Pear Anderson

GROWING DEMAND FOR SUSTAINABILITY

“ In Asia , a Booking . com survey showed that 73 per cent of Vietnamese travellers would be willing to pay more for sustainable accommodation choices . A study from HHWT in 2023 showed that Malaysian , Singaporean and Indonesian Muslim travellers were more likely to engage in sustainable tourism . However , higher perceived costs of sustainable options is still a limiting factor .”

She emphasised that those in the travel industry must note this growing trend . She believes it is crucial for them to expand their database of sustainable suppliers and pose pertinent questions to their supply chain regarding their sustainability practices .

VISA WAIVERS AND MUSIC AND EVENT-BASED TOURISM

Pearson said Asian countries were increas-

Hannah Pearson

ingly introducing visa waivers , especially for Chinese and Indian nationals . There ’ s also a reciprocal waiving of visas , like Malaysians being able to visit China without a visa . She stated that travellers prefer destinations that are easily accessible , and the travel industry should be prepared for a change in source markets and preferred destinations in 2024 due to the effects of these developments .

“ Travelling for concerts or events as the main purpose of a trip is growing in popularity across the region , with consumers willing to spend more to see their favourite artist , show or participate in a sporting event . The travel industry needs to keep a keen eye on these events taking place not only in Malaysia but overseas , too , to be able to quickly react to market demand .”

Pear Anderson is a market intelligence and sales representation agency based in Malaysia . It specialises in Muslim-friendly travel and the Southeast Asian tourism industry .

Melewar Group

THE DEVELOPMENT AND TRENDS FOR AIRLINES

“ Malaysia recently reported that passenger volumes to its airports are up 27.4 per cent year-on-year , auguring well for the travel and tourism industry in Malaysia and Southeast Asia . This trend has also been underlined by local and foreign airlines ’ announcements of their latest services in and out of KLIA and other Malaysian airports .

“ It is interesting that several of these services will connect Malaysians to destinations with significant Islamic influence and likewise connect residents in those markets with destinations in Malaysia .”

He shared that both BatikAir Malaysia ( OD ) and Air Asia ( AK / D7 ) had taken the lead in flying to some of these new destinations . In June 2023 , OD started its flights to Male , the capital of Maldives , known as the “ honeymoon ” destination and where almost 100 per cent of the population is Muslim . They also launched flights to Jeddah , connecting Malaysia with Saudi Arabia . Their services to the Middle East continued to expand with the launch of their flights to Dubai , UAE .

CONNECTING TO MUSLIM- FRIENDLY DESTINATIONS

“ OD ’ s services continued its expansion by launching its flights to Pakistan ’ s Karachi in addition to their existing services to Lahore . Then Central Asia was their next piece of the network when they began their flights to Tashkent , Uzbekistan , in December 2023 , and

Tunku Dato Seri ( Dr ) Iskandar Tunku Abdullah

they have also announced plans for their services to Istanbul , Turkiye , where they will use Malaysia Airports ’ Sabiha Gökçen Airport .”

Tunku Iskandar mentioned that AirAsia X is set to commence flights to Almaty , Kazakhstan , in April 2024 . Air Astana , the national airline of Kazakhstan , had previously suspended flights to Kuala Lumpur during the Covid pandemic . However , they have now revealed plans to resume flights in 2024 .

“ Several airlines from Islamic countries that already have flights to Malaysia have mostly either maintained their schedules or increased their frequencies . These include Emirates , Etihad , Qatar , Turkish and Saudia .

“ However , amongst the other airlines that have launched flights to Malaysia is Salam Air , from Muscat in Oman . Dubai ’ s low-cost airline , FlyDubai , has also announced they will launch services from Dubai to Penang and Langkawi in February 2024 . It also seems that Turkmenistan Airlines , which used to ply between Ashgabat and Kuala Lumpur until 2015 , may also re-introduce its services later in 2024 . One notable flight suspension is Kuwait Airways from Kuwait City .

“ These exciting developments , if sustained , will be able to provide Malaysia access to the burgeoning Islamic travel market . CrescentRating has forecasted that the market will return to 160 million in 2024 due to the expansion of international travel and that the 230 million arrivals predicted before the epidemic may be attained by 2028 , at which point spending will amount to US $ 225 billion .”

Tunku Iskandar emphasised that for Malaysia to attain enduring success , there must be a two-way demand for airline seats and a fair marketplace . Nurturing the Malaysian travel market is crucial to sustaining and fostering outbound travel demand to those destinations .

“ Airfares have to remain marketable and affordable , and competition has to avoid being predatory . Malaysia also has to ensure that visitors to our country have interesting attractions and that hotel rates remain reasonable . Let us ensure that we do not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs .”

Melewar Group Berhad ’ s Travel and Tourism division comprises several tour & travel companies that include Mitra Malaysia Sdn Bhd , Mitra Kembara Sdn Bhd , Rama-Rama Holidays Sdn Bhd , Pacific World Travel Sdn Bhd , World Express Sdn Bhd as well as APG Malaysia Sdn Bhd and APG Singapore Pte Ltd . All the companies , in one way or another , are involved in travel from and to Islamic markets and destinations .