Thursday, January 15, 2009

Stop price undercutting, Sarawak tour operators told


KUCHING: There is now an unhealthy trend among tour operators who undercut each other by offering lowly-priced packages in their bid to attract customers.

The Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) Sarawak director Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali revealed yesterday that several tour operators were offering packages at prices much lower than the general rates.

While this move was welcomed especially in this time of global economic recession, Johanif said there were worries that this could lead to a drastic drop in standard of services rendered. This was because the operator may go for convenience over comfort in the pursuit to trim down expenses.

“I give you an example. A company may opt for an old bus instead of the usual coach to transport tourists around. What if in the middle of the journey that bus breaks down.

“This would tarnish our reputation because the tourists are being exposed to uncomfortable condition whereas they are here to enjoy their stay,” he said when contacted here yesterday.

He urged the operators to stop the unhealthy price undercutting tactic and instead revert to the old but honest ways.

Continue reading at: Stop price undercutting, Sarawak tour operators told

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