Tourism Selangor Celebrated its

Tourism Selangor Celebrated its 20 Years of Excellence

Tourism Selangor recently celebrated its 20th Anniversary virtually during “Tourism Selangor’s LiveTalk – Episode 2” held on 14 July on its official Facebook Page with General Manager of Tourism Selangor Mr. Azrul Shah Mohamad and Director of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture – Selangor Division Mr. Syed Mohd Fariz bin Syed Mansor Al Idrus gracing the talk.

Dato’ Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor Y.A.B. Dato’ Seri Amirudin bin Shari.

This year’s Anniversary celebration highlighted Tourism Selangor’s roles, responsibilities and accomplishments over the years. During the LiveTalk session, an exclusive clip was shared with the audience featuring the Dato’ Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor Y.A.B. Dato’ Seri Amirudin bin Shari.

“Throughout these two decades, Tourism Selangor’s initiatives in constantly discovering new tourism places, as well as promoting interesting tourism attractions with qualities such as cultural diversity has brought success to the State. In 2019, Selangor managed to attract a staggering 30 million tourists which certainly imposed a positive impact on the State’s economy, particularly its tourism industry.

“Covid-19 has severely-impacted the industry. However, in bracing for the impact, Selangor’s several comprehensive Economic Plans such as Kita Selangor Package 1.0 and Kita Selangor Package 2.0 include financial aid allocation by Selangor State Government for its tourism industry. In conjunction with Tourism Selangor’s 20th Anniversary, let us all stay resilient in overcoming obstacles and challenges towards becoming a preferred and premier tourism destination, not only domestically, but also internationally. Happy 20th Anniversary, Tourism Selangor,” stated Y.A.B. Dato’ Seri Amirudin bin Shari in the video.

Selangor State’s Executive Council Member for Tourism and Environment The Honourable Mr. Hee Loy Sian General Manager of Tourism Selangor Mr. Azrul Shah Mohamad

“For two decades, Tourism Selangor has become the right-hand man of Selangor State Government in fostering the State’s tourism. I hope Tourism Selangor will become the backbone of tourism industry players in Selangor and will place thoughtful attention on their needs and concerns from time to time,” Selangor State’s Executive Council Member for Tourism and Environment The Honourable Mr. Hee Loy Sian mentioned in a statement.

First registered as a private company called PNSB Realty Sdn. Bhd. on 24 February 1994 under the Companies Act 1965, the name was changed into Tourism Selangor Sdn. Bhd. (Tourism Selangor) on 14 July 2001. The Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor at that time launched Tourism Selangor in October of that same year.

Tourism Selangor was initially a subsidiary of Permodalan Nasional Selangor Berhad (PNSB) until 2008 when the ownership was transferred to Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) to date. Currently leading Tourism Selangor since the 1st of January 2020, General Manager of Tourism Selangor Mr. Azrul Shah Mohamad believes it was not easy to reach this benchmark because 20 years is not a short period of time.

“Certainly, those associated with Tourism Selangor, in the past and present, have overcome various challenges and obstacles and collected bittersweet memories along the way. On that note, I am taking this opportunity to express my appreciation to everyone who have supported Tourism Selangor in the past two decades, not forgetting the members of media who always keep up with our promotional initiatives, government and private agencies that supported Tourism Selangor’s events and programmes over the years, and the members of the general public who always make Selangor their first choice,” Mr. Azrul Shah added.

Emphasising on integrity and dedication to continue its glorious track record for the past two decades into the future, Tourism Selangor has outlined various promotional initiatives, especially its Domestic Tourism Campaign; Pusing Selangor Dulu, which is aimed at rebuilding the industry post-Covid-19 pandemic.

Among the initiatives include the execution of physical and virtual tourism events and programmes in accordance with the current SOPs; strengthening the digital platform geared towards “Tourism 4.0” or tourism digitalisation; frequent round-table discussions with government, private agencies and tourism industry players; and intensifying advertising campaigns across all platforms, mass media, online, electronic, and targeted digital advertising on main websites and web browsers.

Paragliding Hulu Selangor

Tourism Selangor Corporate Song was also launched during the LiveTalk session, brought to life by Tourism Selangor’s own in-house talents: Corporate Communications Manager Mr. Ahmad Nazri Tashriq bin Rahmat as the writer and Corporate Communications Executive Siti Norfadila binti Ab Wahab as the singer.

“The timing in releasing this song is perfect, marking 20 glorious years of Tourism Selangor. The song is catchy, the beat is contemporary, and the lyrics are meaningful. This is the anthem that all of us at Tourism Selangor will sing with pride. We are united by our roles and responsibilities at Tourism Selangor, and through this song, we convey our love and utmost commitment to the company,” claimed Mr. Ahmad Nazri Tashriq.

“I am proud to be able to contribute to the company through my talent. During the song recording, I felt a sudden urge of enthusiasm running through my veins, and I do hope, the rest of us at Tourism Selangor will feel the same way when singing the anthem; proud, determined and empowered. ‘We are Tourism Selangor’,” Siti Norfadila said.

Corporate Communications Manager Mr. Ahmad Nazri Tashriq bin Rahmat Corporate Communications Executive Siti Norfadila binti Ab Wahab

Sungai Congkak

SKY Mirror

Tourism Selangor’s Long standing Staff - Going Down Memory Lane

Stakeholders & Government Affairs Assistant Manager; Mr. Zaimi Shari

Product and Package Development Executive; Mr. Zolkafli bin Abdul Promotions Manager Mrs. Khuzaimah binti Jamaluddin Corporate Communications Executive Mrs. Rohaida binti Salamat

Product and Package Development Executive Mr. Zolkafli bin Abdul has been with Tourism Selangor for 20 years. “I am grateful that I was once given the opportunity to work as a supervisor at Chongkak Park & Resort, which is under the management of Tourism Selangor. It gave me the experience of managing a large area that certainly required a thorough supervision,” Mr. Zolkafli reminisced.

On the same note, Tourism Selangor’s Department of Stakeholders & Government Affairs Assistant Manager Mr. Zaimi Shari congratulates the organisation for its 20th Anniversary. “I thank our current General Manager, as well as the former General Manager and staff who have provided me guidance throughout the years. Congratulations, Tourism Selangor for the 20 years’ milestone,” he iterated.

Meanwhile, Promotions Manager Mrs. Khuzaimah binti Jamaluddin, who has been with Tourism Selangor for almost 13 years, had this to say: “In conjunction with Tourism Selangor’s 20th Anniversary, I personally would like to say; I love Tourism Selangor. Tourism Selangor will always be in my heart and I hope it will continue to become a well-established organisation, which is responsible for boosting tourism in the State of Selangor.”

In addition, Corporate Communications Executive Mrs. Rohaida binti Salamat, with her 19-year experience at Tourism Selangor, cherishes many unforgettable memories. “I once had the opportunity to work with Selangor’s then Tourism EXCO, together with a group of Selangor’s entrepreneurs, to Yiwu City, China in 2011, which was a great learning experience,” she recounted.

Q&A with Tourism Selangor

1) When did the organisation start going global (participating in international tourism fairs)? Which fairs does the organisation focus strongly on? Which markets are Selangor’s targeting?

Since its early establishment, Tourism Selangor has been emphasising on strategies to penetrate the international travel market, besides strengthening its domestic tourism, by consulting Tourism Malaysia in tapping suitable markets. Tourism Selangor began by focussing on the Southeast Asian market like Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Vietnam, hence Tourism Selangor’s participated in ASEAN Tourism Forum, The International Tourism Exhibition (ITE) in Ho Chi Minh City, and more.

To date, Tourism Selangor has embarked upon various international missions in many parts of the world either under the auspices of Tourism Malaysia or individual / sole participation. In many instances, Tourism Selangor constructed its own Pavilion and exhibition space, and the mission was joined by selected Selangor industry players.

Among the renowned World Trade Fairs / Shows / Exhibitions that Tourism Selangor participated were Internationale Tourismus Börse (ITB) Berlin, World Travel Market (WTM) London, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai, and Tourism Expo Japan organised by Japan Association of Travel Agents, among others.

As of now, in terms of international tourists, Tourism Selangor mainly focusses on three markets: ASEAN, West Asia (Middle East), and Europe. At the same time, the two other markets that Tourism Selangor is exploring are Latin America and Oceania.

@realvisionshotz

Sepang Gold Coast Tanjung Karang

2) What are the organisation’s proudest achievements since it first started?

Over the last three years, Tourism Selangor has garnered the following awards: o Destination of The Year 2018 at Malaysia Tourism

Council Gold Awards 2018 o World’s Best Heritage Destination 2018 at

International Travel Awards 2018 o Best Online Travel Guide 2019 at South East Asia

Business Awards 2019 o Tourism Event of the Year 2019 & Best Golf and

Leisure Destination at Malaysia Tourism Council Gold

Awards 2019

In addition, Tourism Selangor’s latest Domestic Tourism Promotional Campaign, Pusing Selangor Dulu, has been receiving overwhelming response from the masses. The campaign’s official promotional video featuring Tourism Selangor Ambassador Che Puan Juliana Evans was launched in January 2021. To date, all of the videos associated with the campaign have accumulated nearly 500,000 views on Tourism Selangor’s official YouTube channel. On the social media front, the campaign has attained over 15 million reach, meaning it has successfully attracted the attention of the masses. Tourism Selangor has taken it up a notch by releasing virtual reality (VR) and aerial-view videos featuring all of Selangor’s nine districts, and the videos have received close to 300,000 views altogether.

Kanching Waterfall

Tourism Selangor has also been working closely with the Selangor State Government, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic, to ensure the state’s tourism industry players’ business continuity. Since COVID-19 hit Selangor in 2020, several Economic Stimulus Packages have been announced by the Selangor State Government, which include the 2020 Selangor Economic Recovery Plan involving MYR2.6 million for Selangor’s tourism industry. The most-recent is the Kita Selangor 2.0 Package that underlines initiatives to recover and revitalise Selangor’s tourism industry using an allocation in the amounting to MYR2.55 million.

As such, Tourism Selangor does not neglect tourism industry players during these tough times. As Selangor’s official Tourism Promotion Agency, it is able to balance the promotional initiatives with the welfare needs of its tourism industry players.

3) Where is the organisation heading in the future? Is the organisation embarking on new strategies?

Tourism Selangor is geared towards “Tourism 4.0” and tourism digitalisation. In line with this vision, an allocation of close to MYR300,000.00 under the Kita Selangor 2.0 Package is earmarked for Tourism Digitalisation Workshop and Training for Selangor’s tourism industry players.

Under the same Package, a Grant allocation of MYR1,000,000.00 for Selangor’s Domestic Tourism Recovery plan is set to rebuild the much-affected industry with fresh and creative ideas, approaches and initiatives, in congruent with Selangor’s 5-Year Tourism Masterplan 2020-2025. Tourism Selangor is also developing integrated tourism packages that wholly involving Selangor’s nine districts.

With the two major campaigns namely “Pusing Selangor Dulu” for the domestic market and “Splendid Selangor: Take Me Anywhere” for the international market, Tourism Selangor will strengthen its digital presence via Google and YouTube advertising and influencer marketing campaigns. It also plans to strengthen its advertising campaigns on mass and digital media, including out-of-home (OOH) advertising. Familiarisation Trips (Fam Trips) involving the Media, including local and international travel agencies will be organised.

It is imperative for Tourism Selangor to participate in the new-norm tourism promotional activities through digital platforms such as e-Travel Fairs and Virtual Inbound Marketplaces, including in-person domestic and international Travel Trade Shows / Fairs / Exhibitions when it is possible such as 2021 WTM London in November 2021 (subject to changes). Tourism Selangor intends to hold tourism events, programmes and roadshows with stringent health protocols and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place.

Mahmeri