At its infancy, licences required by businesses and professions in the travel industry were minimal. In 1959, the federal government only had a tourism department until the Tourist Development Corporation (TDC) was formed in 1972, and licensing of tourist guides was introduced in 1975.
It was only in 1987 that a government ministry was set up and TDC was taken over by the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Tourism, with the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board as its marketing arm, and licensing of Tour Operating Business and Travel Agency Business (TOBTAB) was introduced.
Later, licensing of tour buses and vans under Bas Persiaran and hire and drive vehicles under Kereta Sewa Pandu came under the purview of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (Motac) nationwide, until the Land Public Transport Commission took over in 2011 for Peninsular Malaysia.
Today, Motac also issues other types of tourism licences, such as Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme, Homestay & Kampungstay, Tourism Training Institutes and several more.
One major tourism area that may or may not require licensing from Motac are meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE), and event management such as launches and weddings. But those offering transport or tour services must be licensed by Motac under Tobtab.
MICE is often bandied about by many with little understanding. It is better to take the Mickey out of those who could not explain it well. As for meetings, they require venues, food and beverages, and accommodation arranged for outstation or overseas participants in national or regional meetings, apart from land or air transport.
High-powered executives travelling for meetings may fly first or business-class, stay in five-star hotels and chauffeured around in limousines from the moment they arrived at the airport. All these are at corporate expense and tour companies specialising in meetings would ensure that nothing is missed out.
However, while travelling on holidays and out of pocket, many people prefer to spend less. Hence, MICE businesses are much higher yield than leisure tourist market. It is impossible for a tour operator to handle both markets consistently, as staff tend to mix standards and compromise quality.
Incentive tours are meant to reward high-achievers with a holiday trip and bestowed recognition in a convention, and good examples are qualifiers of multi-level marketing companies that may number a few hundred or thousand, with the largest numbering tens of thousands.
A large incentive group could easily paint the town red and businesses catering to their needs may enjoy a windfall, but they displace regular tourists. Smart travellers would avoid a hotel or destination when there is a large convention.
Most local hotels are designed with only one main entrance for all guests to enter. Only those custom-built for tour groups have a separate entrance for tour buses to drop off, pick up or wait for passengers.
While conventions are usually meant for members of the same commercial or political organisation, conferences are normally organised for people of the same profession or common interest and attended by those who have paid registration fees.
Conferences are held over three days or more, and participants could come from all over the world. Pre- and post-conference tours are offered as many delegates, particularly those from long haul, combine business with holiday to save time and money.
While large conferences are rotated around the world, exhibitions stay put in one place and are usually annual affairs. Exhibitions may be for business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C) or both but with separate opening times, such as the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition.
The most successful consumer fair in the travel industry must surely be the Matta Fair, which is organised nationwide and held bi-annually in Kuala Lumpur, attracting over 100,000 eager beavers over three days.
Although seasoned travellers could book directly with airlines and hotels for their regular travels, it can be risky booking online with local transport or tour operators operating in cyberspace, as some have disappeared after collecting advance payment, especially those that offer bargain prices.
The main reason for making do-it-yourself (DIY) arrangement is primarily to save cost, and most would choose cheaper options that could mean substandard service. While the same goods could be bought cheaper elsewhere, services vary according to the providers and standards set.
Matta Fairs, being a one-stop centre for packaged tours and travel arrangements, offer great convenience and timesaving for Malaysians and foreigners in the country to check out and compare the best options available for a great holiday within the country or abroad.
Registration for the Kuala Lumpur Matta Fairs is open several months in advance and all available booths are quickly snapped up, with exhibitors looking forwards to yet another record sale. It is also eagerly participated by national tourism organisations (NTOs) of many countries.
These NTOs send many of their staff to serve at the exhibition booths and performers for the stage shows to entice Malaysians to visit their countries. Local state tourism organisations (STOs) were just as enthusiastic, particularly during visit their state year.
All travel, tour and car rental companies are required to be a member of at least one of the six travel associations sanctioned by Motac, and Matta alone has 3,511 members by the end of last year.
Matta is the Industry Lead Body (ILB) for the travel industry appointed by the Department of Skills Development (DSD) under the Ministry of Human Resources.
Apart from having developed the National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) for Inbound Tour Operations that include Land Transport Operations, Matta has also produced the Occupational Framework (OF) for the travel industry.
This OF is a 120-page official document with comprehensive listing of various travel segments or businesses and details of job descriptions. It covers the scope of businesses and jobs in the travel industry.
Tourism students planning to work in the travel industry must zoom in on one of the 46 jobs identified and acquire the knowledge and skills needed to land the job they fancy.
Their studies should not be just academic, as they need to know what happens in the workplace. But it will be a tall order if lecturers are just as indifferent.
Talking to travel industry personnel may not shed much light, as many speak in a superficial manner when asked about their business, instead of identifying their core or niche markets. Most could not differentiate between job titles or positions with job functions and roles.
For example, chief executive officer or managing director are grandiose titles in a company with a handful of staff, as many travel and tour companies are small and micro enterprises. But with the right attitude, skills and knowledge, they could be the giants of tomorrow. – YS. Chan
