KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 12 — It is essential for travel and tourism entrepreneurs to establish an online presence and keep abreast of tech trends to stay relevant, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry secretary-general, Datuk Rashidi Hasbullah, today.

He said this was because travellers’ tendency now is to book through websites and not travel agents, adding that in 2018, some 40 per cent of travellers to Southeast Asia were free independent travellers (FIT), while 60 per cent used the services of a travel agency.

“FITs use online applications ... which shows the trend has changed. Before long, more and more people will start using their gadgets for travel because of the wide choice of packages offered from around the world through apps.

“It is because of this that we encourage travel agents to have an online system,” said Rashidi to reporters after the launch of the Go Travel app by Gofay Airways Sdn Bhd at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (Matic) today.

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The Go Travel app offers four main packages for travel, flight ticket booking, hotel reservations and visa application.

Gofay Airways Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Datuk Daniel Lee, said he expects the app to attract even more travellers to the country, and targets about one million app partners and registered travellers by the end of the year.

“We hope the Go Travel app will be the top choice of travellers from around the world to boost arrivals here especially for Visit Malaysia Year 2020,” he said. — Bernama

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