In the News

Outlook: Getting travel agents ready for cyberspace

By: Shyla Sangaran
shyla@nstp.com.my
Computimes (New Straits Times), Malaysia
Thursday, 04 November 2004

LATELY, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) has announced that not even 50 per cent of its members have registered their e-mail addresses with the organisation and that is most worrying as it indicates the low level of usage of the Internet and, of course, e-commerce.

Having said this, the travel and tourism industry observers have also found that compared to their counterparts in other countries in the region, Malaysian travel agents are still left behind in embracing information communications technology (ICT) in their business.

Datuk Seri Tengku Iskandar Tengku Abdullah, president of Matta says it is high time for travel agents in Malaysia to increase the pace at which they should use online channels and ICT tools to avert being sidelined by those who do.

He adds that it is important for Matta members to begin tapping into the potential revenues via online processes.

"Being the national association for all travel agencies and tour operators in Malaysia numbering about 1,700 companies nationwide, it is our goal to equip our members to embrace e-commerce," he comments.

Getting them started

Following this, Matta has endorsed a travel e-solutions provider forumline Consulting and its marketing partner Global Interactive Learning Sdn Bhd (GIL) to provide e-mail marketing solution to travel agents in Malaysia.

With the e-marketing solution, Matta members can now access the latest e-marketing solutions available as specially priced packages to begin their online business initiatives. Under the partnership, forumline will supply GIL's "IM Pro" eMail marketing solution and relevant consulting services as a combined solution to travel agents.

Matta's vice president, technology Hamzah Rahmat says Matta has evaluated the forumline-GIL offering as a useful and cost-effective package for its members to start their e-marketing programmes.

This solution will enable Malaysia's travel agents to stay competitive with other travel suppliers such as airlines and hotels who are already marketing online. "We are confident that this initiative will be a useful B2C e-marketing tool for our members," he claims.

Hamzah elaborates that IM Pro is an easy-to-use and effective e-marketing tool, and travel agents can begin to use it with just a half-day training, where Matta will be providing them once they sign up.

The Web-based e-mail marketing solution allows users to create professionally designed and personalised e-newsletters, brochures, etc, which are then sent out to a segmented e-mail list.

The benefits include that users adhere to spam legislation. Users can also monitor exactly who is opening the e-mails and when, how often, and which items in the e-mail are of interest to them. All of these features help in building better "e-relationships" with the travel agents' customers to increase online revenue.

Ease of use

Managing director of Global Interactive Learning Sdn Bhd Gary Thompson says IM-Pro is an advanced but easy-to-use e-mail marketing tool. It was specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses wanting to take advantage of the Internet as a business medium. Hence, it is ideal for many travel agents.

IM-Pro is a Web-based tool for use by anyone who has a non-technical background.

The packages

There are two types of packages. The Silver package is for those that are sending up to 30,000 e-mails per year. This entry-level package has limited IM-Pro features. Meanwhile, the Gold package has the full IM-Pro features and allows users to send up to 60,000 e-mails per year. In addition, forumline provides customised consulting for database segmentation, e-newsletter campaign management and strategy, and database acquisition strategy.

Basically, Silver is for members who are new to e-marketing, and Gold for those who are a little more advanced in their online initiatives.

Huge market

E-travel is a fast-growing revenue channel in Asia-Pacific market, says the principal consultant of travel and tourism management consultant of forumline.com Meraj Karim Huda. "Malaysia has an increasing number of Internet users - many of whose lifestyles will eventually include doing business online," he says.

Read the original Computimes article

Back to top