Tourism players and buyers participating in MCTA’s business-to- business exchange meeting to promote Johor’s tourism sector.
STEPS have been taken by private tourism players in Johor and Labuan to increase tourism activities and promotion in both destinations.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Johor chapter chairman Edwin Tay said it would continue playing its role of promoting the state’s attractions, including to potential tourists from Labuan.
“Perhaps it is because of our geographical locations and the lack of direct flights between Johor and Labuan,” he said, referring to the limited knowledge Labuan residents have about Johor’s tourism offerings and vice versa.
“We recently held a business-to- business exchange meeting with tourism operators from Labuan to give them a deeper understanding of Johor so they can better promote our tourism products.
“I also hope similar action can be taken by Johor and Labuan tourism agencies such as Tourism Johor to strengthen ties and improve the state’s tourism sector,” he said in an interview.
Tay added that discussions with MCTA Labuan chapter chairman Tan Poh Tong went well during the meeting, which saw the participation of 40 tourism players from Johor and 90 tourism buyers from all over Malaysia.
He said the three-day, two-night programme also provided a platform for tourism players from different states to engage in meaningful exchanges on how to improve their respective products.
“As part of the promotional programme, the participants were taken on a Majestic Johor tour, which included Desaru Fruit Farm, Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, Desaru Waterpark, Legoland, Hard Rock Cafe and several hotels of different star ratings.
“We also promoted other tourism products such as the Fo Guang Shan Hsing Ma Si temple and aerial entertainment space Skyscape in Menara JLand,” he added.
Meanwhile, MCTA president Paul Paw hoped the reopening of the country’s borders would continue to revive the tourism industry.
Despite the increase in travelling costs and oil prices due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he said Malaysians were still booking overseas tour packages.
“A one-way flight ticket to Guangzhou, China that usually went for RM1,500 could go up to RM30,000 on certain occasions while flight tickets to Europe have increased by at least 20% to 30%.
“However, the prices for some destinations such as Turkey have reduced.
“So far, the travel packages our tour operators have sold are mostly for European and South-East Asian countries,” he said.
Paw said with travellers preferring to travel in small groups these days, the travel industry must transform itself to adapt to their needs.
“By the looks of the present situation, the response from travellers whether it is for overseas or domestic travel, has been encouraging.
“We hope this can continue in an upward trend.
“We are planning to organise a tourism fair in July to offer more attractive products and packages to travellers,” he added.
