Uzbekistan is aiming to triple Malaysian arrivals from almost 4,500 in 2019 to 12,000 by this year-end, and has established various strategies, including leveraging Uzbekistan Airways, trade partnerships, and intensified consumer campaigns, to reach its goals.
Ravshan Usmanov, ambassador of Uzbekistan to Malaysia, underscored the pivotal role of Uzbekistan Airways in this endeavour. He said the airline had resumed flights from Tashkent to Kuala Lumpur on November 1, 2022, offering twice-weekly services, and will add a third service from October 30. Departures from Kuala Lumpur are scheduled for Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Uzbekistan Airways is presently the sole Central Asian carrier offering regular services to Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysian passport holders enjoy 30-day visa-free entry to Uzbekistan, making the destination an excellent starting point for exploring other Central Asian destinations.
Ravshan said Uzbekistan remains a relatively new destination for many Malaysian travellers and outbound travel agents. Located at the crossroads of the Great Silk Road, Uzbekistan has always charmed travellers from all over the world. Throughout centuries it was a melting pot of cultures and civilisations. World-famous pre-Islamic, Islamic and Buddhist shrines as well as modern tourism infrastructure in the cities of Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, Termez and Tashkent hold the potential of attracting tourists from various ethnic backgrounds from Malaysia.
To raise awareness of the destination, the embassy is planning a fam trip for outbound travel agents and invited media in conjunction with the Tashkent International Tourism Forum, a B2B2C travel mart taking place from November 15 to 17.
Recently, Uzbekistan had a pavilion at the MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur, during which six inbound agents from the country worked to create stronger brand awareness. It also invested in billboard advertisements in high-traffic areas of Kuala Lumpur and produced television documentaries highlighting Uzbekistan’s food, culture, and Islamic heritage.
Tagaeva Madina, founder of Another Travel, an inbound agent from Uzbekistan, shared that her company has primarily been catering to Muslim travellers from Malaysia interested in exploring the Islamic heritage and culture. However, at the recent MATTA Fair, she diversified her reach to the non-Muslim market, highlighting Uzbekistan’s historical and architectural monuments, as well as its appeal to food enthusiasts.
Taman Wisata Candi (TWC) Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko, the state-owned company that manages the temples, has set new regulations for visitors looking to explore the archeological site of Borobudur Temple in Central Java, Indonesia.
The new regulations include limited tickets for sale, pre-set visiting sessions, and a sale period of no more than a week ahead of the intended visit. These are aligned with the Indonesian government’s policy of imposing stricter visitor controls at the temple, with no more than 1,200 people allowed each day or 150 per session.
From hereon, tickets are only sold online and open for sale seven days before the intended visit; a maximum of 10 tickets may be purchased in a single transaction.
Visitors can choose from one of eight hour-long sessions, between 09.00 and 17.00.
Jamaludin Mawardi, general manager of the Borobudur Unit of TWC Borobudur, Prambanan, and Ratu Boko, said visitors are welcome to purchase an additional session for longer visits, and can do so with the help of a guide and subject to ticket availability.
He said the new regulations are being tested until October, and improvements will continue to be made.
“There will be a special landing page for tour operators on the website, including a special quota plan for ASITA (Association of the Indonesian Tours and Travel Agencies) Yogyakarta members using voucher codes,” Jamaludin added.
Indonesian travel trade players welcome the new regulations, especially as the sole online sales channel will remove ticket brokers, and are offering ideas for system improvements.
Monas Tjahjono, managing director of Monas Tours & Travel Surabaya, said TWC should make the sale of tickets transparent, so that visitors to the site can see the number of tickets available for sale in real time. This is important since tickets are very quickly snapped up, as soon as the online purchase slot is opened.
The temple’s online ticketing system could also take a leaf out of airlines’ book, where sales are open every day throughout the year and which allows visitors to see ahead tickets that are available for sale.
She then urges TWC to reduce website downtime.
Meanwhile, Trianto Sunarjati, director at Travel Help Indonesia, opined that the reservation system needs to be separated for the public and travel operators, so that the latter could purchase more tickets for tour groups.
However, ASITA vice chairman Budijanto Ardiansjah voiced concerns for the sudden regulations change “in the middle of the year, during the high season”.
As group bookings have been confirmed since last year, travellers worry if they would still be allowed into Borobudur Temple, while tour operators are concerned about cost increment and affected earnings.
Budijanto hopes that destinations or attractions that are the main tourist draws, such as Borobudur Temple, will consult tourism industry players when making decisions.
“Keep in mind that tourism is a future business, where business obtained today is the result of last year’s actions,” he stated.
Budijanto also suggested a dual online and offline ticketing system during the trial period, to allow tour operators to try for tickets manually should they fail to secure online tickets.