IN the modern age of interconnected online social media, news, rumours and gossip travel faster than ever before.
This has brought significant positive development in the way people plan their travels to any part of the world, among others.
Boosted by a favourable currency exchange that sees the Malaysian ringgit weakening against other major currencies like the United States dollar, it makes the cost of visiting the country much lower for visitors from Western nations, among others.
Discussion about Malaysia’s low cost would have made it
into online forums frequented
by novice and seasoned travellers, who share travel tips and advice.
Even the Pahang state government, through its Visit Pahang Year 2017 smartphone app, seeks to leverage the power of online inter-connectivity to promote interesting places in the state to potential tourists from within and outside Malaysia.
However this is a double-edged sword that could hurt as much as aid the tourism sector, if local problems at facilities and infrastructure at tourist spots are not dealt with satisfactorily by local authorities.
For example, tour guides in Kuantan have long complained about the damaged lights on the hanging bridge connecting scenic Teluk Chempedak and nearby Teluk Tongkang.
They said that besides putting tourists in danger of petty criminals using the cover of darkness, the lack of lights could deter visitors from visiting Teluk Tongkang, just sticking with the brightly-lit areas of Teluk Chempedak.
This writer can confirm
this having walked nearly the entire length of the hanging bridge recently, which was completely pitch black except for the little light thrown by nearby buildings at Teluk Chempedak and this writer’s own handy smartphone flashlight.
If tour guides can complain, tourists armed with tablets and smartphones would definitely be able to express their disappointment with the lack of lights via Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Line and other forms of instantaneous communication.
Like dark rumours spreading throughout an entire school, here we have complaints spreading among WhatsApp groups, Facebook friends and acquaintances, and the rapid-fire sharing of short posts on Twitter.
A quote from the article 5 Innovations Transforming the Travel Industry, published at the World Economic Forum online portal at www.weforum.org on Sept 10, 2015, illustrates this succinctly.
It reads: “The 21st century consumer is very different from previous generations.
“We are tech savvy and not only do we expect service quality, we want an experience to go with it.
“Given our unlimited access to information, we know what the gold standard is, and more importantly, we are open to sharing our experiences on social media and review platforms.”
This would impact efforts to
attract tourists to Pahang, a problem that could be remedied by local authorities taking their responsibilities seriously and acting on complaints by affected parties.
An example of another unresolved matter that may affect tourists’ perception of the state is the damaged roof of an overhead bridge, which helps harried workers and visitors avoid directly crossing the busy Jalan Tun Ismail in the centre of the town of Kuantan.
A recent check by this writer found that major parts of the roof were missing, jagged edges of the remaining roof glinting against the midday sun.
This presents a problem to the excitable tourist, who having been caught by sudden rain for example, would fast walk to the stairs of the overhead bridge, with the thought for temporary shelter.
This hypothetical scenario ends with the annoyed discovery that pelting rain would continue to hit him or her while on the bridge.
This again is something that could make the irritated tourist whip out his or her smartphone or tablet to quickly share grievances with other potential tourists back in their native countries, increasing the risk of fewer visitors coming over to Pahang.
Local authorities like the state Public Works Department and the Kuantan Municipal Council need to play an active role in not only being on standby to process complaints from residents and other concerned parties, but also pro-actively monitor the usability of public facilities.
Their active involvement
would not only ensure the safety and well-being of residents, but also help maintain a positive image of the state and the whole country to visitors within and outside Pahang, thus ensuring
a constant flow of tourist revenue.
HIDIR REDUAN is Pahang staff correspondent. Seeks pleasure in contemplative pursuits like viewing thought-provoking documentaries and reading