Malaysia Food & Travel ( MFT ) and Halal Food & Travel ( HFT ) channels on social media platforms , focusing on searching for the best food and travel destinations in Malaysia .

She began with the MFT channel , which currently has over 280,000 followers on Facebook , over 250,000 on Instagram , and over 120,000 on Tiktok . Now , she ’ s venturing with HFT to cater to her Muslim followers and audience .

Ariel participated as a panellist in the Islamic Tourism Technology Dialogue session during the 3rd World Islamic Tourism Conference ( WITC ).

ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA

Digital and social media , she said , are super-flexible and malleable , as it focuses on the value of recency and does not require high-end production for content creation .

“ If something happens , you can shoot it immediately with your phone and publish it . It is past the time of hard-sell marketing messages and promotional flyers .

“ On top of that , digital media is like a twoway conversation , which builds a relationship with your audience .

“ When people want to ask questions , they

Ariel Koh

can immediately comment below . If they want to talk to you , they can message you . It sparks conversations that are so different from traditional media .”

CREATING CONTENT FOR MUSLIM TRAVELLERS

“ Engaging content is engaging content . You need to prioritise value and build relationships . In this age , people value authenticity when consuming content or story . And they want to know what they can get out of this space .

“ I think Muslim and regular tourists are the same , and they value good content .”

She said the content would only differ in the information shared , which is informing them that this place is safe for them to visit , there is halal food here , and there is a prayer place , and where they can go to get needful service and items .

Ariel believes that the tourism market should take note of Muslim tourists and be

aware of their needs .

“ By making small changes and being sensitive to their needs and comfort , you can make a huge difference to their leisure and vacation experience . It is also a huge business opportunity that everybody should look into .”

She shared her appreciation for being able to participate in WITC and gain more knowledge and insight about Muslim tourism .

“ As a non-Muslim , I ’ m glad to be educated about the industry and the needs of my audience .

“ I think this event is great for all industry players to learn about Muslim tourism . It is an eye-opening event , and I learnt so much when I ’ m here . The conference is super beneficial .” — R & R

Diveheart is a non-profit Organisation based in Chicago , USA , which assists special communities with water therapy , water sports and scuba diving activities worldwide .

In Malaysia , DiveHeart extends special programmes for communities , such as those with physical disabilities and special needs . DiveHeart Malaysia also trains the Malaysian Paralympic team .

To enhance inclusivity in water sports , swimming and scuba diving , DiveHeart Malaysia now includes programmes for Muslimah ladies wearing hijab .

“ I would like to thank WITC for inviting DiveHeart Malaysia to participate in this year ’ s exhibition , which is a great initiative and effort

Syed Abdul Rahman

by ITC to allow special communities ,” said Syed .

“ We are training Muslimah lady divers , wearing hijab , to dive in our lovely beautiful Malaysian islands .

In September , we certified Nur Suhaili Yusof , a double-leg amputee . She was brought to the beautiful Bidong Island in Terengganu and was certified by the Sultan of Terengganu . She is the first leg double amputee woman to be certified in Southeast Asia .

“ We have started training Nur Syahirah , a double-hand amputee who will be our para-scuba-diving candidate for 2023 .”

WORKING WITH TOURISM INDUSTRY PLAYERS

According to United Nations World Tourism Organisation ( UNWTO ), accessible tourism can be a real game-changer for destinations and businesses , helping them recover from the crisis and grow more inclusive and resiliently .

And DiveHeart is keen on helping industry players to adapt to accessible tourism to cater to every community and need .

“ We would like to share our expertise with other industry players to be accessible tourism friendly . We can share and train some industry players on handling special communities in the tourism industry .

“ We are qualified and certified . We can train industry players involving DiveHeart and Professional Association of Diving Instructors ( PADI ) adaptative techniques .”

DiveHeart ’ s expertise in accessible tourism is mainly focused on islands , beaches , water sports and activities , and diving . — R & R