INITIATIVES, INCLUDING TARGETING THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET, TO FORM PART OF ITS TOURISM SECTOR’S FUTURE PROSPERITY.
According to Mohamad Taib Ibrahim, director, Dubai, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia, in the first half (H1) of the year the destination welcomed some 11.4 million visitors, indicating a decrease over the same period of 2014, when arrivals for the full year reached 27.4 million, up from 25.7 million in 2013.
Ibrahim further noted that in 2014 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) market remained the largest contributor of arrivals to the country, accounting for 74.3 percent of visitors, and 64.3 percent of total tourist receipts.
MIDDLE EASTERN-CENTRIC
With the ASEAN open skies policy having taken effect at the beginning of the year – which aims to boost regional and domestic connectivity by allowing airlines from member states to fly freely in the region – Malaysia expects a larger proportion of travellers from this area in the future.
However, moving beyond this dominant segment, the authority has stepped up its promotional efforts to year-round markets with large populations such as China and India, as well as to high-income Middle Eastern countries by penetrating fast-growing locations.
“Shifting our attention to second- and third-tier cities will enable us to reach new target markets that are already aware of the Malaysia brand [...],” noted Ibrahim.
In a bid to lure more visitors from the Middle East, the authority undertakes various promotional activities, partners with travel agents for special packages and arranges familiarisation trips for travel consultants from the region.
“[The] Middle East market is very important for [Malaysia], especially the GCC, as [these nations] spend more, stay longer and travel frequently,” stated Ibrahim, further elaborating on how the destination caters to visitors from the Arab world by offering Halal cuisine, prayer facilities and Arabic speaking tour guides, among others.
Not deterred by national figures, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar Hotel witnessed a 34 percent year-on-year increase in occupancy in H1, of which only 0.5 percent derived from MENA. Nonetheless, as Azlina Aziz, director of sales, Pullman Kuala Lumpur Bangsar, mentioned, the region has shown notable improvement in the second half of the year.
Chiming in, Susan Yap, director of sales and marketing, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, stressed, “The Middle East is an important market not only for our hotel, but for the whole of Malaysia [...].”
Yap highlighted that although the region does not comprise a tremendous chunk of the business, the hotel is keen on focussing further on its increasing potential in the future. The property has taken strides to attract the attention of these nations through various road shows, sales missions, familiarisation trips and travel trade events and exhibitions.
