Matta concerned over drop in Chinese tourist arrivals
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) is concerned over the drop in Chinese tourist arrivals to Malaysia during the recent “Golden Week” in China.
Its president, Datuk Tan Kok Liang, said both the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) and the private sector need to take stock and respond to the changing trends and preferences of Chinese tourists.
In addition to our efforts, he said over 100 countries are also wooing Chinese tourists and they are simply spoilt for choice.
“The China outbound travel recorded an estimated 10 per cent growth during the recent ‘Golden Week’, with Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam recording more Chinese tourists. In addition, 56 per cent of all Chinese tourist opted for trips lasting more than a week, with long haul trips to Europe, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand being the most popular,” he said in a statement yesterday.
“We need to revisit our tourism fundamentals to stay competitive, and this include a review of our visa policy, welcome experience at the airport, more outlets with mobile payment facilities such as Alipay and WeChat Pay signs to make them feel at home and providing them a tour experience rather than the traditional photoshoot sightseeing.”
According to Tan, the Chinese tourists are getting increasingly sophisticated, looking for indepth local experiences and unique travel activities.
Tourists today especially from the China region are looking for new or fresh experiences. Malaysia needs to up its game in identifying what different markets want and promoting it accordingly.
“Travel industry players, particularly inbound agents, are very adept at identifying market needs and the creativity to capture the market share. The government should focus more on incentivising inbound agents to supplement broader government efforts.
This should also help lower the promotion budget and at the same time provide direct stimulus to the economy,” he said.