By Nurul Saadah
GOMBAK, 13 September 2020: A virtual event promoting the tourism industry in Malaysia was conducted by a group of second-year degree students from Kolej Universiti PolyTech Mara (KUPTM), aimed at creating awareness towards Malaysians on the importance of domestic tourism, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Simultaneously, the campaign encourages Malaysians to start discovering and keep exploring the wonders that this country offers, while not forgetting the standard operating procedures (SOP) such as wearing face masks and practising physical distancing.
The name “Tanah Airku” represents Malaysia as their beloved homeland and the tagline is often heard in arrival announcements during flights. The hashtag #JalanMalaysiaJe encapsulates the current allowed traveling range that Malaysians face,
which is just within the country.
IIUM.fm was the third media to give support for this meaningful Tanah Airku #JalanMalaysiaJe campaign that was held live on 12 September from 11 a.m to 5 p.m via Instagram.
The event comprised four slots with the first slot being a talk called “Cakap-Cakap Malaysia” featuring Mr. Iskandar Mirza, the Senior Corporate Communication Director of Tourism Malaysia.
The discussion, moderated by Nurul Firza Eryn, highlighted that the pandemic has highly affected the tourism industry in Malaysia, particularly the airline, hotel businesses and even restaurants. It is a worrisome situation as the travel and tourism industry play a crucial role in boosting the country’s economy.
Iskandar said, “During movement control order (MCO), the first affected industry was tourism. It caused a direct impact and we were really concerned about this matter. Not only Malaysia remains closed to tourists, but also state-cross border travel was not permissible. “
He emphasised, “However, the transition from MCO to recovery movement control order (RMCO) brings positive effects to the tourism industry, as domestic tourism is now allowed to be carried out.”
Iskandar explained that the number of Malaysians travelling keeps increasing, especially during weekends and public holidays. Thus, it provides opportunities for tourism products to slowly recover losses.
“As Malaysians, we must be together to revive our economy. This issue is not only a concern to the government or an individual, as the economic crisis affects each one of us, no matter what our role is in society,” he added.
He further said that this is the opportunity for people to travel around Malaysia and enjoy the beauty of this country, especially if before this, they travelled widely abroad.
In summing up, Iskandar reminded the people that COVID-19 is still around. Therefore, he said everyone must take precautions and never stop practising the new norm because one mistake can put many people in danger. The SOP and slogan #kitajagakita should never be forgotten.
After the first slot ended, the event continued with a food review, “Jalan-Jalan Review Makanan” with Amal Hasnor from Destinasi TV, a Youtube channel that explores the view of the great places, delicious foods, and interesting activities around Malaysia and beyond.
The objective of this slot was to promote the delicacies that can be found in Malaysia. One of the delicacies tried out was kue tiau at Quack Teow @ RASDA TTDI. The food was unique because it was cooked using charcoal and served with duck egg.
The third slot was a cooking demo by Chef Zam, with the title “Masak-Masak”. Chef Zam introduced two dishes from Terengganu Darul Iman, which were Nasi Kuning and Kerutuk Itik Salai.
Introducing different cuisines from different states received such positive feedback from viewers as Malaysians are known as “food lovers”, and the food segment surely helps people to know more about Malaysia.
The event ended with the announcement of Tik Tok competition winners. The competition was intended to make Malaysian youth appreciate their homeland more by documenting their travel in the most creative way possible.
Overall, this campaign is an eye-opener to Malaysians that it is important to travel domestically. The most important thing is to acknowledge the uniqueness of Malaysia and treasure them forever. ***