12 minute read
Interview with Mr Fadli Yusof bin Haji Zakaria Terengganu State Tourism Department Director
New role
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Prior to his appointment as Terengganu State Tourism Department Director, Mr Fadli Yusof was attached to several local authorities, namely as the President for Marang District Council, the Secretary for Kuala Terengganu City Council, and the Secretary for Dungun Municipal Council, respectively. His roles required him to directly solve the grassroot issues faced by the local residents and provide facilities to the local communities. The local authorities he served support tourism too by organising relevant programmes and giving priority to public places that attract many visitors because most of the complaints and grievances received by the local authorities relate to these public places.
“Regarding my role now, it is more to do with promotions, whereby we basically want more people to come to Terengganu, which is the main objective of tourism. In fact, it is the department’s mission to make tourism as one of the main contributors to the state’s economy. At the same time, we intend to encourage and invite as many people as possible to visit and spend in Terengganu,” reveals Mr Fadli.
“The department has its own targets it would like to achieve as benchmark to gauge the actual returns that the state receives from tourism. However, for the past two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been difficult to obtain sufficient and complete data to analyse and make decisions because movements were restricted, interstate travel was prohibited, and borders were closed,” he sighs.
Weathering the COVID-19 pandemic
The entire tourism industry was negatively affected in 2020 and 2021. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Department listened attentively to the tourism industry players’ grievances, complaints and sense of despondence.
“Our department tried to assist the tourism industry players as much as possible so that they can survive the pandemic by giving them one-off financial aid in two tranches (Berkat 1.0 and Berkat 2.0) to the tour guides, tour boat operators, and businesses whose incomes were totally wiped out. At the same time, several of the large hotels were converted into quarantine centres for the oil & gas industry to house its personnel destined for the off-shore platforms, while the hotels’ kitchens were asked to supply food and beverages to the frontliners stationed at the vaccination administration centres. Such initiatives allowed the hotels to sustain financially, pay their staff, and retain their workforce,” Mr Fadli recounts.
Once COVID-19 becomes endemic and interstate travel is allowed, Terengganu State Tourism Department is determined to carry out its plans in earnest beginning October 2021 well into 2022. “Terengganu will go all out as it enters Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan by late October 2021,” he expresses enthusiastically.
Terengganu’s unique selling points
Tasik Kenyir.
Terengganu has identified five specific clusters for tourism: islands and beaches; Kuala Terengganu and surrounding areas; Tasik Kenyir and surrounding areas; culture and heritage; and nature. “We try to highlight features that are not available elsewhere,” claims Mr Fadli.
Under islands and beaches, Terengganu continues to promote its popular islands like Redang, Perhentian, Kapas, Tenggol, and Lang Tengah, which are considered as Terengganu’s icons because these islands are known internationally. As a matter of fact, Tenggol is recognised as the best dive site in Peninsular Malaysia
As the state capital, Kuala Terengganu is replete with notable landmarks like Terengganu State Museum, Taman Tamadun Islam (Islamic Civilisation Park or TTI in short), TTI River Cruise, Pasar Payang for shopping, Terengganu Drawbridge, and Kampung Cina (Chinatown).
Being the largest man-made lake in Malaysia, Tasik Kenyir is not only a haven for anglers but suitable for family members of all ages too since there are other attractions available such as Orchid Garden, Butterfly Garden, mahseer sanctuary and Kenyir Elephant Conservation Village (KECV).
One of Terengganu’s upcoming eco-tourism hotspots categorised under nature is Setiu Wetlands, recently gazetted as a state park that combines various types of ecosystems including freshwater, seawater, brackish and lagoon. Other worthy sites include the Chemerong, Berembun and Langsir (CBL) trek, Lata Kolam Air Deru Ecopark, and La Hot Spring.
Terengganu is rich in culture and heritage. One venue that travellers should not miss is Kampung Budaya Terengganu (Terengganu Cultural Village) that nestles within the grounds of the Terengganu State Museum, where visitors can witness educational live demonstrations of traditional craft-making, traditional games, traditional food-making and traditional musical performance on daily basis. Travellers can simply come over to Kampung Budaya Terengganu and witness Terengganu culture and heritage all in one place. Kampung Budaya Terengganu also invites cultural troupes from different districts in Terengganu to perform shows that are popular in their own respective locality for public pleasure. Another place where travellers can head to is Besut, where they can marvel at fine wood craftsmanship, including purchasing Terengganu’s iconic songket (traditionally woven fabric) and batik.
Community-based tourism
Kampung Budaya Terengganu (Terengganu Cultural Village).
Terengganu is preparing its community-based tourism (CBT) as one of its latest offerings. “For example, when travellers come to Redang, they would not only be spending their time at the resorts and on water-based activities, but they are encouraged to explore the local villages too where they can watch traditional performances by the local community and savour the island’s food specialty – the community on that island is roped in to create experiences that can be enjoyed by the tourists. Hence tourism on the island mean spending time at the island resorts as well as learning about the actual locals who live there. This is what Tourism Department is working on so that the local community can receive the direct economic benefits from tourism,” Mr Fadli explains.
There are currently 30 CBT projects that Terengganu State Tourism Department is grooming throughout the state, and each CBT project is developed based on the characteristics of those localities, for example waterfalls or hills that offer activities like hiking, which promises a new experience. Among the CBT projects that are becoming popular are Dataran Batu Putih with its floating and traditional market, Merchang Lestari with its traditional fishing community, and Kalang Warisan with its activities based on nature.
These CBT projects also offer rare traditional delicacies that are almost extinct and not served at the normal eateries anymore, inducing nostalgia among the older generation while educating the newer generation at the same time. These CBT projects emphasise on traditional elements that denotes a strong sense of place. Besides, tourists can take selfies at these CBT projects due to their inimitable atmosphere and vibe. Mr Fadli recognises that the fundamentals of these CBT projects are already established but they need to be polished further to make them suitable for tourism.
Since these CBT projects are built upon initiatives undertaken by local communities or individuals who carry them out as hobbies or youth activities, Terengganu State Tourism Department comes in to help bring their project to scale for commercialisation and eventually turned into a tourism product. “We work together with those who started the initiatives by sharing with them the guidelines on what they have to do and what they need to prepare. Out of those 30 CBT projects, Tourism Department will then select the best ones that we can highlight as ‘hubs’ for the other districts to emulate. At the same time, Terengganu State Tourism Department provides financial assistance in the aspects of beautifying the CBT projects’ venue to turn them cheerful again, just like before the pandemic,” he elaborates.
Considering the CBT projects have mostly been in hiatus for the last two years due to the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the CBT projects’ structures are already dilapidated. Restarting the CBT projects can be challenging for the community due to financial constraints, therefore Terengganu State Tourism Department assists the CBT project owners in sprucing up of their venues by extended financial help so that they can be ready for the influx of visitors once interstate travel is allowed come November 2021.
In managing the costs of the CBT projects totalling nearly MYR1 million, Terengganu State Tourism Department supports their restoration by organising gotong-royong (communal work) to instil the sense of ownership among the community members over the CBT projects since these projects are situated within their respective localities and formed in accordance with their desires. “We do not want to impose the kind of projects that are not in tune with their preferences,” shares Mr Fadli. The gotong-royong activity allows Terengganu State Tourism Department to control the costs while meeting the needs of the local communities.
Funds have also been channelled to the District Officers to repair and maintain all tourism amenities and public spaces such as beaches and recreational parks in each district. “In October and November 2021, we anticipate that all of the tourism facilities, for example the broken staircases at the tourism sites, are repaired and tourism attractions and products like waterfalls and beaches are cleaned up to prepare for tourists once interstate travel is possible,” he assures.
“I remember when interstate travel was allowed in 2020, many popular areas in Terengganu became congested. For instance, there were 2,000 to 3,000 people visiting Pulau Kapas alone, many of them day trippers because all accommodations on the island were fully booked. And we anticipate that once interstate travel is allowed again, the same scenario might recur. All attractions, including the CBT projects, should be ready to receive large number of visitors coming to their places,” notes Mr Fadli.
Monitoring SOP compliance among tourists
Mr Fadli Yusof is confident that the tourists who come to Terengganu are responsible and cooperative in following the SOPs because they are already accustomed to the new norms. As such, Terengganu State Tourism Department reminds the tourism industry players to diligently implement the SOPs and ensure that their employees are fully vaccinated.
“We recommend the island resorts to request their guests to conduct COVID-19 self-test at the jetties prior to taking the boat to the islands as part of the guidelines, even though the guests are fully vaccinated and have taken their test earlier elsewhere. Though this additional step might be an inconvenience, it is a still small price to pay to ensure guests’ safety and peace of mind, which the resorts agree. This spurs confidence among guests, who themselves are increasingly fastidious. The resorts shall monitor the results of the COVID-19 self-tests and take the necessary actions if any of their guests were to be found positive of COVID-19,” he clarifies.
Target markets
When asked about the international source markets for Terengganu, Mr Fadli discloses that the state does not specifically focus on any particular source market. “Our priority now is to focus on domestic tourists since we are not certain when the borders will fully reopen and what SOPs are required for international travellers. But after saying that, we do work with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Malaysia and follow the ministry’s recommendations on how best to market Terengganu internationally. Based on the plans, our target is more of the tourists from West Asia, thus we need to identify which attractions and products would suit that market. However, it is still difficult to say when exactly Terengganu would be able to expect international tourists to come to the state,” he confesses.
Irrespective of the tourists’ origins, whether Malaysia or abroad, Terengganu must be ready for their arrival in terms of safety, health, and facilities similar to the level before the pandemic. “It is my goal to see that the conditions in Terengganu are back to normal as closely as possible and the tourists will find Terengganu to be in good shape, safe and conducive. Once Terengganu reopens, I want all facilities to be in tip top condition so that the tourists who come to Terengganu will be satisfied with what is offered. Thus, Terengganu State Tourism Department is working hard towards this end,” pledges Mr Fadli.
Based on the feedback received from the tourism industry players, most of the domestic tourists who come to Terengganu are families who have not been travelling for some time and they are taking advantage of the affordable and too-good-to-miss prices offered by the tourism players. Many of the families, including groups of travelling adults, tend to choose the islands for holidays.
Hope for the tourism industry
For the next two to three years, Mr Fadli hopes that Terengganu achieves its target to receive the number of tourists back to the pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Terengganu recorded 5.5 million tourist arrivals. “For 2022, we hope to at least receive 5.5 million tourist arrivals as well. I pray that the whole country, including the whole world, recovers from the COVID-19 onslaught after battling it for two years. Terengganu looks forward to smoothly kicking off its tourism plans in 2022 so that it can make huge contribution to the state’s economy,” he declares.
Finally, Mr Fadli asserts that the ease of restrictions instituted by the government should remain indefinitely because the tourism industry is opposed to the intermittent series of lockdowns and reopening, resulting in the players shying away from continuing their tourism business because those measures increase uncertainty and eat into their revenue. Evidently, Terengganu is determined to take all necessary measures to shine again as one of Malaysia’s leading tourism destinations.
