Page 878 - MARSIUM'21 COMP OF PAPER

■ 1.0 INTRODUCTION

Tourism is the most important industry on the planet. It grows as a result of the downfall of other industries, such as the
manufacturing industry and others, which have been monopolized by the world economic and social system for centuries
(Badaruddin, 2005). A country's economy has benefited from the tourism industry's contribution to economic development.
For example, the mobility of both international and local tourists has resulted in the development of a country's tourism
destination. Despite the fact that Malaysia has many tourism locations that provide high-quality activities, space, and products,
the country also has a few tourism attractions that have failed to provide a positive experience for tourists. This is due to a lack
of consideration given to the planning part of tourism development, which results in a failure to meet the demands and needs
of tourists. In the foreseeable future, competition between tourism locations will reportedly increase as they become more
focused on the development of the tourism market (Lipman, 2007), according to Lipman (Navickas & Malakauskaite, 2009).
Therefore, tourism destinations must be more original and distinctive in their specialist tourism products as well as in their
customer-oriented branding in order to remain competitive.

As a result, stakeholders involved in the management and promotion of their particular tourism destinations have
embraced the concept of a tourist-friendly destination. A research by HSBC Bank found that Malaysia was the ninth friendliest
country in the world, ranking behind Canada, Bermuda, South Africa, the United States, the Australian capital of Canberra,
and Spain, France and the United Kingdom (all of which were in the top 10). (Berita Harian, 2011). Apparently, the world has
been afflicted by the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 virus, which has caused the tourism industry to go numb one day at
a time. In order to thrive in the sector, each firm in the tourism industry must produce something new to align with the changing
norms and lifestyles that exist today. People have a strong desire to travel throughout the world, but the amount of movement
has been reduced, making it necessary to offer new services or products in order for enterprises to remain competitive in the
market.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE COMPANY

It has been in business since 1982 under the name Tiram Travel Sdn Bhd. This corporation is a subsidiary of the Johor
Corporation (in Malaysia) (JCoRP). Located on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in Johor Bahru, the Tiram Travel headquarters is
managed by Tiram Travel Sdn Bhd. There are 45 Tiram Travel branches located around Malaysia to ensure that all of the
packages supplied by the company run well. Furthermore, Tiram Travel operates two international branches in the Indonesian
province of Kepulauan Riau. This company has garnered awards for "Top Performance Malaysia Airlines," "Top Performance
Royal Dutch Airlines," and "Top Performance Garuda Airways," among other distinctions. In addition to domestic and
international travel services, Tiram Travel provides hajj and umrah packages, airline ticketing, hotel reservations, and
conference management services in both the United States and abroad, among other things. In addition, the company focuses
on the Hajj and Umrah industry by adding the concept of waqf into its package offerings.

Tiram Travel is also backed by a team of well-versed professional tour guides, drivers, and a dedicated team of people
who are dedicated to handling and serving the queries from trade partners. Because of their knowledge and experience in the
tourist industry, they are better able to comprehend the needs of their customers. Tiram Travel is also supported by an employee
who has extensive experience in the tourism industry and is committed to the task at hand. Tiram Travel Sdn Bhd is also a
member of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), BUMITRA Malaysia, and the Persatuan Agensi
Pelancongan Umrah dan Haji (PAPUH), among other organisations (PAPUH). Some time ago, they added new services to its
repertoire. One of these was transportation services. In a tour and travel firm, transportation services are one of the most
important things that customers will inquire about, and this will have an impact on sales as well. If a tour and travel company
provides transportation services, the number of customers who are eager to use their services will increase as a result of the
comprehensive service that is provided for a single vacation package. They are served by Starex and Ford Transit, which
provide door-to-door service. Additionally, Tiram Travel supplied bus transportation for a group of 44 people on a vacation.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM

Traveling and seeing new locations were appreciated by people all over the world prior to the COVID-19 pandemic's
existence. The tourism business is also regarded as one of the most important areas of the world's economy, according to
certain estimates. Early in the year 2020, the world is stunned to learn of the emergence of a new virus with a very high and
rapid rate of transmission. This resulted in the immediate shutdown of all industries throughout the world, and the majority of
corporate leaders were taken aback by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus. Malaysia was also one of the countries hit by
the COVID-19 virus, and several firms were forced to close as a result of the massive losses suffered by them. An action has
been made by the Malaysian government to prevent the virus from spreading further, and this step is known as the movement
control order. There are numerous travel limitations in Malaysia, which may cause further harm to the country's tourism
industry if nothing is done to address them soon. During the first nine months of the year, the number of tourists arriving in
Malaysia has decreased from 20.1 million in 2019 to 4.29 million in 2020. The tourism industry incurred billions of dollars in
losses and was forced to shift its focus to the local market in order to recover slowly.

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