Tourism Malaysia's New Frankfurt Director To Reach Out To Consumers.

26th March, 2013

Tourism Malaysia's New Frankfurt Director To Reach Out To Consumers.

FRANKFURT - Tourism Malaysia's new Frankfurt director will not only reach out to the tourism and travel trade but also directly communicate with the German consumers through a reach-out strategy that aims to add to the shine of Malaysia's image as an attractive tourist destination.

Maizan Ahmad, who assumed the post of director of Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt office just two months back, said she would not just promote business-to-business contacts but also sharpen the consumer awareness about Malaysia's attributes as an attractive destination that would especially appeal to German tourists.

"It is equally important to directly communicate with the German consumers who are known to be passionate about foreign travel, and experience new lands and cultures," Maizan said in an interview with Bernama.

German tourists spent a mind-boggling 65 billion Euros (about RM262.3 billion) during 2012 on travel and tourism-related activities, according to Maizan.

"German tourists are among the world's top spending-tourists. Indeed, travel is an important part of a German's life. Germans are trend-setters. But Germany is also a challenging market. There has been a shift in the ranking of Germany which was until a couple of years back the second highest source of tourism traffic to Malaysia, behind the UK, in Europe. Meanwhile, Germany has been overtaken by France in terms of tourist arrivals in Malaysia ... while 131,277 German tourists were clocked in Malaysia in 2012, we received 136,172 French tourists visited Malaysia in the same year.

"In 2011, we had 124,670 German tourists visiting Malaysia compared with 127,980 French tourists," Maizan said. "One possible reason for the surge in French traffic could be the air connectivity. AirAsia operated a daily flight to Paris until early 2012, in addition to the daily flight operated by Malaysia Airlines," she explained adding that in contrast, MAS operates only five flights a week to Frankfurt.

"Consequently, our strategy is to also work with foreign airlines which operate flights to Malaysia through their hubs, even though these are not direct flights which German tourists usually prefer to take," she said.

But she is also planning to intensify contacts with German tour and travel operators and also going to break into a niche segment -- the upper-market segment -- in the area of luxury travel and lifestyle.

Also on the cards are several events planned in Germany in connection with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, which would include organising familiarisation tours for travel and tour operators as well as the media.

By: Manik Mehta

Copyright@BERNAMA

MATTA Eyes RM90 Million Sales In March MATTA Fair 2013.

Date: 27 February 2013

MATTA Eyes RM90 Million Sales In March MATTA Fair 2013.

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 (Bernama) - The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) expects to secure RM90 million in total sales turnover for its MATTA Fair 2013 March session, slightly lower than the RM106 million registered in the same session last year.

In September 2012, the most anticipated travel fair secured a RM120 million sales turnover.

MATTA Fair March 2013 Organising Chairman Jeffri Sulaiman said the upcoming 13th general election (GE), expected to be in March, has weighed on the sentiment of industry players. "As everybody is aware, the GE has put worries on consumers as well as exhibitors. We've been asking what MATTA's plan is if the GE falls during the exhibition days. There is nothing we could do, the show must go on," he told a press conference on the event Wednesday.

MATTA Fair 2013 will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre on March 15-17. Jeffri said this session will be bigger than the previous one with a total of 1,100 booths in five halls and exhibition areas.

The association plans to expand the coverage area into Legar Putra, PWTC, to support all exhibitor booths.

Jeffri expects the three-day event to receive a total of 100,000 visitors, a hike from 92,600 visitors in the same session of 2012. "We are positive with the outlook of Malaysia's tourism industry despite the uncertain global economy. The number of MATTA members has increased from 2,800 in last year to 3,000, to date. This shows a high demand for our travel industry," he said.

Jeffri noted MATTA FAIR 2013 will draw several new services with the introduction of online entrance ticket purchase, MATTA mobile Apps and online entry forms for the MATTA buyers contest.

At the same event today, MATTA signed an agreement with Etihad Airways to mark the latter as its official airline partner for the second consecutive session.

Copyright @ BERNAMA

Muslim-friendly holidays in Kansai.

Date: 20 February 2013

Muslim-friendly holidays in Kansai.

KUALA LUMPUR: Japan is certainly not “horsing around” with the popularity of K-pop and the region of Kansai is going all out to woo visitors to its rich history and unique culture.

Kyoto Prefecture governor Keiji Yamada said Kansai is a centre of culture and industry. “We have the beauty of the four seasons, with our sakura blossoms, and autumn leaves. We also have hot springs, golf courses, beautiful scenery and a unique culture.” Keiji said during a visit to Wisma MATTA here yesterday.

The governor added that Kansai was a region that was very friendly for Muslim tourism. “In Kansai International Airport, there are displays to show which foods are halal, as well as prayer rooms. Kansai also has about 30 restaurants serving Muslim-friendly food,” he said.

Keiji added that 2013 was Kansai International Tourism Year and there would be various expos in Osaka spotlighting its unique food from April 26 to May 6.

“Kansai also has a rich history as it was the capital of Japan for over 1,100 years until the Meiji restoration, when it was moved to Tokyo. Because of this, it has about 60 architectural historical treasures,” he said. Other attractions include the Wakayama Prefecture and Universal Studios Japan.

MATTA president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said the association was also promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination in Japan, particularly its latest attractions such as Legoland and Hello Kitty World.

He added that it was very convenient for Malaysians to travel to Kansai due to the wide availability of flights there by Malaysia Airlines and Air Asia X, among others.

“The number of Japanese coming to Malaysia is more than Malaysians going to Japan. However, we hope that with new developments, Kansai will receive more Malaysian visitors.” Mohd Khalid said, adding they would be promoting Kansai in MATTA fairs here and Kota Kinabalu.

By TERENCE TOH terence.toh@thestar.com.my

Copyright @ 1995-2012 Star Publications (M) Bhd

Zimbabwe Travel Agents Tour Malaysia.

Date: 15 February 2013

Zimbabwe Travel Agents Tour Malaysia.

Ethiopian Airlines will tomorrow take a group of Zimbabwe's leading travel agents and tour operators on a familiarisation tour of Malaysia and Ethiopia. Flying to over 70 destinations, and planned commencements of flights to Ndola, Zambia and Blantyre, Malawi next month the airline started operating the Harare-Kuala Lumpur route in October last year.

In an interview Fitsimt Dejene, Area Manager Zimbabwe, said such familiarisation tours are part of the various sales and marketing tools they use in giving opportunity to tour operators or agents a firsthand experience of Ethiopian Airlines services.

"These familiarisation trips are also an incentive for committed and/or potential travel agents as they promote the airline's products and services to the travelling public. We have had such tours before to our hub, Addis Ababa and an Ethiopian resort but last year we had awarded our travel agents for performances of the previous year," she said.

Mrs Dejene said eight travel agents have been selected for this year's tour, based on their high performance on the Asian market as well as the leisure/tour operation.

Harare is one of the eight destinations Ethiopian Airlines serves in Southern Africa with daily flights into Zimbabwe and two extra night flights scheduled to commence next month. "Contribution of the Harare route to the region is vital in terms of passenger uplift and business generation. We are the only African airline that serves more destinations in Africa and the Middle East. We are the only airline that uplifts in flight meals (lunch/dinner) from Zimbabwe. "

"In June 2013 we will start flying to Brazil. Beyond June, we are looking at more destinations in Asia like Singapore, North Korea and Philippines," said Mrs Dejene. She added that Ethiopian Airlines contributes to The Zimbabwe economy by consistently maintaining scheduled flights, increasing capacity and deploying new aircraft which include the Boeing 777 and 787.

Copyright @ 2013 AllAfrica

Travel agent not authorized, says AirAsia.

Date: 9 February 2013

Travel agent not authorized, says AirAsia.

Air Asia has clarified the confusion over claims by an Indian national that his ticket was used by someone else.

PETALING JAYA: Air Asia has denied foul play over allegations by an Indian national that the airline had cheated him of his ticket which he had booked and paid for. In a statement today, the low cost airline said the outlet from which the S Palaniappan 49 had bought his ticket was not an AirAsia authorized agent.

AirAsia said yesterday the agent Dawood Travels and Tours, located at Lebuh Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, had ceased to be an agent of the airline in March, 2012. “Our records show that the travel agent mentioned is not on our list of authorized agents and in fact had ceased to be an AirAsia agent as of March 2012 several months prior to the date of the transaction,” AirAsia said.

Last week FMT highlighted Palaniappan’s plight.  Palaniapan claimed he booked two AirAsia tickets on May 16, 2012 to travel to India. One ticket was to depart from the Kuala Lumpur low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) to Chennai, India, on Feb 12 and the other ticket was to depart from the LCCT to Trichi, India, on March 14.

Palaniapan also claimed that he paid RM650 for both tickets to Dawood Travel and Tours, which issued the tickets. “After booking the two tickets, I made a second confirmation with regard to my flights with the agent. But I was told by one of the staff at Dawood Travels and Tours that the ticket I had booked had been used by someone else using my name through the low-cost airline to fly out on an earlier date,” Palaniapan had alleged.

According to AirAsia, they were trying to get in touch with Palaniappan to “determine the full facts” and ascertain their customer care process. “We encourage consumers to always ensure that the agents they use are a valid and authorized agent. To ensure a complete peace of mind, we encourage consumers to purchase our seats online,” said the airline.

Meanwhile FMT tried to contact Dawood Travel and Tours but the phone number provided by the firm on its website had been disconnected. Efforts to obtain the travel agency’s phone number through Telekom Malaysia revealed that the company was not listed on TM’s telephone directory.

By Alyaa Azhar

Copyright @ 2009-2012 MToday News Sdn. Bhd.

Voluntourism a hit with longhaul travellers to Malaysia.

Date: 7 February 2013

Voluntourism a hit with longhaul travellers to Malaysia.

TRADITIONAL longhaul markets to Malaysia have developed an appetite for volunteer tourism, with travel consultants reporting growing interest in the niche segment.

Diethelm Travel Malaysia’s managing director, Manfred Kurz, said: “Traditionally, CSR programmes appeal only to meeting and incentive groups from European markets. But we have seen growing interest from the FIT segment over the last couple of years.” To harness rising demand, Diethelm Travel will work with established tour operators in Germany to promote more volunteer tourism programmes in Sabah and Sarawak for the FIT market this year.

Sarawak-based Masama JS Adventure Tours’ business development manager, Marco Wunsch, said: “In 2012, we saw 30 per cent year-on-year growth (in the number of participants) for our turtle conservation programme at Talang-Talang Island, with the most requests coming from FITs from the Netherlands.”  Masama works with the Sarawak Forestry Corporation for this programme. Wunsch said: “This year, we would like to develop more conservation tours in Sarawak, especially those with the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in the Santubong area.”

Alex Lee, CEO of Terengganu-based Ping Anchorage Travel & Tours, explained the difference between the regular leisure tourist and a volunteer tourist. “The FIT tourist involved in volunteer tourism spends at least 50 per cent more than the average tourist, as they even pay the locals a fee to be involved (in activities). 

“This year, we plan to develop more volunteer programmes in Terengganu, involving local culture, heritage and nature. Tourists will be able to decide on the programmes they wish to be involved in, based on their budget and length of stay.”

By S Puvaneswary, Kuala Lumpur

Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd 2013

Cruise industry tops 20m clients, focuses on Asia.

Date: 31 January 2013

Cruise industry tops 20m clients, focuses on Asia.

NEW YORK - Cruise lines carried 20.3 million passengers last year and expect the numbers to rise in 2013 as more companies focus resources on luring Asian clients, industry experts said on Wednesday. A year after the Costa Concordia disaster off the coast of Italy with the loss of 32 lives, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which represents cruise lines around the globe, said it expects to reach 20.97 million passengers this year.

"The industry is well positioned to continue with this trajectory," Christine Duffy, CLIA's president and CEO, told a news conference, adding that new policies have been introduced following a review after the accident.

The Caribbean, Mediterranean and Europe remain the top cruise destinations, with Americans and Canadians making up the bulk of passengers, but the industry is rapidly going global with Australia and Asia the big growth area. "We are very bullish on China and Asia as a whole," said Jim Berra, chief marketing officer of Carnival Cruise Lines and CLIA's marketing chair.

He added that cruise lines are investing in the region with more home ports and ports of call, and sending ships into the region to meet the growing market. "By 2020 the Chinese market is projected to be a US$7 trillion(S$9 trillion) consumer economy and will have created the largest middle class that ever existed on Earth," he said.

Cruise lines, as a result, will be adding itineraries to Japan, China and Australia, South Korea and Vietnam. "Some of our newer, bigger ships are heading to these markets because the demand is there," Mr Berra added.

Along with Asian destinations, cruise lines are adding trips to exotic locales such as Morocco, Antarctica, Iceland and the Galapagos Islands, and are ramping up on-board entertainment with Broadway shows and appearances of Tony-award winning actors and reality show stars, he said.

A CLIA poll of travel agents who book cruises showed that multigenerational travel, weddings and honeymoons are seen as the top potential growth groups for cruises. "It's all about innovation, global markets and how you open up to them," said Mr Berra.

By Reuters

Copyright @ 2013 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

RM10,000 for info on elephant killers: MATTA.

Date: 31 January 2013

RM10,000 for info on elephant killers: MATTA.

KOTA KINABALU: A RM10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and successful conviction of those causing the death of 13 endangered Bornean Pygmy elephants at Yayasan Sabah Conservation area in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve, Tawau.

The reward is offered by the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) Sabah which said the death of the elephants, believed to be caused by poisoning, was a great loss to the state and tourism industry as viewing them in the wild was always the highlight of nature wildlife tours.

MATTA Sabah chairman KL Tan said Bornean elephants were small in numbers and found in isolated pockets and listed as endangered animals. They were indigenous to Borneo and their generic distinctiveness made them one of the highest priority population for Asian Elephants conservation.

“If the shocking death of the Bornean elephants is confirmed to have been due to intentional poisoning, MATTA Sabah would offer a cash reward of RM10,000 for information leading to successful conviction of the culprits,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He urged those with information to contact the joint task force directed by Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun and consisting of Sabah Wildlife Department, Forestry Department, Yayasan Sabah, WWF and Royal Malaysia Police.

“We urged the public to assist the task force to investigate the matter and to ensure there is no malicious intent on the innocent elephants. This cash reward is a positive indication of the travel industry involvement that we are serious in conservation and sustaining Sabah as an eco and wildlife destination,” Tan said.

“MATTA’s contribution is one of the proactive measures to express its interest to the community that we care and the need to protect the Bornean elephants and other endangered wildlife. Conservation of endangered wildlife is for the benefit of our future generation and sustaining tourism growth in Sabah,” he said.

Tan pointed out one of the key factors in Sabah’s flourishing tourism industry is its nature based tourism, which raked in an estimated RM5.178 billion in revenue with 2.8 million tourists in 2012.

The viewing of the Bornean elephants in Lower Kinabatangan, Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Danum Valley is one of the main attractions for UK, Europe, Japanese and Australian tourists to Sabah. “Tourism benefits the whole community due to its spin-off effects and so the community will all lose out if we are not united to conserve our wildlife heritage in Sabah”.

Copyright @ 2010-2013 BorneoPost Online

Japan Keen To Attract Malaysian Tourists.

Date: 27 January 2013

Japan Keen To Attract Malaysian Tourists.

KUALA LUMPUR - The Japanese tourism industry is keen to attract Muslim tourists and Malaysia is one of the countries with the largest potential, said Japanese Ambassador to Malaysia Shigeru Nakamura. He said Japan had seen a steady growth of visitor arrivals from Malaysia, especially following the implementation in September last year of the multiple entry visa for Malaysians travelling to Japan.

"From January to November last year, Malaysian arrivals in Japan totalled about 113,100, an increase of 16.5 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year. Promotion of tourism between Japan and Malaysia will contribute and enhance people-to-people relations," he told Bernama.

Nakamura said the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) will be hosting a technical visit to Japan from Jan 29 to Feb 3. He said that in conjunction with the visit, the Japan National Tourism Organisation (JNTO) would sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with MATTA in Yokohama on Jan 30.

The MoU is to promote cooperation and exchange of ideas on inbound tourism between Malaysia and Japan. "I hope this MoU will provide additional momentum to the Malaysia and Japan tourism collaboration to further promote the Japanese tourism industry," said Nakamura.

Copyright @ BERNAMA

Asia's tourism players demand better ecotourism practices.

Date: 25 January 2013

Asia's tourism players demand better ecotourism practices.

WHILE balancing economic development and environmental sustainability continues to be a challenge, tourism players should chart the way forward for ecotourism in South-east Asia, a salient theme that was raised during the ASEAN Tourism Conference (ATC) at ATF 2013.

“We have to take care of the goose that lays the golden eggs,” said Victor Wee, chairman, Tourism Malaysia, on sustainability and ecotourism. “Ecotourism is a two-way street – it requires the responsible, conscious and committed participation of all parties.”

Tour operators should take a proactive stance, urged Umberto Cadamuro, director of business and operations, Pacto Indonesia. “The key is to keep sustainability in mind when developing products. We would recommend incentive groups to have their CSR activities in South-east Asia. It is the responsibility of DMCs to suggest this to their clients.”

Jimmy Sim, business development manager, Dorison Travel Singapore, agreed: “Sustainable tourism enjoys a higher profile in the Western world but is still something very new in this region. Hotels are the most polluting link in the tourism field. There are a lot of opportunities but it’s very frustrating as many hotel owners are just looking at dollars and cents,” said Anthony Wong, group managing director of Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel Malaysia and Frangipani Hotels & Resorts. “General managers are often appointed for two years or so, therefore it’s up to owners to set the vision and goals for their properties.”

Since adopting green practices such as rainwater harvesting, composting and setting up a wetland at Frangipani Langkawi, the resort’s operating costs have declined by 20 per cent, Wong revealed.

Community-based tourism can be tapped to improve the well-being of the local community while raking in tourist dollars, keynote speakers pointed out. For example, PATA Foundation has partnered Canada’s Capilano University to launch homestay programmes in Vietnam’s Sapa, according to chairman – board of trustees, Mario Hardy.

Better policies and regulations should be drawn up, as ecotourism products are generally under-priced in the region, leading to high visitations and environmental degradation, Wee added.

By Xinyi Liang-Pholsena, ASEAN Tourism Forum, Vientiane

Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd 2013

Trade lauds AirAsia X's new KL-Jeddah flights.

Date: 23 January 2013

Trade lauds AirAsia X's new KL-Jeddah flights. 

MALAYSIA's tour operators have welcomed AirAsia X's new Kuala Lumpur-Jeddah service which will ease the sector's year-round seat crunch especially during the Middle East peak season between August 10 and September 10 this year.

Weekly seat capacity on the route will soar to 4,173 with the addition of 1,131 seats from February 16, when the thrice-weekly flight launches. Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) and Saudia also ply the route five and six times weekly, respectively.

Andy Muniandy, director of sales and business development, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel in Kuala Lumpur, said: “The new flights will bring more tourists to Malaysia as many seats on MAS are taken up by pilgrims returning from Mecca (accessed primarily via Jeddah). “AirAsia X’s competitive airfares also helps as Saudi Arabians usually travel with big families of six or more people.”

Mani Ponniah, manager of Explore the Wonders Wholesale Travel, remarked that AirAsia’s new service provides travellers with more price options and would grow Malaysia’s share of tourists from Saudi Arabia, in the face of aggressive competition from Thailand and Singapore.

Malaysia’s arrivals from Saudi Arabia saw a 21.8 per cent year-on-year increase in the first nine months of 2012 – from 66,131 to 80,547.

While it is common for travellers to take a Gulf-based airline in Europe and transit in the Middle East to Kuala Lumpur, some European travel consultants are not biting. Valentin Ciofiac, manager, outgoing & ticketing department at Atlantic Tour Bucharest, said: “Airline delays are a risk when taking a connecting flight on AirAsia X to Kuala Lumpur as the carrier does not have any airline agreements. Travellers prefer to purchase a single ticket.”

Meerbusch-based Agentur fur Reisen Tourismus und Exklusivitat project assistant, Melanie Potthast, said the service would appeal to Germany’s budget travellers who wished to stop over in Saudi Arabia.

By S Puvaneswary, reporting from ASEAN Tourism Forum, Vientiane

Copyright @ TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd 2013

UPM Launched First University Tour Package.

Date: 19 January 2013

UPM Launched First University Tour Package.

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama) - Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Friday launched their Mother Nature Tour Trail in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014 (VMY) Promotional Campaign in Bukit Jalil here.

The tour package makes UPM the first university to offer the tourism package by allowing tourists to explore the university's vast natural surrounding located at its campus in Serdang.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), Prof. Datuk Ir Dr. Mohd Salleh Jaafar, said the package offered was not the usual tour packages in the market. "There are seven locations selected specially for the package that offers from half day tours up to three days and two nights," he said.

Dr Mohd Salled said the packages were priced between RM 99 to RM 370 per person. Three tour agents will start promoting the package, namely TM Tours and Travel, Mitra Kembara and Poto Travel and Tours.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who launched the tour package, said 30 UPM students had been trained for the tour package and this would help expand the tourism industry further by exposing UPM students to the industry.

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