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Know visitors’ wants

TS,Wednesday 6 June 2012




I refer to “Raub to become a tourism hub” (The Star, June 4) and wish to share some of my views. Malaysia is currently getting a monthly average of RM5bil in tourism receipts from two million foreign visitors.

The target is to boost the figures to RM14bil and three million, respectively, by 2020.

This can be easily achieved if all those involved in inbound tourism know exactly what foreign visitors require and cater to their needs.

As such, interviews should be conducted at all major exit points to gather essential details from tourists such as their travel arrangements, expectations, experiences, and motivation for their return visits.

These exercises should be carried out on a weekly basis, if not daily, and the results promptly released to interested stakeholders. The intelligence would allow many of the 3,200 licensed tour and travel agents to be more proactive.

The Tourism Ministry has previously disclosed that there were 111.5 million domestic tourists and RM34.7bil in revenue. Again, more enlightening details are needed for those involved to take better advantage of this sector.

In the absence of any official figures, it is anyone’s guess whether the expenditure for outbound tours and travel is higher than both the receipts for inbound and domestic tourism combined.

Tourism is also a two-way trade. Many Malaysians travelling overseas would be proud to be appointed Tourism Ambassadors after a full day seminar empowering them to personally invite foreigners they meet to visit our country or even their hometowns.

With good marketing, any spot on earth, however desolate, can be turned into a tourist attraction and these include barren deserts or deep jungles.

It is actually not difficult to attract both foreign and domestic tourists to visit any village or town in Malaysia, and only minimal expenditure is needed on basic government infrastructure and private sector investment.

A must-have is a tourist centre that houses all the local produce a village or town can offer and this includes all the great food, fruits, vegetables, handicraft, traditions and cultures that tourists can experience or buy without having to search all over the place.

Anything that is produced elsewhere, particularly from overseas, should not be allowed on sale in such local tourist centres. In fact, the whole village or town should remain authentic and retain its unique charm which will be lost once it turns too touristy.

To accommodate overnight visitors, any shop house in town can easily be converted into a cheap but comfortable budget hotel. A village house with a spacious compound can be a great setting for a home stay programme.

However, the challenges are for the locals to clean up their act, realise the enormous benefits of tourism and welcome visitors like family. Any village or town is like a heaven on earth to me if it is kept very clean and colourful. 

Cleanliness includes the environment, rivers, drains, roadsides, streets, buildings and people, and ensuring the toilets are not horror chambers.

Painting the whole town in strong colours is not only artificial but also grotesque. Colours should be natural, from flowering plants or colourful leaves and fruits.

The most beautiful village in my mind is one with flowers blooming on both sides of the kampong road stretching for miles interspersed with ripe rambutan fruits hanging heavily on the branches.

It would be a jogger’s paradise especially at dawn and there are no dogs in a kampong to bother passersby.

What the locals can do is literally put their act together by roping in all their resources and share with visitors, beginning with the history of their settlement, their present livelihood and the vision they have for their descendants.

Their economic activities, local traditions and cultural practices can be fascinating to tourists, and more so if they get to participate instead of just watching or treating the locals as human specimens.

A great example is for foreigners to celebrate their wedding anniversary by going through a bersanding ceremony blessed by their children and relatives.

The invited guests may also wish to pick up some local dances and silat moves to perform rather than just watch the locals go through the motions.

Embracing tourism and welcoming visitors is the best way to revive or develop local cultures and traditions. New cottage industries can easily be introduced.
For example, there is no shortage of hard stones in any village. They can easily be polished and lacquered to look like shiny semi-precious stones or paperweights and sold as souvenirs at affordable prices.

Even the most barren village or town devoid of any natural resources or human capital can attract visitors if the locals are humble and willing to learn from others.

All they need to do is ask and provide basic facilities to visitors to make them feel welcome. Many volunteers find fulfillment in teaching the young and training the adults who try to excel.

Over the centuries, great civilizations were built through exchanges between locals and visitors. In this era, a town or village will remain in the backwaters if it continues to shun tourism.

Backpackers should be particularly welcomed as they go through their “University of Life”. Some of them may return to our country as CEOs of giant corporations and invest in a village or town where they were treated with respect or touched by genuine hospitality.

The success of the Raub Integrated Tourism Blueprint can ripple across the nation as it can be used as a template to replicate the efforts in many other districts.

Tourism can quickly grow to become our largest and leading industry if it is fully exploited and embraced by our citizens.


YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

Drivers’ Enhancement Course

MEB, Tuesday 5 June 2012

TRAINING OBJECTIVE

Drivers are key front liners that play a crucial role in the tourism industry and they include those driving tour vans and cars for tourists.

As for taxi drivers, the Tourism Ministry has recently launched several initiatives to upgrade their quality. Under the Taxi Ambassador project, 4,000 cabbies in the Klang Valley are to be trained. Those operating in other areas are to be trained to offer sightseeing services to visitors, with the pilot project in Raub.
The Ground Transportation Sub-Committee in Matta is organising a series of training workshops at several levels. They are to cater to those who wish to switch jobs and drive tourists; beginners who are still new to driving assignments; experienced drivers who have not been formally trained and Train-the-Trainers programme.

The series of workshops will kick off with this Drivers’ Enhancement Course and is designed to train drivers of all levels together with supervisors, managers and trainers. This will enable the participants to better recognise the important roles everyone has to play and appreciate the challenges faced by various parties.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Ø  Those who are currently driving tour vans (Bas Persiaran), tour cars (Limousine Taxi), vehicles with driver (MPV/van/car under Hire & Drive) and Executive Taxis (MPV/car)
Ø  Those thinking of switching jobs to drive a tour van or Executive Taxi and wish to consider the pros and cons carefully
Ø  Supervisors, managers and trainers who wish to explore new and more effective ways to inspire and motivate drivers especially when they do not seem to follow instructions or provide good service consistently
Ø  Entrepreneurs who wish to seek a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges involved in providing road transport for tourists
Ø  Officials from tourism and transport authorities such as those from Tourism Ministry, Land Public Transport Commission, Road Transport Department, DBKL, MAB and MAH etc. who wish to be well versed with drivers’ issues



FACILITATOR

Mr YS Chan started his career in the tourism industry as a tourist guide and drove full-sized American cars that were used as limousine taxis by the pioneer car rental company. He then rose through the ranks to Tours Coordinator, Maintenance Manager, Car Rental Manager and Fleet Operations Manager.

From 1992-2000, he served as General Manager for several companies involved in travel, tours, car rental, leasing, consultancy and training. From 2000-2010, he drove premier and budget taxis while working as consultant and trainer for several companies. From 2006-2009, he was attached to Matta School of Tourism as Centre Manager and Consultant respectively.

Chan is a Certified Trainer for 3 Tourism Ministry’s programmes - Travel & Tours Enhancement Course (TTEC), Mesra Malaysia and Tourism English. From 1990-2000, he was lecturer/examiner for licensed tourist guide training courses. Over 200 of his articles/letters have been published by various newspapers and can be viewed at: http://ysc-article.blogspot.com/



WHAT METHODOLGY?

The Drivers’ Enhancement Course is highly interactive and participants are encouraged to seek answers to the many challenges they face and questions in mind. The workshop offers a great opportunity for them to test their knowledge and ideas among industry peers.

The aim is for them to learn what to do, how to do it well and why must it be done. They will be inspired by tips on personal and professional development including communication skills and courtesy.


WHEN & WHERE?

The date and venue for the first Driver Enhancement Course:

Date:      Tuesday 12 June 2012 (9am-5pm)

Venue:    Matta Academy - located at former Wisma Matta
                                 11 Jalan 1/76, Desa Pandan, 55100 Kuala Lumpur


REGISTRATION

Please return Registration Form with details and payment early to secure your seats. Each workshop is limited to 25 participants. Late registrations will be placed on the waitlist and given priority for the next course (date to be announced later).   

To register, kindly download the Registration Form from the following link:


Please do not hesitate to contact MATTA Secretariat and ask for Ms. Nur Syazwin at 603-9222 1155 or email syazwin@matta.org.my for assistance.


PRESS WRITE-UP



Towards Excellence in Tourism Transportation

Yours sincerely,

Annuar Yusop
Vice President
Ground Transportation

Train tour van drivers, too

TS,Wednesday 30 May 2012



The Tourism Ministry ought to be congratulated for introducing training programmes for taxi drivers. Up to 4,000 cabbies in the Klang Valley are to be trained as Taxi Ambassadors. Taxi drivers in other areas are to be given training to offer sightseeing services in their districts.

However, the training programmes for drivers by the Tourism Ministry have missed out the tour van drivers.

Every day, thousands of these drivers meet up with large numbers of tourists to provide a wide range of services that include airport transfers, city sightseeing, overland transfers to mountain and beach resorts or to other attractions and cities.

Yet others drive tour cars owned by tour and car rental companies, and these vehicles are licensed under Limousine Taxi or Hire and Drive. Luxury limousines based at 5-star hotels are operated by appointed concessionaires.

Most tour van/car drivers have not undergone proper job training. Those who learnt on the job and have gained some experience also need to be formally trained.

Training is effective when drivers participate actively in workshops. It will be like water off a duck’s back if they are made to listen passively to lectures in seminars.

Unlike cabbies that have to cruise or wait for passengers, tour van/car drivers are given assignments by tour companies.

As such, they take instructions and are given a list of dos and don’ts. They are also provided with other information and may be kept abreast of developments.

Most people are not aware that drivers are among the most difficult groups of people to manage. Many do not follow instructions or provide good service consistently and tend to slack.

Through proper guidance, they can be made to realise that driving is not necessarily a dead-end job. Some of them have progressed to operate their own companies or manage for others.

They should be given opportunities to undergo personal and professional developments to discover their true potential. They would be more courteous and knowledgeable after training.

Their performance can be affected by other factors such as procedures set by tour companies, expectations of customers, instructions by superiors, enforcement by authorities and facilities at airports, hotels and places of interests.

Training workshops for these drivers should also be participated by their superiors or trainers and officials from the Tourism Ministry, Land Public Transport Commission, Road Transport Department and other authorities.
This will enable the participants to better recognise the important roles everyone has to play and appreciate the challenges faced by the various quarters.

Most tour van/car drivers have interesting stories to share. Those that did not engage with their passengers have allowed opportunities to slip by without even knowing.

In 2000, I drove a Saudi Air Force colonel and his family for several days and was overwhelmed by his courtesy and exemplary behavior of his family. He would get my nomination should aliens from outer space need a person to represent the human race.

I persuaded him to visit a world class pewter factory so that I could buy an ashtray as present. Luckily, a craftswoman was able to do the engraving on the spot.

As my budget was limited, I had to settle for a small ashtray and shortened my message to “Colonel Abdul Hameed, an Officer and a Gentleman”.

Just as he was ready to leave the pewter factory after shopping, I passed a gift wrapped box to him and said with a smile, “From Malaysia”. To my embarrassment, the next day, he presented me a gold watch and perfume for my wife.

A tour van driver who participated in a training workshop on courtesy shared that he had provided great service to some Europeans who only disclosed their background on the last day.

They are among the world’s richest families. The brand name they own is worth billions. The driver is now treated as a family friend and they communicate regularly.

Unlike tourist guides who have to give attention to everyone in a tour group travelling in a tour bus, tour van/car drivers provide personalised services to small groups, families or individuals.

They have the advantage to engage closely with their captive audience. If they deliver high quality services consistently, their lives can be changed forever with just one lucky break.

Forty years ago, I worked as a tourist guide handling tour groups in tour buses and driving Free Independent Travellers (FITs) in tour cars licensed as limousine taxis.

Tourist guide training courses have been conducted for the past 50 years in Kuala Lumpur. The total number of participants throughout the country is many times higher than the 9,600 licensed tourist guides currently registered with Tourism Ministry.

Tourist driver training courses should also be conducted for existing tour van/car drivers to upgrade their skills and offer opportunities to those who wish to join this exciting career.

Introducing training programmes for tourist drivers or driver guides would most certainly raise the quality of our tourism services by several notches.


YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

Culture Shock: Malaysians friendly but lack courtesy

TMM,Tuesday 22 May 2012



Malaysian participants at conferences and seminars can give a culture shock to even the best foreign speakers. At a recent automotive conference, the renowned speaker who is also a world best selling author of The KPI Book was greeted with silence when he threw a question to the floor.

No one attempted to reply and the participants he looked at for answers avoided eye contact! He was deeply hurt but carried on professionally. During the morning break, he could not get his cup of coffee as he was bombarded with people trying to ask questions.

The same thing happened when he resumed his talk after the break. Again, it was total silence when he asked a question. During lunch break, he was swarmed with people asking questions.

Malaysians are naturally friendly but lack courtesy to the extent that it can be perceived as rude, especially by foreigners.

It will be tragic if we choose to say nothing and allow the fear of being ridiculed to be omnipresent in our Malaysian society.

As rightly pointed out by the speaker who related his experience in a published letter, our country may be left behind if Malaysians don’t ask questions during training or conference.

It is common for speakers to wait agonisingly after their presentations for questions, which usually snowball towards the end of the Q&A session.

As such, it is incumbent upon organisers to appoint some members of the audience to start the ball rolling by raising questions or offer replies to the speakers to avoid awkward situations.

Perhaps, the Malaysia Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau under the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board can provide a template for organisers to use as a guide.

Conferences and seminars must be organised efficiently for their sustainability and effectively for the participants.

As they cater for up-market tourists and industry leaders, their quality is a clear indication of the progress we have made as a nation and the direction our country is heading.

YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

Organising better conferences

TS,Monday 21 May 2012



Many big conferences and small training seminars continue to be organised in a similar fashion with little effort or initiative to overcome the common challenges.

Response to open invitations is painfully slow at the beginning and organisers would have to work until the 11th hour to rope in sufficient participants. They are often dismayed when a large number that registered for free conferences and seminars do not show up.

When such meetings are organised not for profit, it would be wiser to charge a token fee and return it to the participants in the form of useful gifts, such as USB flash drives. The slides and notes forwarded by the speakers can be stored in flash drives and distributed at the end of the day.

Just before the opening, it is usual to find the conference hall or seminar room half empty as some participants would be late and those that arrive early mingle outside. Participants would take their seats if a short video is screened just before the opening and resumption after the lunch break. This is more effective than calling or ushering them in.

While it is customary to introduce or acknowledge the presence of many VIPs together with their long titles, it can be quite boring to those who are more exposed. It is always refreshing to see the opening remark of a British Prime Minister who would address all those present with just a “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen” and get on with the speech.

Participants who had skipped breakfast may wolf down snacks served during tea break and lose their appetite for lunch while those who had a good lunch would be too full for any snacks during the afternoon break. As such, it would be better to provide light breakfast during registration and only coffee/tea during the breaks without affecting the budget. This would induce the participants to arrive early in the morning and return swiftly to their seats during breaks.

Speakers should not be invited based solely on their writings or standing, however knowledgeable or authoritative they may be. If no one in the organising committee has seen and heard a speaker delivered a presentation, it is necessary to scrutinize a video or audio recording before extending the invitation.

Listening to someone speaking English with a heavy accent for long periods can be overly taxing. Participants tend to switch off when it is difficult to make out what is being said.
It is well known that many people from West, South and North East Asia have difficulty speaking English with a neutral accent. On the other hand, Malaysian participants can give a culture shock to even the best foreign speakers.

At a recent automotive conference, the renowned speaker who is also a world best selling author of “The KPI Book” was greeted with silence when he threw a question to the floor.

No one attempted to reply and the participants he looked at for answers avoided eye contact! He was deeply hurt but carried on professionally.

During the morning break, he could not get his cup of coffee as he was bombarded with people trying to ask questions.

The same thing happened when he resumed his talk after the break. Again, it was total silence when he asked a question. During lunch break, he was swarmed with people asking questions.

Malaysians are naturally friendly but lack courtesy to the extent that it can be perceived as rude, especially by foreigners.

 It will be tragic if we choose to say nothing and allow the fear of being ridiculed to be omnipresent in our Malaysian society.

As rightly pointed out by the speaker who related his experience in a published letter, our country may be left behind if Malaysians don’t ask questions during training or conferences.

It is common for speakers to wait agonisingly after their presentations for questions, which usually snowball towards the end of the Q&A session.

As such, it is incumbent upon organisers to appoint some members of the audience to start the ball rolling by raising questions or offer replies to the speakers to avoid awkward situations.

Perhaps, the Malaysia Conventions and Exhibitions Bureau under the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board can provide a template for organisers to use as a guide.

Conferences and seminars must be organised efficiently for their sustainability and effectively for the participants.

As they cater for up-market tourists and industry leaders, their quality is a clear indication of the progress we have made as a nation and the direction our country is heading.


YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

New Villages: Pandamaran always in my heart

NST,Sunday 20 May 2012



Thank you for the article “We resettled Chinese squatters in new villages” (New Sunday Times, May 6). I stayed at the teachers’ quarters behind SRJK (C) Pandamaran during my childhood and at Lorong Polis during my teenage years.

The former was a row of wooden houses with attap roofs and the latter a typical new village house my mother bought. She taught at the school until her retirement some 30 years ago. The article did not mention the airfield, which was sandwiched between Pandamaran and the road to the port in Klang.

The airfield was abandoned after the British had pulled out. The runway was later used for occasional joyrides by air and a favourite venue for circuses to pitch their tents and funfairs to erect their rides and games.

The industrial area between Pandamaran and Port Klang used to be a mangrove swamp. Land reclamation was carried out at the expense of residents staying along the road parallel to the airfield.

Thousands of lorry loads of laterite soil were transported from the hills to the swamp and the road was covered by spillage. On dry days, passing lorries churned up the powdery laterite and blanketed nearby houses like snow.

It was a spectacle to watch people dammed a big drain and scooped out the water to catch hundreds of catfish. During spring tides, these drains would be flooded with seawater and marine life.

I used to catch fighting fish in the water hyacinth ponds of pig farms and in the drains of nearby rubber plantations. There were plenty of guava fruits and sugar canes for young boys like me to steal.

Most of the houses in Pandamaran were similar to other new villages and not like ordinary farms as mentioned in the article. The land around the houses was planted with some coconut palms, fruit trees or flowers, not beds of vegetables.

The compound of one house was covered with Japanese roses in full bloom. The people living there were very poor but rich in spirits.

It was truly a sight to behold and probably contributed to the reason why I was able to dream in colours from young.
Many new villagers reared chickens or ducks. I enjoyed watching my ducks wolf down a can of earthworms that I have dug from underneath some lalang-covered soil.

Gang fights were common in many new villages and Pandamaran was no different. The Federal Reserve Unit would come regularly to sweep the town for young men loitering in the streets or at their turf in designated coffee shops. A owner of a coffee shop woke up one morning to find a huge dump of pig shit at his front door. The culprits were caught in a most unique fashion. A temple medium was engaged and in a state of trance marched from the coffee shop to the house of a perpetrator accompanied by a large entourage. My elder brother was a tiger general and passed away at an early age caused by beatings he received many years earlier from gangsters and in the lockup. He was 30.

As a teenager, I cycled everyday to relief boredom and a favourite destination was the harbour. With friends, I cycled to Morib for camping and to Kuala Lumpur for swimming at Weld Road (Jalan Raja Chulan).

My first job was a casual labourer at the port. Together with a friend, we were assigned to pull the barges with ropes and made sure they stayed together.

For that, we were each paid RM5 a day. We could have easily fallen into the sea and my friend could not swim.

When I was much younger and could not swim, I had no fear to lower myself into the water by holding on to a sampan while a friend is rowing in a mangrove swamp. When a schoolteacher showed me how to swim during a beach excursion, I learnt it instantly.

In Pandamaran, I learnt to ride a bicycle before my elder brothers could. I had burrowed a ‘cargo bike’ and with my left hand holding on to the handle, the right hand holding the horizontal bar and the bicycle seat tightly squeezed under my right armpit, I would pedal furiously to gain balance while the bicycle remained tilted.

Later, I would climb on to the seat and push the pedals down when they reached the top, as my legs were too short.

I remember a young boy shouting when I cycled passed his house: “Look ma, such a small boy, already can ride a bicycle!” That was the first praise I have ever received and remember it to this day. It was 57 years ago.

I have stayed in Kuala Lumpur throughout my working life but Pandamaran will forever remain close to my heart.


YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

Car Safety: Connect horn to headlight

TMM,Tuesday 16 May 2012



I wish to respond to the open letter from the managing director of Perodua that was recently published.

I am currently driving a Myvi my daughter bought 2 years ago. When the Kembara was launched in 1998, I purchased a unit for her use.

Before that, when the Kancil was launched, I had ordered a unit for the car rental company that I was attached with.

I have worked for several car rental companies and have bought over a thousand cars and enjoyed fleet discounts.

I studied automobile engineering and have worked in the 3S (Sales, Service & Spares) of the motor industry.

I wish to make only one proposal, as it is more valuable than all the other stories and suggestions that I could possibly put together. It will give Perodua the opportunity to lead the world, and be the first motor vehicle manufacturer to incorporate a passive safety feature by connecting the horns to the headlights.

The device can be just a piece of wire and a little more by adding a relay, so that the headlights will automatically flash whenever the horn is activated.

It is a well-known fact that, often, a split second spells the difference between a collision and a narrow escape.

Just before accidents, many drivers would hit the horn button; step hard on the brake pedal and swerve the steering wheel in a bid to avoid a collision.

On many occasions, the other party will not take corrective action as he or she will not be alerted to the danger until it is too late.

The horn is hardly audible on raining nights, but flashing headlights will be noticed from a far greater distance.

Some drivers turn up their stereo full blast, and pedestrians on noisy streets can be indifferent to the surrounding sounds, and some people may actually be  hard of hearing.

Perhaps globally, hundreds of lives can be saved and thousands of injuries prevented each year if the horns are connected to the headlights of all motor vehicles.

Motor manufacturers are likely to overlook simple but great ideas in their eagerness to introduce the latest technologies. Perodua can choose to make the difference.

YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur