By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 29: Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Malaysia, Dato Sri Tiong King Sing, has suggested that Batik Air consider resuming daily flights on the Incheon–Kota Kinabalu route to bring more tourists from South Korea to Malaysia.
During his recent trip to South Korea, he said flight frequency came up during a luncheon Batik Air arranged with major travel agents and online travel agencies (OTAs), including Mode Tour, HanaTour, Yellow Balloon Tour, and Ctrip Korea.
“For Sabah, Batik Air said it plans to resume flights between Incheon and Kota Kinabalu in December, with three to four services a week.
“I also suggested looking at better connections between Incheon, Kota Kinabalu, and Tawau. This could make it easier for visitors to include these areas in one trip,” he said in a Facebook post.
He said this is because many South Korean travellers are still unfamiliar with Malaysia’s diving and island destinations, and that there is room to build greater awareness and develop more suitable travel products around these places.
“The operators said Korean travellers generally prefer short breaks in Asia, usually around five days and four nights. Flight times, hotel rates, and ease of transport can all affect whether a package appeals to them.
“Batik Air said it was open to considering charter flights or new routes if there was sufficient demand,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another post, Tiong, also MP for Bintulu and assemblyman for Dudong, said Batik Air proposed a collaboration with Kia Corporation in which the South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer could provide vehicles in return for a year’s advertising in Batik Air’s in-flight magazine.
This followed a networking dinner by Batik Air with Kia Corporation vice-president Lee Tae-hyun, ITAL Auto Malaysia president Datuk Samson Anand George, and Batik Air Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Chandran Rama Muthy.
“Our discussion centred on possible cooperation between the automotive, aviation, and tourism sectors. We spoke about Kia’s plans for the Malaysian market. I asked Lee why the company had not introduced more sedan models in Malaysia.
“He said Kia was studying the possibility of bringing a new B-segment compact sedan to the country. I pointed out that while compact cars remain popular, there is also demand for larger sedans and family vehicles. Some Kia models already sold in overseas markets may have potential in Malaysia as well.
“However, I stressed that Kia would need to strengthen its after-sales service and maintenance network if it is to rebuild consumer confidence,” said Tiong.
He added that Tourism Malaysia also suggested linking Kia vehicle purchases with travel incentives, in which South Korean consumers who buy a Kia could stand a chance of winning a holiday in Kuala Lumpur or Kota Kinabalu.
“I hope the ideas raised can be developed into practical partnerships. Cooperation between airlines, automotive companies, and Tourism Malaysia could give more Korean consumers a reason to discover Malaysia, while opening up new business opportunities for companies in both countries.” — DayakDaily
