LOCAL tour operators are developing new packages that explore cultures and places more deeply as one of the ways to survive the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

They can no longer rely on selling tours to foreign tourists since Malaysia’s borders are closed to casual travellers.

Foreign tourists, however, are usually the ones interested in activities, such as batik painting, cooking classes and cultural experiences.

Few domestic tourists, on the other hand, have shown interest in such activities, preferring instead to go abroad or opt for rest-and-relax holidays.

Malaysian Women Tourist Guides’ Association chairman Erina Loo said the movement restrictions to curb the pandemic’s spread forced her to think about ways to develop new tourism products aimed at the domestic market.

She felt immersive cultural tourism could be attractive and benefit locals and cottage industries as well.

“We aim to develop a win-win tourism strategy with locals from the countryside who will cooperate to educate tourists about an area’s local culture and customs.

“It’s a way to promote and preserve cultural heritage in addition to sightseeing.”

Loo also feels the future of tourism in Malaysia should be small scale, given all the health precautions in place because of Covid-19.

Loo, who runs her own travel agency, offered cultural walking tours a decade ago. They were mostly popular with foreign tourists, who wanted a guide to show them through the streets and alleys of Kuala Lumpur while explaining its history.

“It’s regrettable that only foreigners were interested in such tours. It is only in the last one to two years that more locals have begun to show interest.”

Loo is now planning workshops for tourists that include lessons on cultural activities like the mak yong dance, for example. 

Other activities that Loo wants to include in her tour packages are local traditional games, such as congkak, batik-making workshops, cooking lessons on desserts and food from Asean.

“People today rarely cook traditional Malaysian desserts and pastries. There are also stories behind these foods to learn about.”

Last month, Loo’s company organised a “Discover Raub workshop” where participants could experience Hakka food and culture in Raub, Pahang 

Participants learnt about and enjoyed traditional Hakka kueh and knife-cut noodles, besides eating musang king durian and visiting orchards for which the area is famous.

These types of packages may not be as profitable as running large tour groups and take a lot of work for just a few people due to physical distancing.

But Loo urges more local tour guides to get into promoting Malaysia’s cultural heritage.

“The goal is to encourage Malaysians to be interested in their own culture. This way, I also hope can break through the racial barriers, so that all ethnic groups have the opportunity to appreciate each other’s culture.”

Tour guide Tommy Tan, meanwhile, is developing off-road 4WD packages aimed at nature lovers and the more adventurous that include camping by rivers, visiting waterfalls and enjoying the mountains.

“We know of more than 150 exclusive camping locations in the peninsula. We have all the equipment like mobile toilets and tents, and know the routes. Tourists only need to bring their clothes along to enjoy nature.”

Malaysia United Tourist Guides Association deputy chairman Lim Bam Soon supports the development of more local cultural tour packages and sees the downside of the pandemic as a chance for tour guides to improve their knowledge about the country.

“We encourage tour guides to discover more new local attractions. At this time, you can’t think about making big money.

“Look at the beauty we have in Malaysia and learn more about our country’s cultural and historical attractions. 

“When the international border opens for foreign tourists to enter, guides’ knowledge of new attractions can enhance their professionalism,” Lim said. – September 25, 2020.