Tourism industry not badly affected by Lahad Datu intrusion and MH370The tourism industry overall has not been affected by the Lahad Datu intrusion and the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 incident, except in Sabah. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said in response to Datuk Jumat Idris (BN-Sepanggar) that the number of tourists from China and Taiwan to Sabah declined by 11.8 per cent and 2.9 per cent respectively from January to July compared to the same period last year. Nazri said tourist arrivals from China (January to July 2014) is 997, 370 compared to the same period last year which saw 1,130, 721 arrivals. Tourist arrivals from Taiwan (January to July 2014) is 168, 962 compared to 173, 921 last year.We are working on initiatives with the Sabah state government agencies through a crisis management meeting held on April 4 to discuss the issues and regain the confidence of tourists to visit the state.He said discussions and familiarisation trips were also held with Chinese authorities , local airline tourism agencies and hotel operators on strategies to regain the confidence of the tourists.Through our discussions we have been promised 180 charter flights from China to Malaysia from July to June 2015, so far 19,199 seats have been booked. From Chengdu to Penang and Wuhan to Kuala Lumpur, 79 flights have been promised for next year and 13,193 seats have been booked, Nazri said.Nazri added that the incidents have not affected the number of tourist arrival to the country, as there is an increase of 10. 5 per cent compared to number of arrivals last year.Were confident in achieving the 28 million tourists target for the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, Nazri said.On an additional question by Jumat to promote tourism attractions around Kota Kinabalu like in Pulau Gaya and Mat Salleh Fort, Nazri said that those who want to develop such places could apply for grants for tourism developments to build infrastructures. However Nazri said that the development of such places would also require cooperation from other agencies and individuals, as it may be privately owned or a historic site. Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PKR-Kuala Langat) asked what efforts the ministry was taking to improve the stigma of kidnapping incidents involving Chinese nationals in Sabah. Nazri said that everyone should play a role in explaining the situation in Sabah but the Home Ministry was responsible in ensuring security in the state.It would not affect Malaysian tourism because tourists have a lot of choices. For example, European tourists were recently reminded by their respective leaders to be careful if they wanted to visit Sabah. Moreover, these visitors would be recommended to divert their destinations to Langkawi, which has similar attractions as those in Sabah, such as diving.

Nationalization of Malaysia AirlinesThe tourism industry came under some pressure in 2014 when the national carrierMalaysia Airlineshad one of its planes disappear in March of that year, while another was brought down by a missile over Ukraine in July, resulting in the loss of a total 537 passengers and crew. The state of the company, which had been unprofitable for 3 years, prompted the government in August 2014 to nationalize the airline by buying up the 30 per cent it did not already own.

Tourist arrivals in Malaysia 2012In 2012, Malaysia recorded 25.03 million tourist arrivals;a growth of 1.3% compared to 2011. Total tourist receipts increased by 3.9%, generatingRM60.6 billion.United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) listed Malaysia as the 10th most visited country in 2012.RankcountryVisitorsTotal of Tourist Arrivals(%)

1Singapore13,010,00051.99

2Indonesia2,380,0009.52

3China1,560,0006.23

4Thailand1,260,0005.05

5Brunei1,250,0005.03

6India690,0002.76

7Philippines510,0002.03

8Australia500,0002.03

9Japan470,0001.88

10United Kingdom400,0001.61

Ministry of tourism and cultureTOURISM PROGRAMMEVisit Malaysia Year 2014Volunteer Tourism (Voluntourism)Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H)Student Tourism ProgrammeEducation TourismAgro-TourismSport TourismFabulous Food 1MalaysiaCalendar of EventsCOURSESWe Are The Host (WATH)Eco-Host MalaysiaTourist BoatsTourist Guide Level 2Tourist Guide Level 3Think TourismSpa Therapist Training ProgrammeTTMC & TTECFUNDS & INCENTIVESTourism Development Infrastructure FundSpecial Tourism FundTax IncentivesCulture Assistance SchemeArts Guidance SchemeArtistic Donations & SponsorshipArt Sponsorship FundTypes of Tourism in Malaysia

As its hugely successful promotional drive boasts, Malaysia is indeed "truly Asia." A rich blend of exotic peoples, historical sites, modern skylines, wild terrains and postcard-perfect beaches, Malaysia's variety of attractions offers something to just about every traveller. If relaxation, adrenaline, culture or even medical attention happens to be your slice of durian, Malaysia is waiting for you. Cultural Tourism Adventure Tourism Medical Tourism : Malaysia has become a prime destination for medical tourists seeking safe and affordable medical attention. Beach Tourism Agricultural Tourism : Malaysia's agricultural diversity has lent itself well to growing numbers of tourists seeking to cultivate an understanding of Malaysia's variety of soil-bred commodities. Many travel agencies offer tours to oil palm estates, rubber plantations, fish farms and fruit orchards where visitors can taste various exotic crops. Responsibility of all to achieve 28 million tourists targetAchieving the target of 28 million visitors during Visit Malaysia Year 2014 is the responsibility of each and every citizen, said Minister of Tourism and Culture, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.He said that although his ministry had taken various steps to increase the number of tourists to Malaysia, incidents such as the mudslides in Cameron Highlands and security issues in East Sabah affected tourism activities in the country."Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's statement during the launch of Visit Malaysia Year 2014, that tourism in Malaysia is every citizen's responsibility, is absolutely right."Look at it today, if other parties do not think about the consequences their daily activities have on tourism, it is the tourism industry which suffers," he told reporters after launching the "The Evolution of Weapons and World Humanity Exhibition" at Muzium Negara, here.He said, however, the Tourism and Culture Ministry would continue to take steps and initiatives to promote Malaysia as the destination of choice. Responding to reporters, he acknowledged the fact that the landslides and flash flood incidents at Kampung Raja, Ringlet town, and Bertam valley in Cameron Highlands on Nov 5, which claimed five lives, had adversely affected tourism activities at the highlands."I don't think you need a degree in tourism to know that tourism is affected there.Cameron Highlands is a very popular tourist destination to enjoy the cool climate, which is now not very cool anymore."Then the landslide happens...all this is attracting wide media coverage, and the whole world knows now. Definitely foreign tourists will take note of this. It is very disheartening," he said.The exhibition which began on Sept 20 and ends on Feb 20, 2015 has a collection of more that 360 weapons, dating back to the pre-historic age to modern weaponry like helicopters, tanks and artillery canons.

Foreign workers and the image of hotelsMalaysia currently allows recruitment of foreign workers from Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Myanmar. Government of Malaysia has various policies in managing and controlling foreign workers includes Immigration Act 1977, and imposition of annual levy. Some other regulations are like export-oriented manufacturers are eligible to hire foreign workers when more than 50% of the output is for export purpose. For domestic companies to hire foreign workers, the paid up capital must be at least RM100,000 and with a total sales of RM2 million, in condition with the ratio of 1 foreign workers for 1 domestic workers. In the context of services sectors, foreign workers are employable in laundry and cleaning industries, charity houses, golf clubs and resorts. The issue for the study is the current practices of hotels in Malaysia either to promote Truly Malaysia Experience or to provide a Confident, Reliable, and International Image. The issue arose when there are some feedback from the locals that here are a lot of foreign workers who are attached at the front line, making the sector does not look like to cater for experience Malaysia image instead of having non-locals with an international look-alike. The concern here is that what are the perceptions of tourists as well on the particular perspective, whether they would want to have a localized image or just a hotel that is carries the reliability of name and images, or even just a comfort environment that is able to pamper their tiredness after a long day outside the hotels. Foreign Workers and Employment Alleyne, Doherty, and Greenidge (2006) stated that people are one of the greatest costs and also one of the main assets of contemporary organizations. Companys success in its survival and competitive position is determined by inter alia, workers qualities, attitudes, and behaviour in the workplace. The management of people is getting critical for hotel industry in recent years, when quality is emphasized. Based on the record from Malaysia Department of Immigration, Indonesia has always s been the lead in foreign employment in Malaysia. Countries like Nepal and India with Myanmar shown increment from year 1998 until early 2004. Of the total composition of foreign workers in Malaysia, Indonesia fetched up for 66.5% in year 2004, followed by Nepal at 9.2% in the same year of comparison. Nepal has increased from 0.1% in year 1998 to 9.2% in year 2004. From Malaysia Investment Development Authority (MIDA), services sector consists of eleven sub sectors that are restaurant, cleaning services, cargo handling, launderette, caddy, barber, metal/scrap/recycle, welfare home, and hotel and resort islands. The approved nationals for services sector are Indonesia, Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Based on the statistic provided by Department of Statistics Malaysia, internal state migrants are about 220,940 people, inter-state migrants - 142,760, people and international migrants 70,810. Based on the statistics of foreign workers in Malaysia, the highest numbers of foreign workers working in service sectors are from India (47,021), Indonesia (38,684), followed by Bangladesh (27,002), Nepal (26,901), Myanmar (22,654), and other neighboring countries like Vietnam, Philippines, and Thailand Public Image of Hotels and Related Factors Loyalty of a firms customer has been recognized as the dominant factor in a business organizations success. The study extended the understanding of the relationship between customer loyalty, their satisfaction, and image. The objective of their research was to identify the factors of image and customer satisfactions that are positively related to customer loyalty in the hotel industry. Their findings indicated that hotel image and customer satisfaction with the performance of housekeeping; reception, food and beverage, and price are positively correlated to customer loyalty. While in the context of China, study that was done by Kong and Baum (2006) reported that results show that the main workforce strength of front office in Chinese hotels consists of graduates from tourism colleges and professional schools. Front office work is a challenging and demanding area of work and oral communication is identified as the most important skill. Their research concluded that high quality human resources are lacking in the hospitality sector in China and it is essential for hotels to develop professional development and further training in order to improve the skills of staffs in front office. RESEARCH DESIGN In order to obtain the current situations of foreign employment in hotel industry, the researchers collected data via telephone-interview. Questionnaire was not employed for the purpose of this research even Saunders et al., (2003) pointed out that quantitative survey is popular and most used in business and management research. The respondents are employees that attached to the human resource department and involved in hiring practices. Three respondents were gathered from three different hotels. The selected hotels are based on the experience of staying by the researchers, and observed that there are foreign workers that working in the hotels. The hotels are 4-5 stars rating hotels, and employed a huge number of workers. A set of questions was set and asked to the respondents, and all of the questions are open- ended. The nature of this study was to explore the existence and demand for foreign employment, how different it is compared to hiring locals, and what are pros and cons in employing foreign workers. The questions asked were also to seek the difference of skills, knowledge and attributes of workers. Human resource (HR) related questions were asked too, which are related to succession planning and career development. Apart than the questions that related to foreign employment, the impacts and effects of the newly announced minimum wage are also being extended in the conversation. The researchers wished to know what would be the effect expected by the industry once the government has announced the minimum wage RM800 for Sabah and Sarawak, and RM900 for Peninsula Malaysia. Informal permission was required to make a conversational-based interview via telephone with the employee in the hotel. The third respondent is coming from the hotel that sharing the same commonality of hotels background, except with lesser experience that is two-three years of experience in the hotel. She is appointed as the assistant manager in the hotel and is referred as Respondent C. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Based on the interview made to the respondents, followings are the key results from the conversation made. Factors on Foreign Employment All three respondents agreed that the main factor for foreign employment is their (the foreign workers) willingness to work with the market salary. According to the respondents, the locals especially Gen Y youth are found to be less interested in getting a job in hotel industry. Wage or salary that is practiced on the market is somehow acceptable to the foreign workers which is the rate will be perceived as small in local context. It is said that the hotels were also tried to employ locals to work in the hotels, but the locals youths did not showing any point of interest. According to all respondents, big portion of the operation level workers are not from Peninsula, which are from Sabah. Youths from Sabah are reported to be keener to work in hotel as the front-liners but not as a receptionist or front counter. Second feedback from the respondents is the youngsters (Gen Y) are difficult to get employed and less willing to work in the hotels for lower grade and status. The youngsters would prefer part time job in hotel like catering for functions in certain day, rather than get attached to the hotel for employment with a higher commitment. The respondents also mentioned that most of the workers that operating for doorman and front-operation are typically Gen X or during the time of interview should be around or more than 35 years old. The third feedback from Respondent C is, foreign workers do have the right to be employed as well, as long as they are willing to work with the asserted pay. Locals and Foreign Workers: The skills, knowledge, and attributes. According to Respondent A, in comparison of skills, it is certain that the locals are having better skills in communication for Malay and English. The Malay language suits to the locals and English is much understandable compared to foreign workers. For skills, Respondent A stated that it is better to the locals if employed as the locals having the general knowledge in Malaysia, for instance like places, products, goods, locations, attractions and others. These are somewhat important in responding to the tourists that seek for advice and opinions. Despite of the locals would having more advantages than foreign workers, attributes to success seems not favouring on the aspect of customer care or relations, but the aim is to ensure the business operates, and jobs provided are functioning effectively. Being efficient and effective in human resource practice is not positively related to each. The human resource (hotel workers) can be efficient in dealing with customers by responding well when being asked by the hotel guests, but to keep the business operation effective is rather important than the former. Respondent B also indicated the same feedback where it is not necessary to have all workers have the general knowledge, as the worker can always bring the guests to get the information from the receptionists, supervisor, or even the concierge. Relating to a job description with job specification, for example an employee whose job description is to be a doorman at the hotel only requires a specification of capable to smile, having the physical-motor movement to open and close the door, with capability to carry bags upon tourists arrival. The specification to perform the job does not require the person has to have some general knowledge of the local information. When the scenario is mentioned to Respondent C, Respondent C furthered the idea of an operational worker usually is trainable, and they would learn from experience by daily transaction and conversions with the local workers or even customers. According to Respondent C, the foreign workers are able to catch up the local language (Malay) and remember the nearby locations to the hotels (KLCC, and KL Tower). Respondent C also thinking that foreign employment in hotels could create a multi-cultural experience that exposes the locals to the cultures of the foreign countries other than the own cultures in Malaysia. Language barrier among foreign workers and local workers can also be diminished through diversity management and socialization. The respondent also believes that healthy competition is generated among the workers being locals or foreigners, for good purposes at workplace. The respondent also mentioned that by having foreign workers at workplace, it is actually helping the organization to run business for international communication since hotel guests are also from international and foreign countries. Attitudes and behaviour. It is also mentioned by the respondents that foreign workers have better discipline and attitude at workplace compared to the locals. The justification is that the locals would get the chance to apply for emergency leave or sick leave when their presence are required by the family members or interfering matters came in hands. The behaviour would be different for foreign workers who would have less interference of personal life and work life. Public Image of the hotel All of the respondents were reluctant to answer whether it is important to provide a local Malaysia image or International Image. Respondent A answered that since most of the guests are from outside Malaysia, it is very important for the hotel to consider its international image and branding. While Respondent B stated that building up the hotels image will eventually lift up the image of Malaysia in general and in a bigger picture. What is considered important is to provide a good stay to the guest that came to the hotel. Respondent C stated that their hotel is an international chain and it weighing some importance in delivering its international brand identity.