Responsible tourism

TRAVEL and tour companies are now required to enrol 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.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 a great disparity in the level of knowledge and skills across the 3,207 licensed travel and tour companies.It is more apparent in marketing and customer service. However, hidden dangers lurk below the surface and major players are just as vulnerable.

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 member annually.

The introduction of TTEC is a step in the right direction towards responsible tourism.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 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 travelling overseas on business or holiday would be happy to do “national service” by inviting 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 travellers.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.

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.

Travel and tour companies will be compelled to choose their staff and customers carefully.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.

Source - thestar.com.my