Malaysia tourism cancelled

Malaysia Tourism Year 28 has been cancelled recently, which is really a pity for many tourists who like this activity, and it is also very sad news for local tourism practitioners in Malaysia. But this year is special, and there is nothing I can do about it. Let me share the specific details with you.

2 is the fifth year of tourism in Malaysia. In mid-January, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir set a target of 3 million international tourists and 1 billion ringgit in tourism revenue this year.

However, the outbreak of the COVID-19 epidemic changed everything. On March 18th, NancySukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture of Malaysia, issued a proclamation announcing the government's decision to cancel the Year of Tourism, which dealt a heavy blow to domestic tourism practitioners in Malaysia under the epidemic crisis.

Malaysia Tourism Year Promotion Sign "Malay Post"

Scenic Area Management: Everyone's salary is reduced.

genting highlands, the landmark of Kuala Lumpur, has the reputation of "South Monte Carlo" and is very popular with tourists. TanSriRichardKoh, president of Genting "Adventure Paradise in ripley, ripley" and honorary president of OnlyWorld Group, Malaysian Amusement Park and Family Entertainment Association, told reporters that this paradise, which is deeply loved by local and China tourists, was deserted during the 28 Lunar New Year.

"Because COVID-19 appeared at the end of last year, there were not many reservations for the New Year," he said. The group also owns a number of outdoor theme parks and sports venues, such as top Penang, Shahram Wetland World Water Park and panas Pedas Resort. Both indoor entertainment and outdoor attractions have been hit hard by the epidemic.

genting highlands's "ripley Adventure Park"

According to the movement restriction order issued by the Malaysian government, all scenic spots have been closed since March 18th. As the group manager, Tan Sri Xu Zhanqiang admits that the business pressure is self-evident. "All of us have a pay cut, including me. As a matter of fact, I was the first person to start a pay cut, "he said. "Employees are well aware that this is a special period, and the epidemic has spread all over the world, so everyone understands each other and helps each other. We try our best to keep our jobs. "

the management team is working hard to coordinate remotely and integrate years of experience in entertainment and leisure business development into brand-new online operations. At the same time, they launched online promotion activities. Visitors can enjoy a 5% discount when booking tickets for theme parks online at this stage. All tickets are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Offline, health and safety are the top priority. Whether it is a large outdoor amusement park or a children's daily indoor amusement park, employees regularly clean and disinfect all the venues, and constantly improve the frequency and degree of cleaning.

"This has tested our adaptability to e-commerce, and also connected the communication and trust of guests to a certain extent." In difficult times, Tanseri Xu Zhanqiang believes that maintaining transparency to the outside world is one of the keys for the group to save itself.

Tan Sri Xu Zhanqiang said that when to resume opening up should be based on the guidance and suggestions of Tourism Malaysia, but they will hold roadshows in their own countries together with Tourism Malaysia. "We have adjusted the quotation, hoping to attract more family tourists and get support and love after ".

Chain operators: This is a "virus tsunami", and everyone wants to survive.

"From January to March this year, the loss of tourism in accommodation, transportation, shopping, catering, organizing business activities and other fields is estimated to exceed RM 9 billion." Malaysian Tourism Minister Datuk Srinasi also announced in the announcement on March 18th that he decided to cancel the Year of Tourism.

most people may think this figure is staggering, but in the view of DatukSeriGarryChua, executive chairman of Malaysian Retail Chain Association (MRCA) and Rotol Group, this is not a simple financial problem, but a terrible "virus tsunami" that no one can escape.

MRCA has 55 member units, covering all retail industries in Malaysia. Since the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, businesses in different fields have gradually been involved in the crisis. During the Spring Festival, scenic spots, hotels and catering businesses suffered the first wave of impact due to the cancellation of many domestic tour groups. Since Malaysia announced its "closed door" and implemented movement control, various businesses such as transportation, shopping malls, restaurants and accommodation have been aggravated.

On March 22nd, people gathered in the famous AirItam vegetable market in Penang.

Ka Seng Chua shared with reporters the current situation of some chain businesses he participated in. He has served as consultant and director of many companies, covering many fields such as health care, big data analysis, construction equipment and so on. And every one of them is in a commotion. The customer's budget is limited and the business market is sluggish. He also has a series of restaurants focusing on fine food. Although the food delivery service has been opened, it is still unable to make ends meet. "Many chain restaurants may close some stores, and some of them are likely to close down directly. This is a difficult problem before us. "

supermarkets in Malaysia under the epidemic situation

On March 29th, the newly appointed Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tansri Muyiddin, proposed a total of RM 25 billion to "care for the people and revitalize the economy". However, Ka Seng Chua believes that "although the government has announced that it will provide financial assistance to low-income groups, other SMEs have not benefited from it. If we look at this matter strictly, the funds allocated by the government are far from enough. " In this regard, he and the presidents of many trade associations proposed more assistance to the government. On April 6th, Prime Minister Tansri Muyiddin announced that the government would allocate another RM 1 billion to help small and medium-sized enterprises and employees in Malaysia.

although the government is helping, the situation is still grim. According to the news of Malaysia Oriental Daily on April 14th, MalaysiaRetailGroup, an independent retail investigation agency in Malaysia, published the Preliminary Report on Malaysian Retail Industry during the COVID-19 Epidemic. It is estimated that the retail industry in Malaysia will face the first negative growth of 5.5% in 22 years.

Empty shopping center

Ka Seng Chua believes that at this stage, businesses must save the company's cash, reduce unnecessary expenses, and at the same time use the vacancy of the restraining order to reorganize the company's next business strategy and expand consumer groups. In the interview, he specifically mentioned learning "contingency" from China enterprises, such as manufacturing medical products that are in short supply in the market. "Some enterprises in our association have started to sell medical products to help the country and people, so as to maintain their business survival," he said. "I think the government should vigorously promote and encourage people to start using more online platforms, which is another business opportunity."

Tourism e-commerce developers: the epidemic accelerates the development of digital consumption

Now everyone is developing online business. What are the trends of enterprises focusing on developing and promoting mobile payment applications and services? Dr. SunnyTanHangMing, Chairman of MyWorld who has cooperated with Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism for many years, was interviewed by this newspaper.

One year after obtaining the e-money license in p>213, the Group and Malaysia's Ministry of Tourism jointly launched the Friends of Malaysia prepaid card. This is a preferential and reward scheme for tourists who have visited Malaysia many times. Visitors can recharge in advance, and then get the corresponding equivalent points, which can be used in signing scenic spots, retailers, restaurants, hotels, airlines and other places. At the same time, prepaid cards also have the function of online consumption. Many local high-quality food businesses, such as bird's nest, durian, coffee and other local products, have participated in the electronic trading platform of prepaid cards. Many tourists continue to buy online after returning home, which broadens the global sales of Malaysian micro-enterprises. After the introduction of this prepaid card project, it has been widely welcomed by local and international tourists. According to Chen Hanming, there are now 5, cardholders.

Friends of Malaysia-My World VISA Prepaid Card

Therefore, when the Malaysian Tourism Year was scheduled in 28, they once again cooperated with the Tourism Bureau to launch the commemorative version of the Visa Prepaid Card for the Malaysian Tourism Year, which received positive responses from more businesses. At present, although the "Year of Tourism" activity has been cancelled, the expansion of prepaid card projects is still going on. "It is also an important project to actively promote cashless consumption of electronic payment in cooperation with the Central Bank of Malaysia," Chen Hanming added.

The epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to traditional industries, and also accelerated the development of online shopping, logistics services and other industries, making more people have to learn and use mobile apps. A survey report of a consulting company published by Malay Post on April 7, 28 showed that within three weeks after the issuance of the restraining order, 66% of the respondents said that online commerce offered many discounts, and the most popular online shopping products were groceries, personal hygiene products and household items.

IanHo, regional managing director of online market platform Shopee, said in an interview with the media that they have seen enthusiastic orders all over the country, including rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia, and people are enthusiastic about online shopping. According to a study by Malaysian Digital Association, online stores of supermarket chain JayaGrocer and grocery delivery service HappyFresh experienced the largest continuous traffic growth in the third week of March, with an increase of 6% compared with the previous two months.

online shopping

Chen Hanming also told the newspaper that thanks to the group's experience in e-commerce, user accumulation and technological innovation in recent years, the group has benefited slightly from the epidemic. At present, we are contacting the Malaysian Tourism Bureau and the tourism service departments of Southeast Asian countries to participate in the recovery planning after the epidemic. Tourism Malaysia will go all out in trade exhibitions, consumer fairs and media publicity, and plan a series of new long-term activities to strengthen the propaganda purpose of "Malaysia is truly Asia".