Russia’s Tran-Siberian rail holiday goes from Mongolia to Irkutsk to Moscow, and then all the way to St. Petersburg. The best time for this trip begins in the first week of October. — Photos: LEESAN
Each year, from September to February, the autumn and winter seasons are considered the peak travel period. It is typically when the school and seasonal holidays are on, so people are naturally more interested to travel during this time.
And, current bilateral visa exemption policies between countries that make cross-border travelling even more convenient, also add to the rise in demand for travel.
More importantly, many airline companies have increased the number of flights available, in particular scheduled and chartered flights to third- or even fourth-tier cities. Right now, there are over 10,000 competitively-priced chartered flight seats added to China routes each week – this is a powerful pull factor that entices avid travellers.
There are almost 3,000 additional seats for group tours on direct flights to Urumqi in Xinjiang, the Silk Road, and to Harbin in China up for grabs from now to the end of the year – even through to the next Chinese New Year.
In particular, China’s low-cost airline 9 Air recently launched its weekly 180-seat chartered flights from Kuala Lumpur to Guiyang, opening a new chapter in direct chartered flight group tours to China’s Guizhou Province.
Since December 2019, Saudi Arabia has welcomed foreign tourists, with the columnist leading the first group to discover the unique kingdom.
Meanwhile, chartered flights to Hainan island have also been reinstated after the pandemic. And currently, Batik Air, Sichuan Airlines and Firefly are offering almost 1,000 seats each week from KL to Haikou.
Additionally, chartered flights from KL to Lijiang, Nanjing, Shandong and Inner Mongolia are also selling like hot cakes!
As if that’s not enough, chartered flights from other Malaysian cities such as Penang, Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Tawau (Sabah) and Kuching (Sarawak) to various destinations in China are much sought after, too.
All these factors have helped travellers save lots of time and money, offering them not just convenience to travel abroad, but also good quality service.
Having gone through the pandemic, people are now a lot more appreciative of their lives, and travelling has emerged as one of the most ideal ways to reward ourselves and live our life to the fullest.
As of June 2024, the five most popular travel destinations among Malaysians are Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan and Singapore. However, I believe that with the 15-day visa exemption facility extended to Malaysian passport holders by China, the Middle Kingdom will emerge as one of the top three destinations among Malaysians by the end of this year.
Despite the overall encouraging atmosphere, recent flight cancellations by some local and international airlines have unfortunately poured cold water on our otherwise burgeoning outbound industry, causing a lot of inconveniences to travel agencies and their customers alike.
Luckily Malaysian airports have seen the arrival of new airlines from around the world, including chartered flights, providing more travel options for travellers who can choose to purchase either one-way or return multi-city tickets offered by different airline companies.
Flying has definitely been made easier for everyone today.
Can Malaysians enjoy Hainan coffee, Hainan bread, Hainan chicken rice in Hainan Island, China? The only way to find out is to visit the place.
Air travel aside, rail and cruise travel is also gaining momentum among Malaysian travellers.
My friend Jimmy Goh from Golden Century Travel in Ipoh, Perak successfully launched a Malaysian rail holiday package in July, chartering a train to transport 437 passengers from KL to Hat Yai in southern Thailand.
This was the first ever 4D3N chartered rail holiday tour programme in Malaysia.
I believe more of such rail packages will be offered by local travel agencies in the days to come.
In the meantime, China’s Yangtze Three Gorges river cruise offers a unique opportunity for travellers to experience China’s rich historical legacy, culture and culinary delights. Alternatively, you can also choose to board Japan’s Peace Boat for a truly unforgettable three-month voyage around the world.
Following the strong comeback in the outbound travel sector, the number of inbound foreign tourists has also shown a marked uptrend.
According to official data, Malaysia hosted a total of 7.56 million foreign tourists during the first quarter of this year. Tourism Malaysia has estimated the total number of foreign tourists to top 27.3 million this year.
In recent months, large numbers of free independent tourists (FITs) can be seen flocking to the Bukit Bintang area in KL, putting up in different classes of hotels there, savouring a plethora of mouth-watering local delicacies, taking the city’s hop-on, hop-off buses, shopping at Beryl chocolate boutiques, gathering at the “scramble crossing” in front of Lot 10, then strolling around Jalan Alor for some snacks and tropical fruits.
The arrival of these tourists has significantly boosted the local hospitality, F&B, transportation and travel guide sectors in the tourism industry, creating enormous job opportunities for local residents.
Unfortunately, the massive influx of foreign tourists has also exposed some problems that we cannot afford to overlook. For example, are our facilities and manpower at various airports, points of entry and jetties adequate for such an immense load?
Very often these are the places that will give our visitors lasting first impressions of the country, although such impressions may not always be perfect in other destinations, too.
In addition, an over-concentration of tourists will also give rise to traffic congestion and short supply of essential goods, among other things.
The best time for a cherry blossom holiday in Tokyo is at end of March, while for Kyoto it is the first week of April.
For instance, Japan has been facing a severe rice shortage problem in recent years, while Italy’s Venice is imposing restrictions on the number of docking cruise ships and increased tourist tax because the influx of tourists has strained its local infrastructure.
In Malaysia, heavy usage of amenities such as public toilets and rubbish bins have put tremendous pressure on local authorities, forcing workers to work extra time to finish their duties. Water supply is also becoming a problem, causing hotel and food prices to skyrocket
And let’s not forget the tragic sinkhole incident that took place recently in the heart of KL, which involved a tourist from India.
Lastly, I need to stress that any form of travelling could have an “addictive” spell. Each time we travel, we are bound to gain a deeper understanding of the planet we are living on, while getting to know ourselves much better.
As the saying goes: The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.
As a matter of fact, many people love to keep reading the book, page after page, even to the extent of forming their own unique tastes and philosophies for travelling.
My friend Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai is one such person. He flew to Hainan in August just to witness a rocket launch in Wenchang, and declared afterwards that it was a truly worthwhile lifetime experience.
As long as you are willing to make the first move, I’m sure you will find your most ideal travelling style. And if possible, travel while you are still young.
Remember, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step!
The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.
Leesan, the globe-trotting traveller who has visited 141 countries and seven continents, enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored six books.
