A Concept on Malaysia’s Travel Agency Readiness in Adopting Online Booking Platform

Abstract

The idea of an integrated booking platform is a venue for all tourism-related services such as booking of air tickets, bus tickets, ferry tickets, accommodations, transfers, tours, entrance fees to tourist attractions, theatre tickets, arts & culture shows, and many more can be done using one platform and at one click. According to a survey done by Tourism Malaysia in April 2020, Survey on Domestic Travel in Malaysia After Movement Control Order (MCO), 13,797 respondents were recorded. It was recorded 58.6% of respondents book their tour packages with Online Travel Agency (OTA). The challenge industry players need to adopt new innovative methods to remain visible in the market and offer a new experience to travelers. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the insight into Malaysia's tourism industry players' readiness toward adopting online booking platforms through the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). This study will use non-probability through purposive sampling in which the population is among the travel agencies registered with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Arts (MOTAC) operating in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. Kuala Lumpur and Selangor travel agencies were chosen because they have superior internet connectivity, are more exposed to changing consumer needs, and are thus more receptive to incorporating technology into their business models. In the practical aspect, this study undoubtedly gives the means to understand industry players' behavior toward I.T.-based marketing platforms and their readiness to shift their minds to stay competitive. This study also identifies their primary concern in adopting an online booking platform to enhance their business market segmentation and ease of managing it, whether the industry players need to be adequately trained in marketing and managing an online booking platform.