DPN 2020-2030: A breath of fresh air for tourism sector

Describing the launch of the policy as timely, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) president Uzaidi Udanis the DPN will guide tourism industry players in setting their direction while helping to revive the country's tourism sector.

“The spread of COVID-19 is a lesson to all quarters and also to the tourism sector. The DPN is a move to reset the strategies to boost tourism activities,” he told Bernama.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, when launching the DPN said the policy was aimed at ensuring continuity of the country's tourism industry as well as bring back Malaysia as the preferred tourism destination at the global level.

The policy would be implemented through six main strategic thrusts - transformation of governance, creation of Special Tourism Investment Zones, intensifying digitalisation of tourism sector, enriching tourists experience and satisfaction, strengthening commitment to sustainable tourism and increasing human capital capacity in all tourism sub-sectors.

Uzaidi said the move to intensify digitalisation of tourism sector would also help the small-scale industry players in marketing their products and services while strengthening their network with other players.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Bumiputra Tourist Guide Association president Zulkifli Ismail said the association was willing to cooperate by encouraging its members to improve their knowledge and skills in achieving DPN objectives which, among others, to enrich the experience and satisfaction of tourists.

“Tourist guides usually focus on two main destinations, either in the big city or nature destination. We have no problem to work together to achieve the objective to brand Malaysia as Top of Mind Ecotourism Destination of the World by providing the best services to ease the tourists to explore their preferred destination,” he said.

In MELAKA, Melaka Chapter of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) chairman Goh Hock Gin said the effort to intensify digitalisation of tourism sector was vital to cope with the advancement of technology.

“The digitalisation of the tourism industry has been seen as among the important aspects to be emphasised on, or else the country’s tourism industry will be lagged behind compared with other countries,” he said.

In KEDAH, State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Committee chairman Mohd Firdaus Ahmad said the state government had also prepared its own plan in line with the DPN to turn Kedah as one of the world’s famous tourism destinations.

“Everybody knows that the island of Langkawi is famous among local and foreign tourists, but the state government’s focus now is to promote the state’s other eco-tourism products, especially in the mainland area.

“With the DPN in place, we will try to revive Kedah tourism sector and boost the national tourism industry,” he said.

In PERAK, Perak Bumiputera Tourism Operators Association chairman Zamari Muhyi said they fully supported the DPN, especially in the creating of the Special Tourism Investment Zones and intensifying the digitalisation of the tourism sector.

He said they had been cooperating with the state government through Tourism Perak to reactivate eco-tourism activities and had proposed to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture to recognise more eco-tourism operators in order to ensure success of the objective to brand Malaysia as Top of Mind Ecotourism Destination of the World.

In TERENGGANU, State Tourism, Culture and Digital Technology Committee chairman Ariffin Deraman said the state government is willing to implement the policy by improving not only the tourism infrastructure and management aspects but also in ensuring that all promotions were made in line with the improvement in quality.

“We will also seek support from tour and travel agencies to ensure that the government’s efforts would reach them so that the best, creative and innovative packages could be offered to lure more tourists. This has begun with the launch of 20 special tourism packages.

“For digitalisation of the tourism sector, it has also been emphasised in the state strategic tourism plan which will be launched soon and this is indeed a good time for the industry players to use the online promotion to their advantage,” he said.