Malaysia Operators Turn to China Weakened Arrivals from Current Core Markets Are Forcing Malaysian Inbound Players to Pin Their Hopes on China
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PATA Travel Mart September 13, 2017 Malaysia operators turn to China Weakened arrivals from current core markets are forcing Malaysian inbound players to pin their hopes on China By S Puvaneswary adding that his company will reach out hired experienced staff and trained exist- hiking.” Malaysian inbound operators are diver- only to the English speaking Muslim trav- ing ones on the requirements of Chinese In support of inbound operators’ ef- sifying their source markets deeper into ellers from China. tourists. Sales calls to wholesalers in Bei- forts, the Malaysian Association of Tour China, encouraged mainly by the govern- Azizi said: “Muslim travel is our forte. jing, Shanghai and Guangzhou were also and Travel Agents (MATTA) will collabo- ment’s easing of visa restrictions and a There is also less competition for the Mus- made this year. rate with the Malaysia-China Chamber greatly improved air accessibility. lim Chinese market (among Malaysian) “The Chinese market is still small as we of Commerce to participate in the 2017 Malaysia Airlines launched nine new inbound operators. Our tour packages in- are new in this market. However, we are Guangdong 21st Century Maritime Silk routes to China this year, covering Kuala clude halal meals in restaurants and visits willing to put in the effort and commit- Road International Expo, to be held in Lumpur to Haikou, Nanjing, Fuzhou, to various mosques for prayers.” ment to grow this market,” said Ally. Dongguan, China from September 21 to Wuhan, Chengdu and Chong- Ally Bhoonee, executive di- Adam Kamal, CEO at Olympik Holi- 24. MATTA is providing free booths, ac- qing; Penang to Shenzhen and rector, World Avenues, said his days, is also targeting the Chinese market commodation and transportation at the Shanghai; and Kota Kinabalu company has diversified into to make up for the reduced longhaul busi- expo for participating inbound members. to Tianjin. AirAsia commenced China with the intention of re- ness from Europe and the US, due partly MATTA president, KL Tan, said: “The its Langkawi-Shenzhen service ducing its dependency on the to limited air access and the closure of expo is another potential platform for our in August. Earlier in March, Ai- seasonal Middle East market. Tourism Malaysia’s offices early members to identify business rAsia X launched daily flights Bhoonee said: “Political ten- this year in New York, Milan and opportunities and to increase between Kuala Lumpur and sions in the Gulf Cooperation Sweden. arrivals from China.” Wuhan. Bhoonee: invest- Council and a weakened econ- Europe and the US are sea- MATTA is also planning With these additions, there ing in China omy due to low oil prices are sonal markets and direct flights a sales mission to Nanning, are 470 direct flights weekly between Chi- not in our favour. Malaysia has enjoyed a are limited to KLM’s services Guilin, Shenzhen and Guang- na and Malaysia, which is the most num- boom in arrivals since the 1990s, but the from Amsterdam and Malaysia zhou, tentatively scheduled for ber of flights between Malaysia and any market has become saturated over the Airlines’ flights to Heathrow. 1Q2018 or 2Q2018. other medium-haul destination. last five years. Malaysia is not as popular But Kamal’s foray is not with- Kamal: going for Tan shared: “It depends on Azizi Borhan, general manager of with the Middle East as it once was. out challenges. He said: “Group niche segments the final confirmation from Safuan Travel & Holidays, who is among “On the other hand, China is a volume series face strong competition our China counterparts on the those casting a keen eye on China, told year-round market which enjoys good from Chinese OTAs, with the likes of best time and venue to hold these events. TTG Show Daily that the diversification air access from both full service and low- Ctrip selling holiday packages at low rates. These B2B sessions will be open to MAT- must be made as its South-east Asian mar- cost carriers. The government, through There is also competition from Malaysian TA members as well as hoteliers and local kets were not growing. the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and inbound players who are dropping rates attractions. The roadshows are a cost-ef- “China is a natural choice because it is Tourism Malaysia, is also putting its re- to secure volume business. fective platform for small and big players a medium-haul destination with good air sources into further developing this mar- “To stand out, we offer niche pack- to join and build their contacts, expand links, and China is among the main focus ket, which augurs well for us.” ages to attract special interest groups. Our market share and ultimately draw more markets for Tourism Malaysia,” Azizi said, To tackle China, World Avenues has packages include diving, motor sports and arrivals into Malaysia.” Chinese wave sweeps in Macau shows off tourism By Caroline Boey tor, Guilin Tianyuan Interna- for Chinese travellers earlier this evolution at PTM 2017 Thirty-seven Chinese buyers tional Travel Service said Japan, year but demand dipped after the have registered for PATA Travel with direct flights, and nearby terror attacks. Xia expects Cana- PATA Travel Mart’s (PTM) re- tourism buyers from around the Mart 2017, making them the big- Asian island resorts offering rea- da will gain favour in 2018 as it is turn to Macau after seven years world, Fernandes said the Mart gest contingent this year. sonably priced prod- the China-Canada Year will allow delegates to gain a live “offers a prime opportunity for According to Puangthip ucts are hot this year. of Tourism. update on the destination’s tour- Macau tourism stakeholders Chotipantawanon, PATA’s direc- She added family New flights coupled ism development. to connect with the world, and tor of events, those who have trips to Europe and the with Russia offering Macao Government Tourism learn from the experts about the registered are senior executives, US were popular this easier visa entry pro- Office (MGTO) direc- most effective market- with a quarter holding manager summer, while India, cedures and China’s tor, Maria Helena de ing strategies”. or director titles. Egypt and Myanmar Belt and Road policy Senna Fernandes, said: “The next genera- A pre-mart poll of registered are up-and-coming. will bring awareness to “Macau last held PTM tion of tourism profes- buyers shows that direct flights, William Lu, mar- Eastern Europe. in 2010. Between then sionals can also benefit Lu: experiential and now, Macau has from the PATA Youth visa-free and/or ease of obtain- keting director, Hola trips are a hit Shelley Jin, general ing visa entry documents, fa- China (Shanghai) In- manager, Customiza- seen numerous tour- Symposium,” she said. vourable currency exchange and ternational Travel Service, noted tion Service Center of Shanghai ism complexes coming Bruno Simoes, exec- into operation, more utive director of small- destinations not impacted by a growing demand for tailor- Yangzi International Travel Ser- Fernandes: trad- heritage draws being WORLD Experience, a safety and security issues domi- made experiential trips to view vice said Australia, New Zealand ing knowledge nated outbound trends this year, the Northern Lights and Antarc- and Thailand did well in 1H2017 revitalised for visitors, repeat exhibitor based with Asian destinations continu- tic ocean adventures among Chi- for travellers looking to enjoy the and new large-scale events being in Macau, told TTG Show Daily ing to perform strongly. nese sophisticates. seasons. added to our annual calendar. that the mart “is a huge oppor- China National Tourism Ad- South America and the Bal- “Canada, Czech Republic “These will make PTM 2017 a tunity” for his destination and he ministration predicts outbound kan countries have been actively and Hungary, which offer natu- memorable event and contribute hopes to connect with meeting trips will increase four per cent attending China tradeshows and ral scenery, easy access and are to destination promotion.” and incentive agencies as well as this year to 127 million, citing Lu is keen to offer customised perceived to be safe, are up- PTM 2017 also holds another conference organisers. products to these destinations. and-coming. And among the special meaning for MGTO, as it “This (business event) seg- convenient visa policies provid- th ed by some 65 destinations as the Jing Xia, director, CITS Head more active NTOs this year were is the event’s 40 anniversary. ment has huge potential growth growth driver. Office, said the favourable UK those from Texas, Argentina and Besides being a platform to in Macau,” he explained. – Pru- Sandy Ren, marketing direc- exchange rate was the impetus Dubai.” showcase Macau to travel and dence Lui 13.09.2017 TTG Show Daily PATA Travel Mart 2 View from the top The 40-year-old tradeshow Despite challenges, PATA Travel Mart (PTM) remains a solid event even after 40 years of existence. The suc- cess boils down to innovation, qual- ity content and execution, says Mario Hardy, CEO of PATA, who shares the higlights of this year’s edition and his vision for the show moving ahead with Xinyi Liang-Pholsena What are the highlights for PTM 2017 as they may have an extra day if they wish to ing for it, which never happened before, PTM? How do you overcome them? the show marks its 40th year? meet the people in an informal way and as they are usually late to respond. For the A lot depends on the host destination. The fact that PTM’s still around after 40 pick up some knowledge about the region first few months of the announcement Macau has been easy to work with as years is exciting news for us.