contribution to global GDP.

Guevara added: “It is perfectly possible to fight Covid-19 and support the economic recovery through the travel and tourism sector at the same time. We urge governments to consider only local lockdowns as the key to opening the door to a successful way forward.”

Restoring business travel, especially via transatlantic flights, is key to help kick-start the economic recovery. WTTC research shows that for two of the world’s top business centres, business travellers account for one in every three US dollars spent in New York and one out of every four pound sterling spent in London.

WTTC research showed that every 2.7 per cent increase in travellers would generate or recover one million jobs in the sector. Governments working together with the right coordinated measures could stimulate an increase in travel by as much as 27 per cent, recreating a massive 10 million jobs in travel and tourism.

-TTG Asia.

Sembang Santai Bersama Tourism Malaysia - Selama ( 28 Julai 2020 )

Sembang Santai Siri 4 akan membincangkan mengenai destinasi unik di Perak iaitu Selama, Destinasi Pelancongan Desa.

Tiga tetamu jemputan Hisham Yusof, Pengurus Besar Adventure 360 Tours, Rosli Mansor, Penulis Portal Peraktastic, dan Tuan Mohd Amzari, Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Selama akan bersama kita secara live di laman FB Tourism Malaysia pada 28 Julai 2020 (Selasa), jam 3 petang.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Pakej ‘JOM CUTI BERSAMA FIREFLY’ Tawar Promosi Pelancongan Domestik Menarik

KOTA BHARU, 19 JULAI 2020: Syarikat penerbangan, FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd (Firefly) hari ini melancarkan pakej ‘Jom Cuti Bersama Firefly’ bagi membantu menggiatkan promosi kempen Cuti-Cuti Malaysia sekali gus menyokong pelan strategik Tourism Malaysia untuk merancakkan kembali sektor pelancongan domestik.

Firefly menawarkan penginapan satu malam percuma bagi tempahan minimum dua malam untuk pembelian tiket penerbangan serta penginapan dengan menggunakan kod promosi “JOMCUTIKBR”. Tawaran pakej tersebut boleh ditempah mulai 20 hingga 26 Julai di laman sesawang fireflyz.com.my untuk tarikh perjalanan melancong bermula 27 Julai sehingga 31 Disember ini.

Dalam tempoh yang sama, kempen ‘Super Fly’ oleh Firefly turut menawarkan diskaun harga tiket penerbangan antara 10 ke 30 peratus bagi setiap pembelian dua tiket ke atas.

Pelancaran pakej tersebut diadakan pada majlis makan malam Program Ekspresi Media Kelantan 2020 anjuran Tourism Malaysia dengan kerjasama kerajaan negeri Kelantan di Hotel Perdana Kota Bharu yang disempurnakan oleh Yang Berhormat Mejar (B) Dato’ Haji Md Anizam Abdul Rahman, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perpaduan Masyarakat, Kebudayaan, Warisan dan Pelancongan Negeri Kelantan.

Hadir sama Philip See, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Firefly dan Iskandar Mirza Mohd YusofPengarah Kanan Bahagian Komunikasi Tourism Malaysia mewakili Datuk Musa Yusof, Ketua Pengarah Tourism Malaysia.

Program Ekspresi Media Kelantan 2020 ialah program berkonsepkan lawatan suai kenal secara interaktif untuk mengetengahkan produk berasaskan pelancongan pengalaman atau ‘experiential tourism’ yang bukan sahaja melibatkan destinasi menarik, malah turut mendekati budaya, warisan, makanan serta pelancongan berasaskan komuniti.

Turut dilancarkan pada majlis makan malam tersebut ialah pakej promosi Kelantan tiga hari dua malam oleh kerajaan negeri menerusi dua agensi pelancongan iaitu Jasa Teratai Holidays Sdn Bhd dan Sampugita Holidays Sdn Bhd yang berkonsepkan warisan, industri kecil dan sederhana (IKS) dan fotografi.

Pembelian salah satu daripada pakej berkenaan layak untuk mendapatkan satupakej percuma iaitu lawatan di sekitar bandar Kota Bharu beserta ‘goodie bags’.

Iskandar Mirza berkata, Tourism Malaysia mengalu-alukan sokongan Firefly untuk turut sama membantu kerajaan dalam memulihkan kembali industri pelancongan domestik yang terjejas akibat pandemik COVID-19 selain mempromosikan pakej ke negeri Kelantan.

“Negeri Kelantan sememangnya bukan sahaja memiliki destinasi ekopelancongan menarik malah kaya dengan warisan seni, budaya dan gastronomi, justeru seiring dengan fokus kerajaan negeri untuk menarik kunjungan pelancong melalui segmen makanan, keluarga dan festival,” katanya.

Sementara itu, Philip See berkata, Firefly memiliki rangkaian yang meluas bagi perjalanan antara Kota Bharu dengan Subang, Pulau Pinang dan terbaru Johor Bahru serta mempunyai penerbangan tambahan pada 29 dan 30 Julai ini bagi memenuhi peningkatan permintaan sempena Hari Raya Aidiladha.

“Penerbangan dalam norma baharu menjadi kebimbangan oleh orang ramai. Oleh itu, saya ingin memberikan kepastian bahawa segala langkah berjaga-jaga, kesihatan dan keselamatan telah diambil untuk kepentingan para penumpang,” katanya.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Langkawi looks to put Tuba Island on tourism map

Langkawi tourism players are lining up plans to promote Tuba Island’s natural beauty and unique cultures, in hopes of putting the remote island on the map as a tourist destination.

Rosly Selamat, a committee member of NGO Friends of Langkawi Geopark (FLAG), said the availability of scheduled passenger boat services between Kuah and Tuba Island since early last year has made the island accessible to tourists.

He shared: “Sadly, not many locals outside of Langkawi have heard of Tuba Island. Mention Tuba Island, and some think it is in Sabah or off the coast of Mersing in Johor. One foreign tourist even quipped, ‘You mean Tuba City in Arizona?'”

The island has a population of around 3,000 people, of whom the majority are fishermen and farmers, according to Rosly.

There were around 30 homestay operators on Tuba Island many years ago but now there are only 13, of which 10 are active.

FLAG is working closely with these operators to upscale their premises and upskill their talents so they can provide visitors with an authentic Malay kampong experience.

Rosly opined: “We believe homestay visitors will enjoy experiencing the culture and lifestyle of the locals and this will be a draw to attract domestic tourists from cities to make a day trip or overnight stay on Tuba Island. And later when the border reopens, we plan to market the island to foreign tourists by enhancing our collaboration with some of the local inbound agents.

“We are also looking at options to secure micro-credits from financial institutions, including government soft loan facilities to allow these operators to purchase needed supplies to upscale their premises. Each homestay could do well in terms of providing bicycles to their guests.”

Tuba Island is part of the Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park, rich with great limestone formations, marbles and unique geological features.

FLAG also plans to set up a website to promote the island’s natural beauty and tourism products including homestays and link the site to Langkawi Development Authority’s website and other related tourism websites in order to give the island greater exposure.

-TTG Asia.

Tourism Malaysia Webinar - Middle East Traveller Post Covid-19 ( 21 July 2020 )

Join us to explore some insights on the new travel trends from this market. We bring together renowned UAE base industry leaders to discuss the region, their ideas and latest travel megatrends.

Register now and get more infos here
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/middle-east-traveller-post-covid-19-webinar-tickets-113429615032Top of Form

-Tourism Malaysia.

Domestic tourism likely to recover earlier than expected, says minister

photo: PelanconganKini

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's domestic tourism sector, badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic following the enforcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO), will recover earlier than expected.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the optimism was attributed to the high level of compliance with the prescribed standard operating procedures (SOP) by Malaysians.

"This high level of SOP compliance provides an assurance for the people that it is safe to travel (in the country)," she said after visiting several tourist spots in the city, such as Dataran Merdeka, Eco-Forest Park and the Royal Museum.

Nancy said domestic tourism was slowly recovering from the affect of the pandemic and that tourism authorities and bodies have started going down to the ground to check on the situation at hand.

"But, right now we need to restore and recover the confidence of the people that it is safe to travel in the country while adhering the standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the government," she said.

On whether the ministry is aiming for any figure on the number of domestic tourists traveling nationwide, the minister said there were not set aim, as the situation remained unpredictable.

In the Dewan Rakyat sitting two days ago, Nancy was reported to have said that the country's tourism sector is estimated to suffer losses amounting to RM45 billion this year as a result of the closure of the country's borders due to Covid-19.

She said that of the total, the international tourism segment was projected to suffer losses of more than RM31 billion while the rest was from the domestic segment.

Clarifying on nationwide hotel occupancy rates touching 75 per cent, she said the rate was for popular resorts and tourist destinations, such as in Langkawi as well as riverine and coastal locations.

"However, the average occupancy rate of hotels nationwide is 21 to 30 per cent. It is our hope that domestic travel will be a trend in the country to help our entrepreneurs and those working in hotels," she added.

Nancy also adviced the domestic tourism industries to improvise their products and services to attract more local visitors and this would in turn help to boost their business.

On the proposed international travel bubble, she said discussion involving travel from green zone countries to enter Malaysia was still ongoing.

She the government was still identifying green zone regions in Asean as well as from regions from such as Australia, Japan, New Zealand and Korea.

"We are looking into regions instead of the country itself as some countries have second wave of Covid-19 cases," she said.

-nst online.

Tanum Valley Wet & Wild Package @ Kuala Lipis, Pahang

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- Tanum Valley Wet & Wild (2 days 1 night)

Contact us at 013-951 5218 or visit us on social media TUAH TRAVEL

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-Tuah Travel & Tours (M) Sdn  Bhd

‘Ekspresi Media 2020’ Programme To Explore New Experiential Tourism In Kelantan

PUTRAJAYA, 16 JULY 2020: A total of 15 media representatives from print, broadcast and online platforms will join the five-day Ekspresi Media Kelantan 2020 programme organised by Tourism Malaysia from July 16 to 20. The programme aims to forge and maintain closer relationship with the media while encouraging them to promote best places and current tourist destinations in Kelantan.

The programme is the first Tourism Malaysia’s organised trip in compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the practice of new normal during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) this year that will include elements of sightseeing, hands-on experiences and product briefings by industry players.

Ekspresi Media programme works based on the concept of interactive and experiential tour whereby participants will be actively involved in the tourism activities, not only the highlight of popular tourist attractions but also the culture, heritage, foods as well as community-based tourism.

This fourth edition is also organised in collaboration with Kelantan state government after successful implementation of Ekspresi Media Kenyir, Ekspresi Media Lembah Bujang and Ekspresi Media Kinabalu last year.

The participants will start exploring ecotourism segment adventure by taking part in zip line activity across 180 metre with scenic backdrops of Che Tahir Mountain and Sungai Batu Waterfall at Jelawang Pipe Resort & Extreme Park, uncovering 150-year old limestone cave at Ikan Cave Complex as well as quick tubing excursion down the Kenerong River in Dabong.

At Kota Bharu, the media will experience cruising on the traditional fishing boat ‘perahu kolek’ down the Pengkalan Datu River before visiting 200-year old heritage house, Senok Beach (Nami Beach) in Bachok, Ar-Rahman Mosque in Pulau Gajah and witness fisherman’s village, lighthouse as well as local community activities including palm sap harvesting and freshwater clams digging.

The media will enjoy traditional trishaw ride around the city, appreciate street arts and visit traditional Wayang Kulit Kelantan Gallery in Morak Village - the famous reference centre for shadow puppet theatre plus Ayu Batik Fashion Workshop in Talak Village which houses more than 5,000 batik block prints.

At Tumpat, the media will take boat ride to Pantai Suri Floating Market, the first of its kind in Malaysia before heading to watch demonstration of making kuih kapit and rooster crowing besides visiting rural business industry including local production of serunding, dodol and kuih gelembung buaya.

In conjunction with Ekspresi Media Kelantan 2020 this year, there is also a visit to Collectibles Museum - the first Diecast Museum in Malaysia and the first toys museum in Kelantan.

“We hope the sharing of fascinating experiences by the media will spark the promotion of domestic tourism in the social media especially on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and the blog, thus encouraging people to travel in supporting our Cuti-Cuti Malaysia (CCM) campaign especially during this recovery period of COVID-19,” said Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Malaysia tour operators strive to capture domestic market

Tourists wearing face mask while visiting the Batu Caves in Malaysia amid the pandemic 

With borders still shut to international travellers, tourism players in Malaysia have had to shift their focus to the domestic market – and that switch has come with its own set of challenges.

Travel agents whom TTG Asia interviewed said that demand from the domestic market has picked up slightly earlier this month as compared to June, but it still remains low.

Suka Travel and Tours general manager, Adam Kamal, explained that demand in June was slow as the priority of travellers then was to travel back to their hometowns to visit family, relatives and friends, with the lifting of interstate travel on June 10.

However, with local students returning to schools from June 15, he expected demand for travel in the coming weeks to remain low and to pick up only during the short mid-semester school holidays in August.

Adam shared that Suka Travel & Tours, originally an outbound travel agency, has expanded into the domestic travel segment to stay afloat.

He quipped: “We have tapped into our existing client base of travellers who used to go on outbound tours, but are now opting for domestic tours, with the closure of the border.

“Our target are high-end family travellers, who are cash-rich but time-poor, and depend on us to sell them all-inclusive travel packages. We sell destinations that are not reachable by land from the Klang Valley, such as Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, Semporna, and Kuching.”

Sunflower Holidays managing director, Mint Leong, who is big in the China and South-east Asia inbound markets, said that FIT domestic travellers tend to bypass agents and make their own travel arrangements directly with product owners, as compared to inbound travellers.

“To capture the domestic business, we sell off-the-beaten-track destinations or places that are not well promoted locally, and which are also not easily accessible, such as Sirip Biru Mangrove Trail in Sepang and homestay products in Selangor which appeals to young people living in big cities.

“We are also giving suggestions to the local council in Sepang on what needs to be done to make the mangrove trail (more accessible) to foreign inbound markets such as developing… basic infrastructure.”

Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners secretary, Anthony Wong, shared that in general, hotels in destinations that used to depend on international tourists such as Langkawi, Penang and Kota Kinabalu were not faring as well as hotels in Kuantan, Melaka and Cameron Highlands, which were easily reachable by road from the Klang Valley, as domestic travellers tend to choose to drive to get to their holiday destinations.

He said: “Due to low occupancies, many hotels have brought down their rates to make it more affordable to the domestic market. Some five-star hotel brands that used to sell for RM800 (US$187) to RM1,500 are now selling for very low rates of RM300 to RM500.”

Wong urged the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to strategise ways of boosting domestic travel nationwide, especially on weekdays where occupancies are lower.

He elaborated: “What the government can do is to introduce a tax incentive to corporate companies in Malaysia for employees to stay in locally registered accommodations.

“Corporate companies can also do their part to boost domestic tourism by giving greater flexibility to their staff to take leave to go on holidays away from the peak travel periods, such as school holidays and long weekend breaks.”

-TTG Asia.

Tourism & COVID-19 - A FPHP Webinar Series ( 14 July 2020 )

Title: Tourism & COVID-19 - Survival of the fittest? Let the less fit survive too

Date: 14 July 2020

Time: 10.00 am

Organised by Fakulti Pengurusan Hotel dan Pelancongan, UiTM

-FPHP UiTM.

Malaysia Airlines-Japan Airlines partnership takes flight

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Japan Airlines (JAL) are set to launch a delayed joint business partnership on July 25, which will see the two carriers co-operate commercially on flights between Malaysia and Japan.

The airlines said in a joint press release that the partnership will “further enhance convenience between Japan and Malaysia and allow customers to benefit from more flight choices”.

With MAS resuming flights to Japan starting this month, MAS and JAL combined will offer four-weekly services between Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo Narita in July and August.

MAS group CEO, Izham Ismail, said the joint business was delayed by a few months due to travel restrictions between both countries amid Covid-19. “We look forward to the bilateral discussions between the governments of Malaysia and Japan to establish a travel bubble between the two countries, which will ease restrictions for cross-border travel,” he added.

JAL president, Yuji Akasaka, said: “While our expanded relationship is being launched during unprecedented times, it has allowed both Japan Airlines and Malaysia Airlines to ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene are in place from the onset for our mutual customers’ peace of mind. And with hospitality in mind, we are confident that customers will delight in the in-flight experience and enjoy convenient flight schedules and seamless services.”

The MAS and JAL flight schedules are as below:

-TTG Asia.

Tourism Malaysia X-Change Session Series 3 / 2020 ( 15 July 2020 )

Tourism Malaysia presents X-Change Session, the third series featuring representative from Sunway Berhad, LokaLocal & Only World Group as speakers to get to know their products and their latest updates available.

Date: 15 July 2020 (Wednesday)

Time: 10 am to 12 pm

-Tourism Malaysia.