Responsible Tourism

TS,Friday 27 January 2012 

Travel and tour companies are now required to enroll a senior staff for the “Travel & Tour Enhancement Course” (TTEC) as one of the conditions for the renewal of their company licence by the Tourism Ministry. 

For many years, tourist guides have been undergoing “Continuous Tourism Related Education” (CTRE) courses to renew their annual licence. 

The licensing of tourist guides was introduced in 1975. Tour and travel companies are governed by “Tour Operating Business & Travel Agency Business” (TOBTAB) from 1986. 

Over the past 25 years, travel and tour operators were not compelled to upgrade their professionalism and only a small number participated in the Human Resource Development Fund. 

Travel industry employees learned mostly on-the-job and few are formally trained. There is great disparity in the level of knowledge and skills across the 3,207 licensed travel and tour companies. 

It is more apparent in terms of marketing and customer service. However, hidden dangers lurk below the surface and major players are just as vulnerable. 

Some are too busy building their business and raking profits but may lose everything in a major catastrophe. Operators should safeguard what they have achieved through all the years of hard work. 

As such, travel and tour operators ought to accord greater importance to the TTEC, which has to be attended by just one senior management staff annually. 

Some experienced industry leaders felt that they can teach the trainers instead of learning from them, and they ought to be paid instead of paying RM350 for attending the course. 

However, it is the norm for many professionals in other industries to pay and attend conferences to share or keep abreast with the latest developments. 

Leading experts are similar to top sportsmen. They acquire skills through proper training and adequate practice, as superficial knowledge does not lead to concrete action. 

The introduction of TTEC is a step in the right direction towards responsible tourism. It is an industry that overlaps many others and almost everyone is a stakeholder. 

Tourism providers ought to be more knowledgeable on major issues such as licensing, legal, safety, health and environment; apart from marketing, customer service and crisis management. 

Tourists and local communities too would welcome education on their role and responsibilities, as it can bring more opportunities and better sustainability. 

Citizens who are truly “Proud to be Malaysians” should show courtesy towards visitors and to the locals when travelling, especially to overseas destinations. 

The main asset of any country is its people and the exemplary behaviour of Malaysians is more appealing to tourists than all the other factors combined. 

Malaysians traveling overseas on business or holiday would be happy to do “national service” by inviting the people they meet to visit our country. All it takes is a little endorsement. 

A campaign or programme can be drawn up for them to play host to their foreign guests. Upon their arrival in Malaysia, both host and guests can spend time together in a restaurant, spa or theme park, sponsored by Tourism Malaysia. 

As such, the authorities should not ignore but take advantage of outbound tours and business travelers. We ought to bear in mind that tourism is a two-way trade. 

Participants for the TTEC can extract the full value by putting forward intelligent questions in advance for the trainers to prepare and address adequately during the course. 

This may require the participants to read up or study in advance the Malaysia Tourism Transformation Plan (MTTP); the various Tourism Industry Acts; the laws governing the rights and liabilities of tourism providers and tourists, including those under the Department of Safety & Health (DOSH); and best practices on responsible tourism. 

Conversely, those who treat the TTEC lightly will not gain much, as learning is largely dependent on them, and less on the trainers or modules. They may later pay dearly for their ‘tidakapa’ attitude. 

With the establishment of the Consumer Tribunal, dissatisfied customers can easily file a claim against a travel agency or tour operator. They only need to pay RM5 and can be awarded up to RM25,000 in compensation. 

As both parties are not entitled to legal representation during the hearing, judgment will be decided based on the evidence and words of the aggrieved customer against the explanation offered by the staff representing the company. 

As such, travel and tour operators should be more professional. For a start, they should adopt a mindset of charging and paying reasonable fees, just as they wish to be paid for their services. 

Those who continue with unhealthy practices and irresponsible tourism are likely to be swamped with summonses, as aggrieved customers successful with their claims at the Tribunal will spread to others like wildfire. 

Travel and tour companies will be compelled to choose their staff and customers carefully. This will be followed by adequate training for the staff and better relationships with the clients. 

The initial one-day TTEC is still a work-in-progress. It is likely to be expanded as the travel industry matures and embraces a learning culture. 

YS Chan 

Kuala Lumpur