Market trends for 2019
Kingston Khoo
Director of sales and marketing,
Mutiara Taman Negara
FIT travellers are getting younger compared
with five years ago. They are mainly in their
30s and 40s now compared with the aver-
age age of 50 a few years back. Travellers
these days are constantly on the look out for
Instagrammable scenery and moments which
they can share.
KL Tan
Director,
Borneo Trails Tours & Travel, Sabah
There is growing interest in conservation.
We see an increasing demand for tree-
planting projects and local conservation work.
These European tourists are willing to stay
in basic accommodation in rural areas to
participate in CSR projects and give meaning
to their holidays.
volunteer tourism in Sabah and Sarawak,”
shared Kurz.
Another bright spot, according to Saini
Vermeulen, executive director, Within
Earth Holidays, lies in Desaru Coast in
Johor.
“I met with some German outbound
agents in December and they were keen to
learn more about what Desaru Coast had
to offer. It is a very new beach destination
which has garnered a lot of interest. We
think it works well when combined with
Singapore,” Vermeulen noted.
rooms and suites, and leisure offerings
including five F&B venues, separate
male and female swimming pools,
fitness centres and spa facilities that
include outdoor spa pods.
The property boasts extensive
meetings and event facilities as well.
Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire
Developed by Resorts World Genting
and The Void in collaboration with ILMx-
LAB, the first-of-its-kind hyper-reality
experience immerses guests into an
alternate universe, allowing them to
walk free and untethered on an interac-
tive stage. Reality and imagination mix
to deliver fully immersive experiences
that evoke all the senses, where guests
will feel the impact of blaster bolts,
smell the smoke from the surround-
ing environment, and push buttons to
solve an interactive puzzle to escape
enemies.
Surprising theme
Fishing adventures
Malaysia is well known for its snorkelling and dive sites, with Sipadan Island topping the
list as one of the world’s best scuba diving spots. However, not many would associate the
country with angling. Some of the best places to go for deep-sea angling include Port Dickson,
Penang, Langkawi, Terengganu, Tioman Island, Sabah and Sarawak.
For land-based angling in Malaysia, there are also estuaries, mangroves and lakes with a
variety of fish species. Angling spots include Shah Alam National Botanical Garden, Keniam
River in Pahang, as well as the Rajang and Kinabatangan rivers in East Malaysia.
8.3.2019 TTG Show Daily ITB Berlin 15
Fishing boat in Tioman