Q: Can you share more about your research project on travel and tourism recovery in Malaysia?

A: Previously, the impact of the pandemic on the tourism businesses and the imminent need for border reopening to resuscitate the industry, which was on the verge of collapse, was a hot topic. Hence, the need to address issues surrounding the capacity and capability of the travel and tourism stakeholders to meet the future demand for travel and tourism. 

One of the research that I’m working on is a collaborative project, with University Malaysia Sabah, that looks at the business of travel and tourism in Malaysia from a strategy and business model which touches on inclusivity and the future of work perspectives.

This business model helps to look at what can happen in the event of another crisis in the future so that the tourism industry doesn’t have to suffer as it did during the pandemic. Tourism is very prone to crises so we need to know what we can do to make business resilient in terms of destination, tour operators, and all businesses involved. Additionally, I’ve recommended that on-the-ground readiness is crucial in ensuring we reboot the tourism sector on the right path amidst great optimism. 

This research would cut across a number of UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) especially due to the impact of the pandemic. This includes SDG 5 on gender equality as well as SDG 10 on reduced inequality, especially in tourism, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth has given the nature of this industry, and SDG 17 on partnerships.

Q: What do you think is the biggest holdback from achieving this?

A: The biggest obstacle is the lack of partnership. Unfortunately, with tourism being a very private-sector drive industry where the government often does what they want to do, unlike other industries, there’s a lack of integrated effort in combatting this issue. 

The problem is that there’s a gap in terms of implementation which results in a need for synergy between central government, state government, and the private sectors instead of working in silo. In order to make this integration happen, we need a policy paper to address the things that they need to consider. This, of course, won’t happen so easily.

In more comprehensive research, we’re looking at a more sustainable and resilient business model for the tourism sector.

Q: What inspired you to pursue this research? 

A: The inspiration comes from my very own involvement in this industry since the mid-1990s. Being active in the partnerships with tourism and hospitality sectors, I believe that the role of the university is to work with the industry not only in the areas of training and employability of students but in the areas of research, innovation, and knowledge transfer. This way we can play a pivotal role as partners to the industry in shaping its future of the industry.

To add to that, most of the work I do is contemporary and addresses real-world problems. Presently, I’m working on one of the national challenges which centres around the revival of the tourism and hospitality industry post-pandemic and the issues of manpower shortages. The work I’m doing impacts the industry and society directly as we’re not only looking at the immediate solutions but also modelling a longer-term strategy in order to ensure businesses survive another crisis.