Matta must assist in training agents

TS,Monday January 17, 2011 

I agree with the writer of “Positive step for tourism industry (The Star, Jan 14) that MATTA must assist the Tourism Ministry in its initiative on mandatory training for travel industry players. 

The plan is for existing travel agents and tour operators to undergo one-day training before their company’s licence is renewed and with additional day for new applicants. 

In many short-training seminars, participants spend most of the time listening to the speakers. Those who pay, especially from their own pockets, are likely to give their fullest attention and get their money’s worth. 

However, the same cannot be said of those who attend training by compulsion. Some may just go through the motions and end up not much better than before. 

Therefore, I wish to offer some suggestions that can make the training more effective. 

First, participants should be given the option to attend training conducted in Bahasa Malaysia, English or Mandarin. 

Second, the modules should cover licensing conditions and ethics; legal and insurance; marketing and communications; basic finance and accounting, human capital development and crisis management. 

The recommended modules are different from those applicable for skills-based training which are much needed by operations staff. 

Proper training for any specific job would take at least one to two weeks. Sadly, these are almost non-existent in the travel industry except for the licensed tourist guide course. 

Third, the training notes are to be distributed in advance and participants can study them before attending the course. 

Fourth, a short objective test to be conducted towards the end of training. Participants who pay attention during training should be able to pick the correct answers easily. 

Fifth, a director or manager can represent the company to attend mandatory training annually. They can then apply their newly-acquired knowledge and skills in their organization. 

It is imperative that the level of professionalism rise in tandem with the growth of our tourism industry to ensure its sustainability. 

YS Chan 

Kuala Lumpur