The data platform will help authorities in Sarawak monitor the effectiveness of tourism strategies, identify new opportunities, and create initiatives and policy recommendations. Photo credit: Sarawak Tourism Board
Thanks to a new digital platform, tourism stakeholders from the government and the private sector in Sarawak can now share data that would allow them to boost the Malaysian state’s visibility as a destination.
The Sarawak Tourism Board launched the platform on 10 May to enable stakeholders to create more informed strategies and develop more targeted products.
The online data management platform, STB InTel, is part of the Sarawak government’s digital transformation agenda as the state tries to revive travel in the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a news release, Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the government-to-business data sharing initiative would enable ministry and tourism industry stakeholders to leverage on data from government agencies, tourism websites, in addition to Google Analytics, to monitor the effectiveness of tourism strategies, identify new opportunities, and create initiatives and policy recommendations.
“A data sharing platform such as STB InTel will help ensure a cohesiveness between the public and private sector as we work together to create more informed strategies and develop more targeted products,” he said.
E-learning platform
The platform was launched together with an e-learning and networking platform where tourism professionals can learn about Sarawak destinations and tourism products. The news release said Sarawak is the first state in Malaysia to utilize what it described as the world’s first business-to-business learning management system to connect tourism professionals around the world to promote the state as a preferred tourist destination.
Since the onboarding of the modules in early April, there are currently 1,346 outbound tour operators in the region who are ready to enroll in the course. The government is expecting over 10,000 travel agents to be trained under the course by end-December. The program will assign 1,000 new users for the course every month with promotions lined up in India, the Nordic market, and in the UK in the months to come, Abdul Karim said.
“I would like to praise Sarawak Tourism Board for this effort and I look forward to more digital transformation initiatives that will increase the tourism sector’s efficiencies and productivity,” he added.
Sarawak Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Puan Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said the e-learning platform would provide relevant information on how to promote Sarawak to international travel tour operators, especially those from the People’s Republic of China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Under this initiative, five modules were developed to highlight the wonders of Sarawak in terms of culture, adventure, nature, food, and festivals. The modules will take participants through a detailed tour of Sarawak and make the state a priority when it comes to promoting preferred destinations.
The e-learning platform was developed in partnership with Lotus Voyager Group, a provider of online travel services.
UNWTO’s digital thrust
The Sarawak Tourism Board’s digital strategy is in line with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) thrust to encourage tourism players to embrace digital technology to help revive the sector following the pandemic. On 17 May, UNWTO launched a program to help small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) go digital.
SMEs make up 80% of all tourism businesses. UNWTO aims to reach at least 1 million SMEs over the lifetime of the program, providing them with the foundational skills and knowledge needed to harness the power of new and emerging technologies.
“Small businesses are the backbone of tourism. The Digital Futures Program will help them to recover from the impacts of the pandemic and drive the sector forward, powered by innovation and new technology,” UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said in a statement.
Citing analysis from Mastercard, which helped it develop the program, UNWTO said digitally enabled SMEs saw a 5.0% increase in customer spending and a 4.5% increase in transactions compared with their peers.
The Digital Futures Program provides SMEs with tailored guidance and tools to accelerate their digital transformation. The program is built on a digital readiness diagnostic tool that benchmarks SMEs across five key digital dimensions—connectivity, business growth, e-commerce, big data and analytics, and payments and security.