MALAYSIA’s Ministry of Finance will be reviewing Tourism Malaysia’s promotional and advertising budget, which had been slashed by 25 per cent or RM50 million (US$12 million) from an initial budget of RM200 million earlier this year.

The budget cut was the result of tumbling oil prices which had forced the government to trim its spending and operating expenditure.

According to a report on the Sunday Star, Chua Tee Yong, Malaysia’s deputy finance minister had said: “We will look into the issue, but we need to take into consideration the fiscal demands on the government.”

When contacted by TTG Asia e-Daily, Hamzah Rahmat, president of the Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents, said: “When the promotional and advertising budget is cut, it means less tourists will visit Malaysia. As tourism is the second largest foreign exchange earner, agencies that bring revenue such as Tourism Malaysia should not have its budget cut.”

Last year, tourism receipts rose by 10 per cent to RM72 billion from RM65.4 billion in 2013. The Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015 campaign is expected to help the country achieve the target of 29.4 million arrivals and RM89 billion in tourism receipts this year.

However, with the budget cut as well as dismal 1Q arrival figures for 2015, which saw a drop of 8.6 per cent year-on-year from seven million arrivals in 1Q2014, trade members have expressed doubts that this year’s target will be met.

Mint Leong, secretary-general of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, said: “To maximise yield with a reduced budget, Tourism Malaysia should target key markets that can bring revenue to the country, such as China and India. We should implement visa-free travel for tourists from both countries as these are good markets with a big population of middle and high net income individuals.”

Arokia Das, senior manager at Luxury Tours Malaysia advocates Tourism Malaysia to have dialogues with the travel trade on what will sell. “With inputs from industry players, there can be a more holistic approach for promotions going forward,” he said.

Ally Bhoonee, executive director at World Avenues, meanwhile, urges the Malaysian NTO to conduct more B2B roadshows in key markets while adopting a more stringent approach with mega fam trips to optimise funds.

He remarked: “What’s happening now is that agency bosses are extending the invitations to junior staff instead. Some of them do not speak English and they don’t know the product. How will they go back and sell Malaysia? We need to bring in decision makers and product managers who can feature the destination in their brochures and websites.”

GLOBAL research agency GFK and the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) have struck a partnership together to introduce a uniformed reporting currency to the travel industry.

With the agreement in place, participating AFTA members will now contribute to a weekly, consolidated, forward-bookings measurement using the GfK Travelscan business tool.

“We’re delighted to be working with AFTA to introduce a new travel industry market currency to Australia”, said Gwenno Hopkin, general manager of Gfk Australia. “The Gfk Travelscan product is already established in Europe and is being rolled-out throughout APAC,” added Hopkin.

Jayson Westbury, CEO of AFTA, believes that “as the travel agency community becomes more self-sufficient and less reliant on government in this industry-regulated environment”, travel data will be important to help sustain and establish good travel agents across Australia.

“I encourage all travel agency owners to get involved in this industry-wide initiative and to be part of sharing data with Gfk”, he said.

PASSENGERS travelling from Beijing to Mumbai can now avoid transfer flights following the introduction of Air China’s new service, set to commence on October 15, 2015.

The new Beijing-Mumbai flights will be operating four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, requiring seven hours to make the journey.

Air China is also slated to soon introduce direct flights from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Johannesburg and Addis Ababa.

THE industry has given a mixed welcome to plans by the Thai government to bring in national standards for tour guides and operators.

Draft legislation had already received approval this past week. “The draft covers several issues including the guidelines for granting the tour guide licence, protective measures for travellers on cancellation policy and the suspension of licenses when regulations have been violated by tour operators,” stated a government website.

One of the suggested reforms receiving a welcome was the idea of travellers needing to have insurance.

“I think the insurance is a good thing,” Thanet Supornsahasrungsi, vice president, budget and planning of the Tourism Council of Thailand told TTG Asia e-Daily, pointing out that most developed countries have it anyway.

Where there was less agreement was how to go about raising standards.

“I don’t know about minimum standards. There are too many things that need to be considered for the profession,” said Wirot Titaprasertnand, president of Thailand’s Professional Guides Association.

Wirot added that not all guides are active, which complicates things. Work depends on the season, the market and sometimes the languages spoken or needed.

More frequent licensing might also not be the way to go.

“It’s not the way to solve the problem,” said Thanet, pointing out that requiring licenses more often creates work the government might not be able to finish fast enough. There are some 50,000 guides currently registered with the Department of Tourism.

Another issue is the need for the Thai government to consult the industry, something all sources contacted said.

A proposal for national rather than optional company uniforms was suggested in June, but has seemingly been dropped after heated trade debate.

TTG Events, organisers of the IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific event, have confirmed that the event will run as planned from September 29 to October 1 at the Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld.

Since the recent devastation to hit the city on Monday night, TTG has been working closely with its partners in Thailand, including TCEB, to closely monitor the situation. Event delegates have also been informed of the organiser’s decision which was made with the view that the Royal Thai government will soon restore Bangkok to normalcy. TTG has assured delegates that their safety and security will remain as the top priority, and further updates will be made in response to the situation.

Said Darren Ng, managing director of TTG Asia Media: “Thailand has been a tremendous host to IT&CMA and CTW Asia-Pacific for over a decade, with Bangkok being home to the event for the 9th consecutive year now. Our delegates look forward to coming to this city year after to year as it remains an extremely popular destination for both business and leisure.

“Our team is saddened and grieved by this incident that has rocked this hospitable city and its people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families and loved ones affected. We hope that the industry will continue to stand together with one heart and mind, and bounce back from this set-back,” he added.

Should travelers require any further information, they may contact TCEB office at +66 (0) 2694 6000, TCEB call centre at 1105 (within Thailand only), visit www.tceb.or.th or contact info@tceb.or.th, or contact these relevant authorities:

Tourism Authority of Thailand Call Centre 1672
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hotline +66 (0) 2 644 7245 /+ 66 (0) 2 643 5522
Narenthorn EMS Center 1669
Suwannabhumi International Airport +66 (0) 2132 4000
Don Muang International Airport +66 (0) 2535 1616

THE Union of International Associations (UIA) will still hold its Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific 2015 in the Thai capital despite the recent bombing incident.

This year’s discussions are set to take place in Bangkok on September 29 and 30 in conjunction with IT&CMA 2015.

Nancy Carfrae, coordinator, UIA Associations Round Table, has confirmed that the event will go ahead as planned and that they have “seen no indication that participation will be affected by the incident”.

She added: “On the contrary, registrants have expressed their sympathy and solidarity with the people of Bangkok, and confirmed their intention to attend the event.”

Reporting by Samuel Ng