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Focus Malaysia
15-07-2025
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
Should we continue to gamble with the safety of bus passengers?
RECENTLY, I wrote ' Main reason why professionalism is lacking in most commercial vehicle operations ', which was published on July 1. I attributed it to the government's policy of granting permits to many small companies over the past decades so that many can profit from the business of transporting goods and passengers. But small players lack the resources needed to provide high standards of service and safety. If safety is to be given top priority now, a two-prong approach is needed. The first is new permits for express bus (Bas Ekspres) and excursion bus (Bas Persiaran) should be granted only to companies that have the resources and commitment to operate at least a fleet size of 20 buses. Bas Berhenti-henti permits are to be issued freely, as there are few applicants, and so are Bas Pekerja and Bas Sekolah, as these buses are mostly operated by individuals. But they should not be allowed to be chartered for excursions, as it would be too risky driving on unfamiliar routes. Existing express and excursion bus companies operating with less than 20 buses are to be given not more than five years to merge or consolidate, or their permits would not be renewed. A medium-size or large operator would have the infrastructure to ensure that all operations staff, especially drivers, are well trained to ensure that vehicles are properly maintained, and bus services are run efficiently and safely. Without a change in fundamentals, many bus accidents that result in horrific injuries or loss of lives will continue to occur, and various authorities would respond only with knee-jerk reactions. The powers that be will have to decide between using express and tour bus permits to promote entrepreneurship for many small players, or restrict the transport of passengers to companies with adequate resources to deliver professional service with safety as the core value. ‒ July 15, 2025 YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: The New Straits Times
Focus Malaysia
07-07-2025
- Business
- Focus Malaysia
Instead of zooming, tourism should be viewed panoramically
WHEN viewed through the lens of various stakeholders, tourism is a different thing to different people. Since the Travel and Tours Enhancement Course (TTEC) was introduced in 2012, I have been urging travel industry personnel to look beyond the academic definition of tourism. To discover new business opportunities, they ought to recognise that tourism is a gargantuan business that overlaps hundreds of sectors, with the major industries being the airlines, hotels, restaurants, retail outlets, attractions, theme parks, and transport using vehicles, trains and ships. When developing the Mesra Malaysia course in 2019, I incorporated the most pertinent facts and figures found in the Tourism Performance Report by Tourism Malaysia on inbound tourism, and assessments in the Domestic Tourism Survey by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). In 2018, the top five states with the most number of domestic visitors were Selangor (30.2 million), Sabah (20.4 million), Sarawak (19.4 million), Kuala Lumpur (19.2 million), and Pahang (18.1 million). The other nine states combined received a total of 114 million domestic visitors. The ranking changed slightly in 2019, with Selangor (33.6 million), Kuala Lumpur (22.6 million), Sabah (22 million), Perak 21.1 million), and Sarawak (19.8 million). Last year, the top three states were Selangor (34.5 million), Kuala Lumpur (27 million) and Perak (21.8 million). While conducting several Training-of-Trainers on Mesra Malaysia in 2019, none of the wannabe trainers could explain correctly why highly popular Penang and Melaka were not among the top five states. It was the same when I conducted the Training-of-Trainers on TTEC in 2022. This is because many people, including those who ought to know better, are still stuck to their superficial understanding of tourism. Those in the travel business would associate tourism with tours, hotel operators with tourists, and politicians with success stories to claim or shout about. Like it or not, they should be more objective and not define tourism according to their whims and fancies or perspectives. Tourism includes activities by anyone who travels out of town, state or country regardless of distance, and not commuting nearby for work, study, dining, or shopping. Those who did not stay overnight away from home are termed excursionists at their destinations, regardless of whether they were within or in a foreign country. Those who stayed overnight were tourists, and two-third of domestic tourists stayed in free accommodation provided by relatives. Visitors can be excursionists or tourists, and all are categorised by nationality and not where their travel originates. For example, many foreigners visiting Malaysia are working as expats or operating businesses in Asean nations, and they take the opportunity to travel within the region. International tourism includes foreigners coming in (inbound) to visit our country and Malaysians going out (outbound) of our country. Contrary to popular belief, domestic travel is not just within the country but could either be interstate travel or intrastate, which is within the same state. I have often explained that the high numbers of domestic visitors recorded in Sabah and Sarawak were not due to large number of Malaysians travelling from other states, which was always the answer offered by participants during training. They are people travelling within the same state. Recently, Penang state executive councillor for tourism and creative economy Wong Hon Wai was unhappy with the 2024 Domestic Tourism Survey, which was carried out using the same methodology honed over the years as far back as before 2018. As published, he said the survey placed Perak ahead of Penang in terms of domestic tourist numbers, and pointed out that Penang hotels recorded three million international visitors and 5.2 million domestic hotel guests, according to Tourism Malaysia's official 2024 statistics. He was reported to have said that in comparison, Perak, which topped the Domestic Tourism Survey, recorded only 4.18m domestic hotel stays. In Penang, tourism is tied to rich culture, heritage and world-class arts events, so a household survey cannot capture the full picture. He added, 'DOSM classified all residents who travel beyond their usual area, including those who do not stay overnight, as domestic tourists.' He also criticised the broad definition of 'domestic tourists' used in the survey report. Be that as it may, I have followed, analysed and commented on the annual reports of the Domestic Tourism Survey over the years, which were then published at the end of every June, and found them to be accurate, consistent, and aligned with international best practices. DOSM definition of visitors, which covers excursionists (same day visitors) and tourists (overnight visitors) is the same as given by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). Only those who comprehend basic tourism terms will be able to understand tourism facts and figures. ‒ July 7, 2025 YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: Bernama
Focus Malaysia
24-04-2025
- Focus Malaysia
Don't be too quick on the draw
I GREW up watching cowboy movies (Westerns) in the 1950s and 1960s. The most dramatic scenes of these films would be 'showdowns at high noon' when gunslingers confront each other for a duel and the one slower to draw his gun or miss would drop dead. I go through about 20 news websites several times a day and read reports and opinions I find useful or interesting. Instead of responding by making short comments, I prefer to write a full length opinion piece to adequately explain and share my perspectives. Over the years, I have grown wiser and would not be too quick on the draw. This is because reports on the same incident could vary according to reporters' understanding, or the speaker could later claim to be misquoted, or the report incomplete, or events are still unfolding. Recently, there was a Bernama report about a woman who was charged in court on April 21. The heading for one of the reports read 'Mum of 6-month-old child jailed 3 months for stealing bread, eggs, groceries'. I was immediately riled up. Like other readers, I too have come across many previous reports of relatively heavy sentences meted out for petty crimes, such as stealing foods from supermarkets, while those who have unlawfully taken large sums of money in white-collar crimes received lighter sentences. As such, it was no surprise that former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim criticised the three-month prison sentence calling it another 'ridiculous punishment' and asked: 'How do we train our magistrates?', as reported in 'Zaid slams 'ridiculous' 3-month jail term for mum who stole food'. But it was not another case of a young mother stealing food to feed her baby. The 38-year-old woman had a haul of 30 items, which included personal care products, bread, eggs, biscuits, soy milk, tissues and toothpaste, worth a total of RM374.69. Hopefully, she will learn from the jail sentence and turn over a new leaf. The public should not treat thefts, including shoplifting, lightly. Those who start off with petty theft will continue stealing and graduating to more and more expensive items until they are finally caught. In any case, everyone deserves a second chance, including the 38-year-old woman, more so she has a 6-month-old child. Mercifully, her husband has just found a job after the family had moved from Sarawak to Kuala Lumpur. Sadly, our society's safety nets are inadequate, as individuals and families ought to be protected from the negative effects of unemployment, poverty and other economic hardships. Safety nets must be in place to provide a basic level of support to help people navigate difficult times. – April 24, 2025 YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image: Reuters
