KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (July 8): When the lockdowns were lifted in the second half of last year (2H 2020), Malaysia had the highest growth in the domestic tourism market among ASEAN countries. Malaysia had the highest ever growth in its domestic tourist market, according to Agoda corporate development vice president Tim Hughes, when the country expanded its tourism sector in 2H 2020.
“Despite a huge reduction in bookings (in all countries), Malaysians’ desire to travel is very obvious throughout all regions of the country, and we witnessed Malaysia’s destinations make it onto that list,” he said.
Hughes made the remarks today at Maybank’s Invest ASEAN 2021 virtual conference, which was headlined “Captains Speak — Is ASEAN Tourism Dead?”
He stated that consumer demand for travel is unwavering, and that the company has been concentrating on providing flexible goods to meet the needs of the domestic market.
This includes attracting young talent and delivering training and retention programs for engineers in Thailand, as well as testing new processes and products on platforms employing data analysis at a faster rate.
While Hughes is confident in the prognosis for domestic and leisure travel, business travel remains unknown due to the greater expenditures associated with this market.
Meanwhile, Markland Blaiklock, deputy chief executive officer of Central Plaza Hotel Group, said the company, which owns 51 percent of a Thai hotel chain, is committed to restoring its hotels in Phuket, Koh Samui, and Bangkok.
He said the Thai government and industry were all assuring thorough preparations before opening Phuket to vaccinated tourists on July 1, which resulted in more motivation among industry employees.
“It’s been reassuring. The government’s procedures, and ensuring that they are followed, is a fulfilling obligation you make to your guests in creating a safe atmosphere,” Blaiklock added.
Nonetheless, he predicted that international tourists would become infected with the Covid-19 virus.
“This is why it’s critical to follow the protocols and immediately isolate the person who has been detected.” “However, this should not prevent the industry from continuing to operate,” he said.
While emphasizing that ASEAN tourism is not ‘dead,’ he expressed hope that Malaysia could create and adopt a similar strategy to quickly revitalize the sector, focusing first on major international tourist destinations such as Penang, Melaka, and Sabah.
On a similar note, Benito C Bengzon Jr, Undersecretary for Tourism Development at the Philippines’ Department of Tourism, said that because positive cases are bound to occur, governments must ensure that, in addition to isolating the affected traveller, the necessary medical attention is given top priority.
Although international borders remain closed in the Philippines, he claims that the government is steadily assisting the sector’s revival by focusing on domestic tourism and pushing for high herd immunity.
“We have a significant base of domestic travelers, with 110 million domestic visits generated prior to the pandemic,” Bengzon said. “We believe that domestic tourism will keep the businesses afloat and working, and ultimately bring back livelihoods, particularly at the community level.”/n
