Coronavirus: Melaka tourism to focus on Southeast Asian markets
Melaka will re-strategise its tourism marketing plan by focusing on Southeast Asian countries particularly Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei following the novel coronavirus outbreak in China.
State Tourism, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said as Chinese tourists account for the biggest number of visitors to Melaka, dependence on tourist arrival from the country would need to be relooked.
He said the last-minute cancellations by Chinese tourists affected hotel bookings and sale of entry tickets to tourist destinations in the state.
"The coronavirus threat has indeed affected the tourism sector in Melaka as most of the reported cases are in China and have been detected in other countries," he told reporters here today.
According to Melaka Tourism Promotion Division, from January to September last year. the most number of tourists who visited the state were from China with two million arrivals or 40.22 percent; followed by Singapore with 718,000 or 17 percent; and Indonesia 417,000 or 10 percent tourist arrivals.
-- BERNAMA
No plans to bar China tourists
Malaysia has no plans just yet to bar the entry of Chinese tourists, including those from Wuhan, says Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
He said many countries were grappling with the novel coronavirus outbreak, but it had yet to reach a critical level here.
“We can’t predict at the moment. Many countries are facing the problem.
“But for now, it is not yet critical to the point where we have to stop tourism, ” he said after attending a Chinese New Year event organised by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Klang Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the Hokkien Association Hall here yesterday.
He was responding to journalists on whether Malaysia would follow the Philippines, which is sending back Chinese tourists from Wuhan, where the outbreak started.
Dr Mahathir said it was not easy to detect or stop those infected from entering the country, “so we have to accept that complete control is not possible”.
He added that sending Chinese tourists back may not be feasible as they would come into contact with other people during the process.
“It is better to quarantine them first until they show no signs (of infection) and then send them back, ” he said.
He said Malaysia was currently ensuring that those infected with the virus were quarantined.
“We are isolating them and not allowing them to mix with other people. That is the first step but of course, other people must take preventative action as well, ” he said.
“This includes wearing masks in crowded places.”
He also said it was not viable to immediately quarantine all Chinese nationals who arrive in Malaysia.
“Visitors from China sometimes amount to two million people. Where to keep them? In cowsheds?
“Of course, it cannot be like that, ” said Dr Mahathir.
He added that Malaysian authorities would monitor tourists if they showed any sign of infection.
He said Malaysia was not familiar with novel coronavirus infections and prevention rather than treatment was a priority, as of now.
China’s move to quarantine the 11 million people from Wuhan, although drastic, showed the determination of their government to control the disease, he added.
As for Malaysians who are in China, Dr Mahathir said they would be examined to ensure that they are not infected with the virus before they are allowed to return.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who was also at the event, said necessary measures were being put in place to counter the infection, which made its way through Singapore recently.
“We are increasing the number of thermal detection scanners (at the entry points), ” he said, adding that Malaysia had to comply with World Health Organisation guidelines when making and implementing decisions.
But it was a challenge as people may generally come in without symptoms that develop much later, he noted.
“Anyhow, we will increase the number of all equipment and our paraphernalia to detect them.
“We are also having a meeting with the Home Ministry to see how we can intensify it further, ” said Dzulkefly.
He said there were now 51 thermal detection scanners at all entry points into Malaysia and that the Finance Ministry has given its commitment to provide the necessary funds to step up surveillance.
~The Star~
Melaka to deploy bike patrols to combat spread of coronavirus
Tourists in Melaka wearing face masks while touring the historic city during the Lunar New Year festive holidays.
MELAKA: Melaka has come up with its own method to combat the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus by mobilising the Bicycle Emergency Response Team 2.0 or Melbert 2.0 at major tourist hotspots in the historic city.
State Health, Anti-Drug and Unity Committee chairman Low Chee Leong said Melbert 2.0 is a mobile emergency team of paramedics on electric bicycles (e-bikes) and will be mobilised starting Tuesday (Jan 28) at all tourist destinations, including the iconic Jonker Walk.
“This is an ingenious mobile emergency response team of paramedics on bicycles, which was launched in 2016. They will help to monitor the situation and they are equipped with fever monitoring devices, ” he said on Monday (Jan 27).
Low said the team are capable of providing, among others, traumatology and paediatric emergency medicine.
A check at tourist destinations here on Monday showed that many tourists were wearing face masks.
Some of the tourists in tours groups were believed to be from China.
Low said there were many Chinese tourists who have entered Melaka and so far, no one was reported to be a carrier of the coronavirus.
He said there were also irresponsible individuals spreading fake news about public and private hospitals limiting the entries of visitors here following an outbreak of the coronavirus.
Low said although there was an initial case of suspected coronavirus involving a seven-year-old boy from China, but tests conducted by the Kuala Lumpur Hospital found him negative about two days ago.
He said the boy had first sought treatment at a private clinic in Ayer Keroh for fever on Jan 24.
“The clinic wanted to refer the case to the Melaka Hospital, but the boy’s family refused to do so and instead, took the boy to the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where he was tested negative for the coronavirus, ” he added.
"Please don't cause a panic in Melaka by sharing fake news," he added.
~The Star~
Bus terminals to implement cashless ticket purchase
The Transport Ministry is working to get all public bus terminals in the country to implement cashless ticket purchases by using the e-wallet system.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, said it would be carried out in stages since there are terminals which have yet to implement the centralised ticketing system (CTS).
“If possible, we want all terminals to go cashless, but we also need to look at the facilities available and condition at the terminal, so those without CTS facility will take more time,” he told a press conference at the Southern Integrated Terminal (TBS) today.
He was at a TBS to monitor the “balik kampung” exodus among city folks returning to their hometowns for the Chinese New Year celebration. Also present was Deputy Transport Minister Kamarudin Jaffar.
Loke said for bus companies, especially stage bus operators who received subsidies from the government, they are required to implement a cashless ticket purchase system and it will be implemented in stages.
As for express bus companies, Loke said he believed they would be able to implement the ‘cashless’ ticket purchase system as some major bus terminals had already adopted the system.
Currently, among the bus terminals with facilities for cashless ticket purchases are the Terminal Amanjaya in Ipoh, and TBS, which also began accepting ticket purchase through e-wallet today.
In welcoming the move by TBS, Loke said it was in line with the ministry’s focus on the digitalisation of transport services.
In another development, he said the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had approved temporary licence for 316 additional buses for the Chinese New Year celebration. - Bernama
Yong Tai bags international cruise terminal project in Melaka
Yong Tai Bhd, a tourism and cultural-related property developer, has secured a contract to develop an international cruise terminal in Impression City Melaka.
Wholly-owned subsidiary Yong Tai Bhd Impression Sdn Bhd today accepted the letter of approval from the Melaka state government, the company said.
"The proposed development will be built on Kawasan Bandar VI, Daerah Melaka, which is part of Yong Tai's flagship mixed development project with estimated gross development value of RM8 billion,” it said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia.
The group also entered a memorandum of understanding with maritime passenger terminal operator Singapore Cruise Centre Pte Ltd (SCC) to engage SCC as terminal operation and management consultant for a fee of S$120,000.
In a separate statement, Yong Tai Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Wira Boo Kuang Loon said the cruise terminal development would be integrated with the group’s Terra Square mixed development project in Impression City, which is also linked to Encore Melaka theatre.
“The completion of the cruise terminal is slated to be a major game changer for Impression City, further strengthening the mega-project’s gross development value over the long run,” he said.
Boo said the cruise terminal was also expected to create greater footfall to the Terra Square retail mall, as it would be integrated with the proposed development.
-- BERNAMA
VMY2020:Tourists drawn to Malaysia's diversity
A study by Tourism Malaysia found that foreign visitors are drawn to the country’s rich cultural tapestry through historical walking tours, traditional arts performances and cultural events, including batik-drawing workshops.
Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said with this in mind, 198 exciting cultural activities had been lined up in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020).
‘With global trends pointing towards experiential tourism as a preferred way to travel, tourists want to experience a destination that offers rich cultural heritage and great creative expressions from the local community.’
Bakhtiar said the recent launch of Tourism Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur (KL) Heritage Food Trails package, among other exciting new initiatives, would continue to bring visitors to places like Kampung Baru, Petaling Street and Brickfields in pursuit of authentic local experiences.
‘In Brickfields itself, there are many houses of worship, such as the Buddhist Maha Vihara Temple (built in 1894), the Three Teachings Chinese Temple, Sri Kandaswamy Hindu Temple and the Holy Rosary Church with its well-preserved Neo-Gothic style,’ he said after launching the VMY2020 Happenings@KL Sentral.
Among the events lined up are the East Coast Craft Textile Festival (Jan 23-Feb 2) showcasing batik-painting and songket-weaving, International Aborigines and Indigenous Arts Festival (Aug 5-Aug 9) and Malaysian Games Festival (Sept 25-Sept 27).
Bakhtiar said a reliable transport system was crucial to ensure that tourists get the most out of their stay.
He said the Express Rail Link (ERL) service, connecting KLIA and klia2 to KL Sentral, was currently working on a travel pass for tourists with RapidKL called the KL Travel Pass.
‘The pass would cover airport transfer and two-day unlimited rides on LRT, MRT and KL Monorail lines to cater to tourists’ travel needs.’
Bakhtiar said the high number of transit passengers at KLIA would have a positive impact on the tourism industry.
The VMY2020 Happenings@KL Sentral, held in collaboration with the National Department for Culture and Arts, is a twice-monthly cultural performance that showcases Malaysia’s heritage to visitors at KL Sentral.
‘I would like to urge more industry players and operators in the travel and tourism ecosystem to come forward and join us in ensuring a successful VMY2020 campaign,’ Bakhtiar added.
He welcomed the initiative to introduce Transit Without Visa (TWOV) to citizens from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.
‘They can take advantage of the TWOV and we can offer them a package to tour around Kuala Lumpur or Selangor within the 120 hours (five days).’
Meanwhile, ERL chief executive officer Noormah Noor said the company would be organising a monthly KLIA Express Ride & Win Campaign starting from Feb 1, in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry.
For the complete list of events that covers all states and various traditions and cultures, visit www.malaysia.travel.
Malaysia has set a target of 30 million international tourist arrivals this year, with an expected revenue of RM100 billion from the industry.
~New Straits Times~
