Connie (third, left) and her team received the Tourism Heroes 2023 award from Firdaus (second left).
KOTA KINABALU (Dec 29): In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic onslaught in 2020, Connie Chong remains perseverant and resilient to stay afloat in the tourism industry.
The Funholiday’s Managing Director knew it is only a matter of time that the pandemic would pass, and life would eventually return to normal.
“During the lockdown, I stayed active and engaged in virtual meetings with representatives from foreign embassies, including Maldives, Australia, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, to discuss how to revive the badly impacted tourism industry,” said Connie.
The unwavering commitment demonstrated by Connie to revitalise the ailing industry saw her being awarded the “Tourism Heroes 2023” at the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) annual dinner in Kuala Lumpur recently.
She received the award from Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan. Also present was Tourism Malaysia Director General Dato’ Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar.
“I did not expect to receive this accolade; in fact, it was a surprise to me. I also want to thank my staff for working tirelessly to keep going during the hard time,” said the delighted Connie.
She personally initiated cooperation and collaboration with overseas counterparts to address the severe impact on global tourism.
She continued her efforts by attending the World Expo Dubai 2020 in December 2021, demonstrating resilience during challenging times.
“Mita took note of my active role in promoting Sabah in Dubai, where I also participated in the Eco Tourism Week after the Sabah Week earlier launched by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam at the Malaysia Pavilion.
“Mita also acknowledged my involvement in organising hotel inspections and meetings in Kota Kinabalu to ensure preparedness for the reopening of international borders during the post-movement control order.
“We need to be proactively carrying out engagement sessions with local tourism players to boost confidence among our overseas counterparts to send a signal that we are ready to welcome visitors,” said Connie.
Recognising the industry’s challenges, she underscored the importance of working diligently to make their presence known, especially as the pandemic forced many operators to close businesses.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, she has managed to travel to over 20 destinations, including Germany, South Africa, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Thailand, Qatar, and Uzbekistan, to promote and sell Sabah.
She was also one of the travel agents who embarked on a 15-day roadshow in India in collaboration with Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia.
Connie’s proactive initiatives extended to hosting Uzbekistan tourism players to explore Sabah as a new market.
Undeterred by challenges, she expressed her passion for the industry and the necessity of continuous promotion.
Connie also stressed the importance of personal investment in promotion and marketing.
She emphasised the need to step forward independently rather than waiting for government subsidies.
The post-pandemic has also impacted group traveling; Connie revealed a reduction from 40 to 20 people, ensuring enhanced quality and comfort in compliance with social distancing measures.
She also focused on conducting business-to-business (B2B) sessions with domestic market to capture new clients and expand business.
Connie also expressed gratitude to family members, industry players and friends for their support during challenging times, especially during the pandemic.
“The Mita Tourism Heroes award serves as motivation for Funholiday to enhance its products and services,” she said.
She emphasised the need for collaboration within the industry, hoping for increased government assistance to facilitate overseas promotion and marketing, ultimately raising awareness about Sabah.
Connie sees disappointments as encouragement, viewing challenges as opportunities to work harder.
She believes resilience and determination as well as her ability to adapt will see the industry thrive in the face of adversity.
“Much still needs to be done to promote Sabah, as the industry is still in the recovering process,” she added.