World 1st Muslim Friendly Online Travel Marketplace Halal Holiday.

                          
                                                           Abdul b Rahman Mohd Ali ,CEO of HalalHoliday

11th july 2019 Kuala Lumpur : First, I would like to thank you MOTAC our Minister of Tourism – Dato Mohammadin Ketapi to have you officially to support this event of ours and align with Visit Malaysia 2020 vision to joint effort to attract 30 millions visitors for the year 2020.

I see many familiar faces today that supported this launching event, there are people from the tourism industry – ITC, Tourism Malaysia, Matta, Papuh, friends from the Airlines industry (Turkish Airlines, Oman Air, Etihad Airways, Emirates), Genting Cruise Lines, GDS, tourism board, Travel providers, NGO, Mybha Hotel association, so many Bankers, partners, friends and people all over the world that flown over to KL. We have China, HK, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Saudi and all over Malaysia

To begin, I would like to run an exercise with everyone, an exercise that is so important because that how and why we started Halalholiday.com. It’s called Imagination.

Imagine you are in front of your computer or mobile phone and searching for your favorite holiday destination. You look at your dream holiday or pilgrimage, it could be your personal trip, faith trip, trips with purpose, weekend trips, soulmate trip, honeymoon, family trip or business cum holiday. All your smiling face and Dopamine runs through your whole body until something is not right.

The price does not match your requirement or the date you wanted is fully booked or you wanted to upgrade your hotel rooms and it does not allow or the choice of hotels is not allowed to change or whatever other reasons everyone’s desire. Is so frustrating isn’t it? How differently would you like to have a personalize and flexible travel marketplace to allow you to book for your dream holiday.

Who we are 

I have been in the tourism industry for more than 30 years and been operating as offline travel agent all these years and those are the same issues & problems we are facing every day. I believe we have many related tourism industry players here today whom will agree to what I just said.

Why OTA

We ask ourselves where we will be in the next 5 or perhaps 10 years from now. Still doing the same routine and allowing our market share to shrink? What need to be change and we took the opportunity to enter to this hypercompetitive OTAs massive industry where the giants are spending billions in their investment in technology and A&P every year. There are thousands of OTAs in the world today, mainly western OTAs started 20++ years ago whereby Asia do have a handful recently. I do not want to name them, but I believe everyone knows who they are.

So, we keep asking ourselves – How, How and we got the answer. It’s to do what we are really good at and we have been doing it right and for a long time to understand the needs of the Muslim market

We got offline covered and an emerging online trend to explore, yes, we hear this industry is fully penetrated. But we took the calculated risk and to have fun. Isn’t the journey of the travel itself to have fun? Isn’t Chef Wan having fun and passion to run this place?

HalalHoliday.com - Muslim Friendly Online Travel Marketplace – not just a booking website for travelers. But a personalised and flexible online marketplace for universal travelers & Muslim travelers
We wanted to be in the blue ocean where there are so limited choices and yet billions to serve.
Where is the market What is the Total Addressable Market What is the Total Serviceable Market What is the Total Obtainable Market  Total Addressable Market
Total Serviceable Market
Total Obtainable Market (Malaysia & Indonesia)
Total Serviceable Market in Asia
Total Obtainable Market (Malaysia & Indonesia)
World Haj & Umrah Travel
Total Serviceable Market in Asia
Total Obtainable Market (Malaysia & Indonesia)
- 250 million
- USD 325
- USD 1,300
USD $304 USD $3 Billion 14.3%
12.6% -34
And to stay as forefront in Muslim Friendly Travel Market, there so much we need to do. One is collaboration. There are so many excellent industry players out there to integrate. Second, to have more exclusive and exciting products
Third, Easy & friendly booking platform


We maybe small at start, but with a big heart and an actionable plan we shall succeed. 

Our Vision - To Become the World No 1 Muslim Friendly Online Travel Market Place
Our Mission - Halal Holiday mission is to empower Muslim pilgrims or leisure traveler a vehemently desire to confidently experience travel destinations anywhere in the world while still adhering to their faith-based needs.
Our Values – Your Travel Our Assurance

We are working closely with MUSFITS – Muslim Friendly International Travel Standard.

1. Providing guidance and training on Halal Food for travelers & suppliers alike
   
2. Educate DMCs (Destination Management Company) on Solat & prayer time compliance and
   suitable locations for Muslims to perform their faith
   
3. Educate travelers and DMCs on the importance and suitable locations for Muslims to do their
   ablutions
   
4. Assist DMCs to ensure their clients feel safe from Islamophobics, while being worry- free from
   any form of frauds and cheating.
   

What We Offer?
To Best Capitalize on Market Opportunities, we are Focusing our Operations in 6 Core Commercial Areas
Flight - 500++ airlines connected thru GDS providing instant online booking
Hotel - 600,000 hotels over 180 countries providing best available rate online
Cruise – Genting Cruise as our cruise partner that provides Halal Meals

Holiday Tour – Outbound Holiday tour in more than 60 destination and counting
Malaysia Truly Asia – Our proud Inbound tour to explore Malaysia exclusive Borneo Adventure, Muslim Trail, Native Tribe, Colored Cultural and beyond thrilled local experience products.
Umrah – Group Umrah and Planned Umrah. Most common package in the market. Fixed date, Fixed number of days, fixed hotel and so on. All fixed, well it’s good for first timer pilgrims.
However, there are pilgrims that are demanding better package
Allow me to introduce Our dynamic package – We want to allow the pilgrims to have privilege to personalize their faith journey and having Flexibility in Choice of Staying Period, Destination Choices

Hotel Category, Room Type Choices and Means of Transport Arrangement. Bringing you a truly bespoke experience.
Today is our big day to launch our HalalHoliday beta version, we know we are not perfect, but we are improving everyday and with the support of everyone. We believe we can achieve our vision.
Our beta version only Truly Malaysia, Holiday Tours, & Umrah is open for online book right now. However, our hotels & flights, will be available in September 2019. For cruise, we are waiting for the live API with Genting Cruise Lines.

World Muslim Population
World Muslim Travel
Total Addressable Market

Total Addressable Market
Average Revenue Per User
Travel ARPU Mobility ARPU Umrah ARPU

- 1.8 billion - 1 billion
- USD 140 million - USD 18 million - USD 9 million
- 19 million - 6.5 million - 1.5 million
- USD 420

Malaysia e-Travel Market 2018
e-travel User - e-Travel ARPU - e-Travel Total Revenue - e-travel Penetration Rate - e-Travel CAGR - Global Revenue Ranking

5.4m

Source: Statista, SA Ministry of Hajj & Umrah and Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index 2018.

Based on the data, We believe that the offline-to-online opportunity is significant, the truth is as long as our online experience is good, swift in comparing travel options, travelers will accept and trust to book online and we were able to capture the huge opportunity from the geographic market among the young travelers.

We stay focus on our priority – Tours and Umrah
Having a proactive and successful formula will allow Halal Holiday to achieve company vision and sustain us in the hyper connectivity OTAs market

Conclusion
This is history – we are here to create history and only distinctive people take action to make a better life for others. Through great endeavor from different efforts and contribution throughout many peoples of all nations with common purpose to achieve. One goal - Halal Holiday
I would like to thank you to my team, my partners, my contender, those who contributed or supported whether directly or indirectly, more to collaborate in the future and lastly to my sponsors (IBC Assets Berhad, Travelport, Turkish Airlines, Oman Air) to make this day happen. If I miss out any names, please forgive me. Aiya, I have to remember to thank Sara our robot, she is a quite a bit of character .

Dato' Sri Abdul Khani bin Daud  

Speech :The Honourable Minister of Tourism, Arts & Culture, YB Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi is unable to join us this afternoon due to urgent matters that he needed to attend. The Honourable Minister sends his sincere apologies and wishes for today’s programme to be a success.

In this light, he has given me – as my capacity of Director General of the Islamic Tourism Centre, the mandate to convey his speech to everyone in attendance which I will now recite:It is most pleasurable for me to welcome you all to both Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur.Alhamdulillah we are blessed to be given the opportunity to gather here this afternoon to witness the launching of the new Muslim Friendly Online Travel Marketplace, Halalholiday.com This online market place will enable us to welcome the world in general, the Muslim traveller market in particular to our shores, as we gear up for Visit Malaysia 2020.

Ladies and Gentlemen,The tourism industry played a vital role this year for the Malaysian economy. Over 6.7 million visitors were registered in this first quarter of the year with a positive growth of 16.9 percent in terms of expenditure.

As the general Malaysian tourism industry keeps its momentum going, The Islamic tourism sector / Muslim Friendly tourism segment could further enhance visitor arrivals, contribute to economic growth and help drive investments. Last year in 2018, Malaysia received 5.2 million Muslim tourists to Malaysia, making up 20.1% from the overall tourist arrivals to Malaysia (Total tourist arrivals to Malaysia in 2018: 25.8 million). An increase of the numbers annually will assist us in achieving 30 million tourist arrivals for the year 2020.

The core role of tourism is nothing new. Throughout the years, the flexibility to travel has lain at the heart of a country’s evolution. It has perpetually been connected to business and growth, as well as experiencing country’s unique cultural offers.

Change is one of the constant matters in travel. There are numerous of obscurity which happened last ten years where the market size and the nature of tourism have transformed beyond recognition.

In 2007, Malaysia barely crossed 20 million tourist arrival mark, with RM53 billion receipts recorded. Fast forward to 2018 Malaysia received 26 million tourist arrivals, with RM84 billion receipts.Those figures remind us that this industry does not stand still, and hence tourism is not something we can take for granted. The world is a much more accessible place.

Nowadays, travellers are even more adventurous, markets are more diverse, and the global race is even more competitive.With cheaper flights and more flexibility opened up by digital technology, the number of global travellers has soared to 1.3 billion a year, giving us all greater economic opportunities than ever before.

Our economies and societies are undergoing tremendous changes at the moment. Many of these changes are fuelled by the new technologies and innovative ways to do business and interactions. The travel digital revolution is sweeping aside barriers of geography and distance with massive impacts around the world.

The digital revolution has already started, new ideas and technologies will deeply affect the lives of peoples and companies, both big and small  Digital Transformation will bring synergies, efficiency and productivity gains. The combination use of digital technologies with travel related products brings out new and innovative business models, generates competiveness, jobs, growth and providing benefits for consumers and entrepreneurs.

We see Halalholiday,com – the aforementioned Muslim Friendly Online Travel Marketplace, can cater to the influx of a new breed of young Muslim travellers with a burning desire to explore the world confidentially while still adhering to their faith- based needs. Younger travellers and family oriented prefer greater choices, unique experiences and constant connectivity. This can be seen with the growth of Muslim lifestyle segments such as halal delicacies and fun which link perfectly with the travel market. The future of Muslim travel is clearly sustainable and scalable. It is indeed a global mega-trend that will have a huge impact on us. It brings tremendous opportunities that we should seize.

We’re now seeing a thousand-fold in the great emerging markets of Muslim Travellers. According to a joint research conducted by MasterCard and Crescentrating entitled the Global Muslim Travel Index, there were an estimated of 140 million international Muslim travellers. It is then projected to reach 230 million by 2026.Based on the findings of the Digital Muslim Travel Report, also conducted by MasterCard and Crescentrating, worldwide Muslim travellers spent USD45 billion on Online Travel Purchases, and it is projected to reach USD30 billion in 2026.These figures are our opportunity to tap into the Muslim traveller market pie, but we have to keep on introducing, producing, innovating and inventing experiences that will attract the market to Malaysia sustainably as competition from other countries are mushrooming. Non-Muslim countries such as South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are emerging with Muslim Friendly offerings in their respective nations.

The Islamic Tourism Centre (or ITC for short), is the main agency under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia that concentrates on the branding of Muslim Friendly Malaysia, recognises that tourism is a cornerstone of growth. Therefore, citizens have never get the opportunity to travel been opened up

to so many people as well as quickly. And as major Muslim tourism destination, we need to continue to adjust and ensure that we offer attractive and exciting opportunities, whether that are for the travellers or investors. To make it clear, it is not only Malaysia as a great place to experience, but also an easy place to visit.
 Malaysia’s Muslim Friendly initiatives by both the private sector and the government has managed to place the country in the pole position for 9 years in a row as the Best holiday destination for Muslim travellers. The accolade was awarded to Malaysia by MasterCard and CrescentRating since 2011. For Malaysia to sustain at the top of this ranking, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Malaysia through ITC has developed several initiatives for the Islamic tourism sector / Muslim Friendly tourism segment. The latest initiatives that are currently undergoing by ITC for the year 2019 and beyond include:

1. (i)  The study of Sekolah Pondok as an Islamic tourism attraction. - ITC and a local higher learning institution are in the midst of conducting a research on the introduction of Sekolah Pondok as a tourism product for edu-tourism. The Sekolah Pondok has high potential to attract tourists and students alike to learn Islamic knowledge through short, medium or long-term study.
   
2. (ii)  Enriching Mosque Tour Experiences. - ITC is developing a module for Mosque tour volunteers to

further enhance their knowledge and deliver the best experience for visitors. ITC will also continue to conduct a conference to discuss Mosque tourism for Imams of mosques nationwide – an initiative that has been co- organised with JAKIM since 2016. This year’s conference is tentatively scheduled to be held in October.

(iii) Recognition of Muslim Friendly Hotels – ITC will launch the world’s first ever government-backed recognition of Muslim Friendly hotels later this year. ITC is already a reference point in terms of Muslim Friendly Tourism for OIC member nations and non-Muslim majority countries. The introduction of this Muslim Friendly hotel recognition will further strengthen ITC as a powerhouse in the Islamic tourism sector and will place Malaysia as a hub for Muslim Friendly tourism.

As Malaysia gears up for Visit Malaysia 2020, it is very pivotal that we reach potential travellers through any means, especially the digital sphere of online booking sites / platforms and social media networking.Travel matters to people, it matters to the economy and it can contribute to the growth and prosperity of a nation.That’s why even in a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, there is cause for great hope and optimism. The foundations of our tourism are rooted in exploration as well as travel and I am sure that the foundations of our future will be too. I have just given you a brief overview of Muslim Friendly Travel Market that supports the synergies between digital transformation and sustainability. There is still much more that could be said on this topic, on the transforming role of digital and other key enabling travel and technologies. I hope in the ensuing sessions you will be able to make the link with these opportunities which I just outlined.

To end this, I would like to remind everyone that Islam has always been a religion of optimism and solidarity while doing good to each other. All of us should look ahead, capitalising on existing opportunities and exploring new frontiers, and working collaboratively to strengthen and grow the Islamic tourism industry. ITC is always ready to lend a hand to all our friends as we practice our multilateral model of inclusive growth and collaborative leadership.

   

Matta Speech 

Matta focuses on helping the tourism players embrace the hyper-connectivity and interoperability between travel-related industries and the digital world for the better business outcome.

Travel agent owner needs to take market positioning and stay away from swept out of the market share, sale managers and leaders who are responsible for driving innovation and company growth.

The conventional travel agency that relies on experience and instinct is not good enough, Comprehensive understanding of trends in the digital marketing landscape and allows strategically align data-driven performance business goal by staying industry relevant.

Malaysia Travel Agent Market

According to recent research, there is less than 1% out of the 5,000 travel agencies that actually do online booking. Less than 40% have a digital presence less 10% somehow do digital marketing, less than 5% invest in a digital team Both offline and online presence is important, for instance

You have staff answering calls from weekday Mon to Sat during operating hours And what about after operating hours. our loyal customer just finished work, had dinner, spend times with family and left with little time to search for their dream holiday, flight or hotel. Either they book in other online travel platform and you just lost a customer that you have built for more than 5 years.Think of 7-11 taking over the traditional grocery store being 24 hours operated. Now think of 7-11 going online. Your customer could browse and do valuable research on all your products and make booking offline or online. Minus all the phone calling and emailing thus save on human power. Digital technology has changed the way we connect with guests, creating a 24/7 relationship in and out. Needs to make sure customers can be served in a seamless way through whatever channel they wish, for those prefer personal touch on offline, you are there to serve and those prefer digital, you make a sale instantly. Either way, you never lose a customer again.

Invest in digital allows you to understand and keep your customers' relationship better and take precision and prescriptive in your products and marketing That’s good news for the all offline agent industry that yet to go digital and certainly, there is huge opportunity to gain in the vast market.

I do have a little request for our industry players when you achieve success. Please share your thoughts and inspire other younger agency. Our Malaysia agency industry desperately needs mentorship and collaboration within the travel industry.

PAPUH President Speech

Congratulations  he launching committee members of the World’s 1st Muslim Friendly Online Travel Marketplace, HalalHoliday. In the current world that is increasing and rapidly growing with technological advancement, the tourism industry is also swept along with the flow, as shown with the development of Online Travel Agents, or OTAs. It began with the hotel sector, the towards the reservation & ticketing sector, now has started to spread towards other aspects of tourism, including Umrah & Hajj. It is with the blessings of The Almighty that Umrah & Hajj sector are not left behind in the flow of technology development in the industry. The announcement made by the Saudi Government earlier this year, to create e- visa system for Umrah & Hajj pilgrims, is a very excellent effort to facilitate the pilgrims in their journey of worship & faith. This initiative will also help raise the overall number of pilgrims all around the world, in their quest to perform Umrah & Hajj.

This initiative will also provide opportunities for tour & travel agencies, known for their efficiency and management excellence in Umrah & Hajj, to widen their network of services to the whole world, and not subjected to Malaysian pilgrims only. This will also help to boost the country’s economy to a higher level than before.The process of digitalization of tourism industry, too, will help the Ministry in their effort to eradicate frauds in Umrah & Hajj, which plagues the country, done by irresponsible parties & individuals. Through the screening process outlined by the Ministry in the implementation of Lesen Khas Umrah, or LKU, the OTA entrepreneurs could help in this effort by allowing only registered and qualified agents to do online businesses with their portal.

For Muslim travellers around the world, the launching of Halal Holiday is also a blessing and brilliant initiative, allowing them to travel and perform Umrah & Hajj without hesitation and worry regarding Halal food and their prayers.This initiative will also help the Muslim- friendly tourism sector to grow even more. According to the report from The New York Times, Muslim tourist numbers have increased by 30% since 2016, and it is estimated that this sector will contribute USD300 billion from USD 180 billion for the world’s economy within the next decade.

Congratulations to POTO Travel & Tours, RAFA Travel & Tour, MUSFITS, and HWH International Corporation for this brilliant initiative. Hopefully, with this launch, it will further boost the country’s economy through the tourism sector, as well as Umrah & Hajj.

TikTok Connects Creators and Brands at First South East Asia Creators and Content Marketing Conference.

                              Cheah Sheau Mei, User and Content Operations Manager, TikTok Malaysia

                          Lionel Sim, Senior Director, Global Marketing – Business Solutions (TikTok Ads)

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10 July 2019 - TikTok, the world’s leading short video platform, today hosted its first ever South East Asia Creators and Content Marketing Conference at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. The conference, titled REC reate, brought together around 300 creators and marketers from Malaysia and the rest of the region to connect and collaborate to unleash a vast array of creative possibilities with TikTok. 

Providing valuable insights into how creators and marketers can leverage the platform to engage the highly sought-after demographic: Gen Z audiences, the conference featured a series of keynote sessions and a panel by regional TikTok representatives, brand marketers and creators to discuss the rise of short-form video content. 

The in-depth keynote sessions which included, TikTok 101, Unlocking the TikTok Content Generation Factory and TikTok Monetization Deep-Dive, shed light upon TikTok’s immense potential in Malaysia and the rest of the region, and showcased how the platform can be harnessed to build brands and businesses.

 TikTok also hosted a panel discussion on the immense potential and effectiveness of short-form video content with panelists from research and data consultancy, Kantar, global media company, Mindshare, and TikTok content creator, Karina Boenardi. The event also featured a talent showcase from one of TikTok Thailand’s most popular creator groups, Def-G. 

South East Asia’s digital natives are among the most active on mobile, spending an average of almost four hours across devices, according to latest studies. Across Malaysia and the rest of South East Asia, TikTok provides easy-to-use video capturing and editing tools directly from the smartphone, allowing the creation of a wide array of content that reflects the diversity of the region. 

   Def-G Talent Showcase

“We’re noticing a steady increase in the consumption of short-form video content in Malaysia and across the region, especially among Gen Z, 98% of which own a smartphone. Through [REC]reate, we aim to arm both creators and marketers with the insights and the know-how needed to connect with these valuable audiences,” said Lionel Sim, Senior Director, Global Marketing - Business Solutions, TikTok Ads. “TikTok is thrilled with the turnout of this inaugural event and we look forward to continue being an innovative and exciting vehicle for brands to reach and connect with a wide and varied audience across South East Asia.”

Some of the most engaging content and campaigns created in Malaysia this year include #BetterMeBetterInternet (74M views), #myearthhour2019 (5M views) and #experiencepenang (22M views). Malaysia’s first brand campaign, #LightUpF11Pro was done in collaboration with Oppo. Coinciding with the launch of their latest product, the F11 Pro, the campaign featured custom interactive content via a hashtag challenge (over 9m total impressions). 

“With a thriving community of content creators and brands excited to foray into short-form video, we are delighted to be a part of the first South East Asia Creators and Content Marketing Conference,” said Cheah Sheau Mei, User and Content Operations Manager, TikTok Malaysia. “We look forward to bringing to life the learnings from this conference as we launch more local partnerships and campaigns, making a significant investment towards the growth of Malaysia’s creative economy.” TikTok is available in over 150 countries and regions in 75 languages, with a robust localization strategy to encourage users to create and interact with content relevant to local cultures and trends. Download the TikTok app via iOS or Google Play.

About TikTok 

TikTok is the world’s leading destination for short-form mobile videos. Our mission is to capture and present the world's creativity, knowledge, and moments that matter, directly from the mobile phone. TikTok enables everyone to be a creator and encourages users to share their passion and creative expression through their videos. TikTok is based in Los Angeles, with global offices in London, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta, Mumbai, and Moscow. In early 2018, TikTok was one of the most downloaded apps in the world. TikTok is available worldwide for iOS and Android.Visit

AmBank Makes Mark as First Local Bank to Launch Credit Card Collaboration with UnionPay Consumers to enjoy over 1,000 UnionPay offers globally.

 From left - Mr Lenon Cheong, Head, Cards & Merchant Services, AmBank (M) Berhad, Jade Lee, Managing Director, Retail Banking, AmBank (M) Berhad, Dato' Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group, Mr Larry Wang, Vice President, UnionPay International, Mr Yang Wen Hui, General Manager, Southeast Asia, UnionPay International and Mr David Chong, Country Manager Malaysia & Brunei, UnionPay International at the Exclusive Launch of AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card

10 July 2019 Kuala Lumpur: AmBank (M) Berhad (AmBank), which operates one of the larger retail banking networks in Malaysia and UnionPay, a leading global payment network, officially launched the AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card today at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur. The AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card looks to tap into the fast-growing segment of Malaysian travellers, with AmBank being the first local bank in Malaysia to partner UnionPay on a credit card collaboration.

With a strong partnership dating back to 2013, AmBank has been collaborating with UnionPay to provide a payment platform for its customers in Malaysia. In fact, AmBank is one of UnionPay’s top acquiring banks in the market.

In April 2019, AmBank was among the six companies from six Belt and Road Initiative countries invited by UnionPay to collaborate with the global payment giant to build an interconnected payment network within the region and support personnel exchanges.

 “We are pleased to be the first local bank to partner with UnionPay for a credit card collaboration.  Through this travel credit card collaboration, we are able to leverage on UnionPay’s strong global presence as well as access UnionPay exclusive deals and The U Collection, a global privilege programme that brings together hotels, shopping and specially-curated dining offers for its premium cardholders. Indeed, we see enormous potential for further partnerships with UnionPay,” said Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group.

Mr Wenhui Yang, General Manager, UnionPay International Southeast Asia said “We are delighted to partner AmBank, a leading Malaysian bank for our first credit card issuance with a local bank. This collaboration marks another step forward in our expansion plan in Malaysia, and our commitment to providing products and services which are relevant to locals, including the increasingly well-travelled Malaysians by resonating with their lifestyle needs. Cardholders will appreciate the convenient, fast and secure UnionPay transactions, together with great rewards, travel, dining and lifestyle privileges in popular international travel destinations like Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and domestically in Malaysia.”

“We are very excited to partner UnionPay as they have set up a strong issuing business support for their partners, especially for us here in Malaysia. There is a fresh branding campaign focusing on worldwide travel and dining privileges such as dining at Michelin Star restaurants. The look and feel is young and modern. Our UnionPay card will excite our customers who travel, entertain and enjoy dining, here in Malaysia as well as internationally, particularly China,” said Jade Lee, Managing Director, Retail Banking, AmBank (M) Berhad.

“In addition, we are working together to have a yearlong Four Seasons campaign whereby in every quarter, we will be treating an AmBank UnionPay cardholder to a trip to popular overseas destinations according to the season.,” added Jade.

The Four Seasons campaign will see opportunities for cardholders to win exclusive overseas travel packages for each season starting from Spring, when they spend using the card from 1 October to 31 December 2019. This will then be followed by travel packages for Summer, Autumn and Winter.  

Amongst the privileges and deals being offered through AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card are:

ü  5x AmBonus Points for every RM1 overseas retail usage

ü  2x complimentary access to Plaza Premium Lounge, subject to terms and conditions

ü  Complimentary access to UnionPay Lounge in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the first card scheme lounge located in a shopping mall with a dedicated Customer Service Personnel, complimentary coffee and tea, mobile charging points and free WiFi for AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card cardholders.

ü  Preferential rate for access to more than 1,400 DragonPass airport lounges in more than 150 countries worldwide. DragonPass is the world’s first all-in-one digital airport platform that offers discounted airport lounges, enjoy restaurant discounts privileges, airport Limousine services and personal meet & greet concierge service all within a single platform.

ü  Discounted rental rate for pocket Wi-Fi

ü  Discounts up to 10% OFF at 100 international airports’ duty-free stores

ü  Golf privileges at selected golf courses worldwide

With the AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card, customers can also enjoy discounts from Coach, Michael Kors, Eraman, Tumi and many others.

In addition to that, AmBank will be offering additional privileges and deals to its cardholders, such as:

ü  GSC movie tickets for the first 100 cardholders who apply for the AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card

ü  Upon card approval, new AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card cardholders are entitled for RM50 cashback for any amount of retail usage

ü  Within 90 days from card approval, new AmBank UnionPay Platinum Credit Card cardholders will be entitled for up to 65,000 AmBonus Points for an accumulated amount of RM2,000 retail usage

ü  Over 240 readily available credit card deals on AmBank Spot (www.ambankspot.com), where 40 are UnionPay-exclusive deals and over 200 existing AmBank credit card deals

Existing AmBank customers can apply for their new AmBank UnionPay credit card directly via AmOnline or AMY™️ our Virtual Assistance on AmOnline mobile app. Our online banking platform not only enables card application but has the capabilities for our cardholders to activate and operate their card account online. AmOnline is available in English, Bahasa Melayu and Mandarin across its web and app platforms.

Present at the launch ceremony were Dato’ Sulaiman Mohd Tahir, Group Chief Executive Officer, AmBank Group, Mr Larry Wang, Vice President, UnionPay, Ms Jade Lee, Managing Director, Retail Banking, AmBank (M) Berhad, Mr Lenon Cheong, Head, Cards and Merchant Services, AmBank (M) Berhad along with the Senior Management from AmBank Group and UnionPay.

About AmBank Group

AmBank Group is a leading financial services group with over 40 years of expertise in supporting the economic development of Malaysia. We have over three million customers and employ over 9,000 people.

The Group was listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia in 1988. It is the sixth-largest banking group by assets in Malaysia, with a market capitalisation of around RM13.7 billion and assets of RM158.8 billion as at 31 March 2019.

AmBank Group serves over three million individual and corporate customers. It provides services in wholesale banking, retail banking, business banking, investment banking and related financial services which include Islamic banking, underwriting of general insurance, stock and share broking, futures broking, investment advisory and management services in assets, real estate investment trust and unit trusts.

For more information, please visit www.ambankgroup.com  

About UnionPay

UnionPay is a global payment network that serves the world’s largest Cardholder base. With over 7.5 billion UnionPay cards issued in 52 countries and regions, about 54 million merchants and 2.9 million ATMs accepting our cards in 174 countries and regions, UnionPay is currently one of the fastest-growing payment networks in the world.

As a company with a global acceptance network and a wide range of world-class payment services, UnionPay is committed to providing access to value and secure payment solutions that are tailored to the needs of the local market, to enable choice and ease of payment for consumers and businesses alike.

In Southeast Asia, UnionPay has enabled ATM, POS acceptance and card issuance across all 10 countries. For more information, visit www.unionpayintl.com/en.