My friend and I will be in Bali next week. This will be our first trip to the Indonesian island this year but the seventh in the span of three years. When we told friends that we are heading out to the island yet again, they were surprised. What else is there in Bali that we have not seen? We have visited almost all the tourist attractions on the island, but this has not stopped us from making more trips there.
Our decision to go again is not influenced by the republic’s “Wonderful Indonesia” tourism campaign. I must say that the Indonesian tourism authorities have been aggressive here. I have seen their huge booth at the Food Truck Festival in Putrajaya last February and have also watched and listened to their commercials on the Express Rail Link (ERL) whenever I go to the administrative capital.
And, I believe their investment is paying off. In the first two months of the year alone, 726,625 tourists were in Bali, with Malaysians being the seventh largest group after tourists from China, Australia, Japan, Britain, South Korea and India. The figure showed a 13.4 per cent increase over the year-ago period. Last year, Bali saw a 6.24 per cent increase in tourist arrivals at slightly more than 4 million compared with 3.766 million in 2014. Malaysians made up the fourth largest group after the Australians, Chinese and Japanese.
Tourism is now the largest single industry in terms of income in Bali. It did suffer significantly as a result of terrorist bombings in 2005 and 2006, but the tourism industry has since recovered from these events.
In comparison, Malaysia saw a drop of two million tourists last year compared with 2014. In a written parliamentary reply recently, Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said a total of 25.7 million tourists came to Malaysia last year, down from 27.4 million in 2014. Tourism revenue also dropped from RM72 billion in 2014 to RM69.1 billion last year.
Tourist arrivals had been steadily increasing from 2011 until 2014 before the 2015 drop. It may not be a drastic drop in arrivals — attributed to, among others, the implementation of the 6 per cent Goods and Services Tax and the depressed world and local economies — but it must be mitigated before it dips any further.
The Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) of the Prime Minister’s Department said the tourism industry is a significant contributor to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product, maintaining an average annual growth rate of 12 per cent since 2004.
What about another Visit Malaysia year campaign to boost the industry? Past campaigns had proven to be successful. The first VMY campaign was in 1990, with 7.4 million tourist arrivals compared with 4.8 million in 1989. The orang utan named Wira was the official mascot. The second VMY campaign in 1994 saw arrivals at 10.22 million tourists while the third in 2007, launched in conjunction with Malaysia’s 50th Independence, saw 20.97 million tourist arrivals with RM46.1 billion in tourism receipts recorded that year. The fourth VMY campaign was in 2014, with the Proboscis Monkey as the mascot, saw arrivals continuing to rise.
There are some people who think that the authorities may also need to re-look at the current “Malaysia Truly Asia” advertising slogan. In one of my earlier trips to Bali, I asked an American tourist if he would stay in Malaysia to see Asia. He told me if he was a first timer to the region, he would not stick to one country. With airfares being slashed to what it is now, irrespective whether it is on the national carrier or a budget airline, he would visit the other countries, too. But, if he had already visited the region, he would make a return trip to the country of his liking.
Like my friend and I, the American and some of his friends were repeat visitors to Bali. Despite the past bombings and terrorist threats against Westerners, they said they have no qualms about returning to the island. One just has to be smart and avoid places which can be a target of attacks, he said.
We have been using the “Malaysia, Truly Asia” tagline for close to 10 years now. Even the biggest brands with famous taglines change their advertising slogan every few years. Coke was one. People still remember it as “It’s the Real Thing” although they have had many, many taglines over the years such as “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” and “Coke adds life”.
Of course, these slogans are backed by multi-million dollar campaigns, especially since they are aimed at gaining worldwide acceptance. Some Asean countries have adopted and maintained a one-word adjective for their taglines such as “Wonderful Indonesia”, “Amazing Thailand”, “Mystical Myanmar” and “Your Singapore” to describe the respective countries.
Incidentally, the country’s tourism tagline had been “Fascinating Malaysia” before it was changed to “Malaysia, Truly Asia” for a new campaign.
I find it embarrassing that while we sell ourselves as being “truly Asia”, we cannot tell our foreign friends where they can find it. Foreign friends have actually asked where they can watch Mak Yong or Ulek Mayang performances like that of the daily shows of Kecak and Barongan in Bali. Even if you go to Kelantan and Terengganu, you can no longer find these being performed publicly.
What will we be if the arts and culture, which is part of our birthright and so-called tourism selling points, are gone?
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Time to regulate ridesharing services
Ridesharing services are not new in Malaysia.
I remember way back in 1970s when I was growing up in Johor Baru, they were called kereta sapu or prebet sapu. You share rides with passengers into town in private vehicles. You hail these cars at bus stops (somehow you know how to identify these cars). It will also drop you at the nearest bus stop to your house, not to your doorstep. It did not replace the public transportation services back then. Rather, it complemented them as buses were too few and too far in between. Taxis, too, were scarce.
The services died a natural death when the public transportation sector improved. Some people still used the services to send their children to schools when school bus services were unavailable in their housing areas.
These days, the ridesharing services have taken glamorous names like Uber and GrabCar. You can book these door-to-door services via an application on your mobile phone. Rates are a little bit lower than a metered budget taxi. I have not used these ridesharing services, not back then, and not now.
I have been using public transport since I moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1984. From buses (the mini bus terror rides, high-speed express buses and executive coaches) to taxis (of various shades of colour) and trains (KTM, Komuter, light rail transit and express rail link) to commercial airlines and private planes (turboprops and jets), I have used them all.
And, for the past 20 years or so, taxis have been my main mode of transport.
And, if you have been reading the postings on the social media platforms lately, you will notice how the public is raving about Uber and GrabCar. The taxi drivers are being bashed in these postings as if there are no good and honest ones out there.
Oh well, as the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. I have never had any major problems with them. Yes, I have had those who asked for fares that are triple the amount showed by the meter, but I make it a point not to board these taxis. Passengers will have to play a part to curb, if not eliminate, the activities of these touts. Do not take taxis whose drivers refuse to use the meter. If you are patient enough, you will find one that uses it. But, if you are a regular taxi user like me, I consider a request for an extra RM5 on top of the metered fare as fair especially when you are caught in a traffic jam.
And, it is so easy to get a cab from wherever you are now. The MyTeksi app (now lumped into a Grab application) enables you to track the driver before he reaches you and e-mails you a receipt.
But, of late, my budget taxi driver friends have told me that some of them cannot make ends meet even if they work day and night. Rental charges have gone up. So, too, is the cost of living. Uber and GrabCar are killing their livelihood by offering far lower rates than their metered rides.
I used to have to join a long queue at the condominium where I live before I can get a cab to go to work, if I do not use the MyTeksi mobile app to call for one. Now, there is a queue of taxis instead. Some of the passengers who normally queue up with me for a cab have switched to private cars.
Several taxi drivers asked me why I didn’t join them. I am a creature of habit, I told them. But, the simple truth is because of safety. Like the kereta sapu or prebet sapu of old, they are using private vehicles for public transportation. I have yet to muster the courage to put myself in an Uber or GrabCar vehicle because I know I am not protected under the law if anything were to happen to me if I use these services.
Although the authorities were mulling banning these services, they have yet to regulate them unlike the other public transport services. Why are these ridesharing services allowed to operate in the first place is beyond comprehension. Aren’t they operating illegally?
While I can understand that these ridesharing services can be the main or second source of revenue for many people, it must be done right.
It was reported that the Public Transport Users Association recently made several recommendations to the government on regulating the ridesharing services. It suggested that the authorities look into, among others, transparency, driver profiling and insurance. They also asked that the operators take higher liability and ensure safety, as well as be more transparent in their operations and allow the public to assess them. Call centres and complaints management were also issues that need to be addressed. In addition, drivers’ selection process needs to be tightened and they must be tested by the Road Transport Department. Profiling tests should also be conducted for potential drivers. The association said while this may make it slightly more difficult for a person to be a driver, it would reduce the risks to passengers and other road users. It also expects Uber and GrabCar vehicles to be certified and for the companies to provide insurance coverage for passengers in the event of accidents.
As a hardcore public transport user, I fully support these recommendations. Where public transport services are concerned, passenger safety is paramount.
I remember way back in 1970s when I was growing up in Johor Baru, they were called kereta sapu or prebet sapu. You share rides with passengers into town in private vehicles. You hail these cars at bus stops (somehow you know how to identify these cars). It will also drop you at the nearest bus stop to your house, not to your doorstep. It did not replace the public transportation services back then. Rather, it complemented them as buses were too few and too far in between. Taxis, too, were scarce.
The services died a natural death when the public transportation sector improved. Some people still used the services to send their children to schools when school bus services were unavailable in their housing areas.
These days, the ridesharing services have taken glamorous names like Uber and GrabCar. You can book these door-to-door services via an application on your mobile phone. Rates are a little bit lower than a metered budget taxi. I have not used these ridesharing services, not back then, and not now.
I have been using public transport since I moved to Kuala Lumpur in 1984. From buses (the mini bus terror rides, high-speed express buses and executive coaches) to taxis (of various shades of colour) and trains (KTM, Komuter, light rail transit and express rail link) to commercial airlines and private planes (turboprops and jets), I have used them all.
And, for the past 20 years or so, taxis have been my main mode of transport.
And, if you have been reading the postings on the social media platforms lately, you will notice how the public is raving about Uber and GrabCar. The taxi drivers are being bashed in these postings as if there are no good and honest ones out there.
Oh well, as the saying goes, one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. I have never had any major problems with them. Yes, I have had those who asked for fares that are triple the amount showed by the meter, but I make it a point not to board these taxis. Passengers will have to play a part to curb, if not eliminate, the activities of these touts. Do not take taxis whose drivers refuse to use the meter. If you are patient enough, you will find one that uses it. But, if you are a regular taxi user like me, I consider a request for an extra RM5 on top of the metered fare as fair especially when you are caught in a traffic jam.
And, it is so easy to get a cab from wherever you are now. The MyTeksi app (now lumped into a Grab application) enables you to track the driver before he reaches you and e-mails you a receipt.
But, of late, my budget taxi driver friends have told me that some of them cannot make ends meet even if they work day and night. Rental charges have gone up. So, too, is the cost of living. Uber and GrabCar are killing their livelihood by offering far lower rates than their metered rides.
I used to have to join a long queue at the condominium where I live before I can get a cab to go to work, if I do not use the MyTeksi mobile app to call for one. Now, there is a queue of taxis instead. Some of the passengers who normally queue up with me for a cab have switched to private cars.
Several taxi drivers asked me why I didn’t join them. I am a creature of habit, I told them. But, the simple truth is because of safety. Like the kereta sapu or prebet sapu of old, they are using private vehicles for public transportation. I have yet to muster the courage to put myself in an Uber or GrabCar vehicle because I know I am not protected under the law if anything were to happen to me if I use these services.
Although the authorities were mulling banning these services, they have yet to regulate them unlike the other public transport services. Why are these ridesharing services allowed to operate in the first place is beyond comprehension. Aren’t they operating illegally?
While I can understand that these ridesharing services can be the main or second source of revenue for many people, it must be done right.
It was reported that the Public Transport Users Association recently made several recommendations to the government on regulating the ridesharing services. It suggested that the authorities look into, among others, transparency, driver profiling and insurance. They also asked that the operators take higher liability and ensure safety, as well as be more transparent in their operations and allow the public to assess them. Call centres and complaints management were also issues that need to be addressed. In addition, drivers’ selection process needs to be tightened and they must be tested by the Road Transport Department. Profiling tests should also be conducted for potential drivers. The association said while this may make it slightly more difficult for a person to be a driver, it would reduce the risks to passengers and other road users. It also expects Uber and GrabCar vehicles to be certified and for the companies to provide insurance coverage for passengers in the event of accidents.
As a hardcore public transport user, I fully support these recommendations. Where public transport services are concerned, passenger safety is paramount.
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