Travel BlooggersTravel Blogger Malaysia

Malaysia recorded the largest growth in the domestic tourism market among Asean countries in the second half of last year (2H2020) when locking was lifted.

Despite the huge decline in orders (in all countries), the desire for Malaysians to travel is a clear crystal in all regions of the country and we see Malaysia's destinations that have never been made in our previous 10 before, making it on the list.

Consumer demand for travel was absolute and the company has focused on developing flexible products to meet the domestic market.

Malaysia Recorded Largest Growth Domestic Tourism Market 2Q2020

This also includes recruiting young talents and providing training and retention programs for engineers in Thailand, while working faster to test new processes and products on its platform using data analysis.

Although Hughes is sure about domestic travel prospects and holidays, business travel but not yet known, as the cost in this segment is higher.

Meanwhile, Central Deputy Chief Executive Officer Plaza Plaza Hotel, Markland Blaiklock said the group with 51% of a hotel chain in Thailand remained committed to reopening hotels in Phuket, Koh Samui and Bangkok.

Before opening Phuket for tourists injected on July 1, he said the Thai government and the industry all ensured the right preparation, which led to higher motivation among workers in the industry.

However, he stated that it was inevitable for foreign travelers infected by the Covid-19 virus. This is why the protocol is important to separate the identified people, but this can not prevent the industry from operating.

Despite emphasizing that ASEAN tourism did not 'die', he hoped Malaysia could develop and implement the same steps to immediately restore the tourism sector, focusing on the first attraction of foreign tourist attractions including Penang, Melaka, and Sabah.

On the same note, as a result of tourism development, the Tourism Department, the Philippines, Benito C Bengzon Jr said as a positive case bound, the government should ensure that, besides isolation for affected travelers, the medical attention required is also given a priority.

Although in Phillippines, the international border is still closed, the government, he said, slowly helping the recovery of the sector by focusing on domestic tourism while refusing to highlight high immunity.

"We have a large base of domestic tourists where 110 million domestic travel is generated before the pandemic.

"We hope domestic tourism will maintain a surviving and operating enterprise, and ultimately bring back the livelihood especially at the community level," Bengzon said.

Malaysia government highlighted the need for countries around the world to come out with clear and uniform travel policies involving travellers fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Unclear policies will only elicit confusion. This is because several countries only recognising certain vaccines under their respective vaccine passport schemes.

Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme (NIP) Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said as of now, a majority of countries have yet to finalise their immigration policies involving travellers who have been fully vaccinated.

Khairy was asked to comment on the future of international travel after several countries only recognised certain brands of vaccines under their respective vaccine passport schemes.

It was reported that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) only approved AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured in the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom and China.

"These countries are among the most popular destinations for Malaysians for tourism or work purposes.

"There must be a policy (involving travellers who have been fully vaccinated) which is agreed by all countries," said Khairy, who is Science, Technology and Innovation Minister.

The report added that the EMA's approval does not cover AstraZeneca doses made by South Korea's SK Bioscience or Thailand's Siam Bioscience.

There were also reports that residents in Singapore who were administered with Sinovac jabs will not enjoy the same privilege as those who received Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

This raises concerns and likelihood that those with Sinovac shots will also not be eligible for other easing measures that are forthcoming.

Khairy also reiterated Malaysia's stand that Covid-19 vaccines approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) should be recognised by all countries.

This is because there are countries including Malaysia which have several vaccine portfolios under the national vaccination drive.

The KLIA PPVIN which started operations yesterday from 8am until 6pm has the capacity of administering up to 1,000 vaccinations daily.

Khairy said the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) will expand the PPVIN for the aviation sector at other airports around the country.

"If there is no recognition (for other types of vaccines), at least provide some compromise for travellers as long as they have been fully vaccinated," he said.

"Although the sector is operating with reductions in the number of flights, it is still an important sector for the country.

"That is why we want to expand the PPVIN to other states to protect the workforce at the airports in other states against the virus," he said.

To date, Khairy said there are 27 PPVINs for the economic sector involving the International Trade and Industry Ministry, Works Ministry and Transport Ministry.

The CITF, he said, will also make its decision soon on the request from the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry as well as the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to start a vaccination drive for those in these sectors.

"We will make a decision soon including the number of doses that will be distributed for these sectors," he said.

Qatar Airways is pleased to soon become the first global airline to offer passengers 100 percent Zero-Touch technology for its award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system across the A350 fleet as part of the airline’s latest COVID-19 safety measures.

The Zero-Touch technology, introduced in partnership with the Thales AVANT IFE system, will enable A350 passengers to pair their personal electronic devices (PEDs) with their seat-back IFE screen by connecting to ‘Oryxcomms’ Wi-Fi and simply scanning a QR code displayed on the screen. They can then use their PEDs to navigate and enjoy more than 4,000 options on offer through the airline’s award-winning Oryx One in-flight entertainment system, limiting the frequency of on board surface contact and providing greater peace of mind throughout the duration of their journey.

Qatar Airways Become The First Global Airline 100% Zero-Touch Technology

Qatar Airways is also set to become the first airline in Europe and the Middle East and North Africa region to offer passengers in Business and Economy the option to pair their personal Bluetooth headphones with the on-board seatback IFE system in all cabins on the Boeing 787-9 fleet.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “As an industry leader in the fight against COVID-19 and the first global airline to recently achieve a 5-Star rating in the coveted Skytrax Airline Safety Rating, Qatar Airways is committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety and hygiene on board its aircraft at all times.

“The introduction of the state-of-the-art Zero-Touch technology, and enabling passengers to use their personal Bluetooth headset on board is an important step in taking our already rigorous and stringent COVID-19 precautions to another level, limiting passenger surface contact and preventing any possible spread of infection on board.

“We hope it provides yet further assurance of the safety of air travel, as well as offering passengers on board increased confidence that they are enjoying the most consistently advanced customer experience available in the sky.”

Qatar Airways recently became the first global airline in the world to achieve the prestigious 5-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating by international air transport rating organisation, Skytrax. This follows HIA’s recent success as the first airport in the Middle East and Asia to be awarded a Skytrax 5-Star COVID-19 Airport Safety Rating. These recognitions provides assurance to passengers across the world that airline health and safety standards are subject to the highest possible standards of professional, independent scrutiny and assessment. For full details of all the measures that have been implemented onboard and in HIA, please visit qatarairways.com/safety.

The national carrier of the State of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 130 destinations. With more frequencies being added to key hubs, Qatar Airways offers unrivalled connectivity to passengers, making it easy for them to change their travel dates or destination if they need to.

A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with the most spacious, fully private, comfortable and social distanced Business Class product in the sky. Qsuite is available on flights to more than 45 destinations including Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London and Singapore. It is the only airline to have been awarded the coveted ‘Skytrax Airline of the Year’ title, which is recognised as the pinnacle of excellence in the airline industry, five times.

Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system offers passengers up to 4,000 entertainment options from the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more. Passengers can also stay in touch with their friends and family around the world by using the award-winning airline’s on-board Wi-Fi and GSM service.