PETALING JAYA: Travel agents are shifting their focus on markets with less travel restrictions such as Asean, India, Australia, South Korea, Europe and the Middle East.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said with the current stringent restrictions imposed in China, Taiwan and Japan, they are exploring other markets.
“We have done a few shows and there are more in the pipeline. We are not looking at China for the time being because it is still very strict,” he told The Star yesterday.
On domestic tourism, Tan said it is recovering and would continue to grow.
“Domestic tourism is currently the backbone of our sector. Through our exhibitions and shows, it has reinvigorated the small and medium operators,” he added.
On inbound travel, Datuk Aruldas Arulandu of Kuala Lumpur Tourism Association said they have been getting large groups of visitors from India in the past few months.
“It is better to focus on markets that are open for international travellers.
“Countries like India, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand and even Bangladesh are coming in.
“Tourism Malaysia did a few shows in India and the response was positive,” he said.
Aruldas is confident that domestic tourism will grow.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association national president Paul Paw said domestic tourism has recovered between 80% and 90% while international travel’s recovery rate is around 60%.
“Domestic travel has pretty much recovered these days.
“It is not easy to get a room at hotels or chalets over the weekend, which is a good sign.
“In terms of the Asean market, countries like Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines are coming in. So overall, Asean has been good.
“If you are looking at outbound travel, the Middle East and Europe are a bit more lenient in terms of travelling,” he said.
