ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame.  Designed to mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN, this is the first website to honour the many industry stalwarts who founded and shaped one of the region’s most remarkable economic sectors.  Conceptualised by Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil, it will be a live, ongoing project open to anyone who consider themselves, or their parents, qualified to be listed.  The individuals must have been born before 1960, and held a senior executive decision-making position before 2000.  Small and medium sized entrepreneurs are particularly welcome.  Please email profiles to imtiaz@travel-impact-newswire.com. 

Place and Date of Birth: Penang, Malaysia, 10 October 1955 Marital Status: Married Education Bachelor of Science (Agribusiness), University of Agriculture (Putra) Malaysia.  Nuffield Foundation Study Fellow with the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, United Kingdom Career Staff Writer, Malaysian Business magazine (1978-1983) Executive Director, ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry (1986-88) Deputy […]

ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame – Initiated by Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil to recognise the many veterans who helped grow and shape ASEAN tourism over the last 50 years. 

Date and Place of Birth: 19 November 1941, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Marital status: Married to Rozita Rohaizad in 1993.  Education: Studied Accountancy in the UK Career Executive Secretary of UMNO (United Malays National Organisation) Malaysia’s ruling political party, from 1981 to 1984.  Acted in the movie The 7th Dawn in 1964, starring William Holden and Capucine, […]

ASEAN Travel & Tourism Hall of Fame – Initiated by Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil to recognise the many veterans who helped grow and shape ASEAN tourism over the last 50 years. 

Date and Place of Birth: 10 May 1938, Pontian, Johor Education Cambridge School Certificate (1957) Diploma in Tourism Studies Bournemouth College of Technology, United Kingdom (1973) Group Training Course in Tourism in Japan under the Colombo Plan Training Course in Court Procedures, Police College, Malaysia Career Began career in the Malaysian Government service in […]

Peace Through Tourism

How Travel & Tourism Can Help Restore the Balance in the Emerging New World Order

"The travel & tourism buzzword of the 21st century will be the search for balance." 

That forecast was made by Imtiaz Muqbil, Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire, in the monthly strategic intelligence publication of PATA, the Pacific Asia Travel Association, way back in February 1999.  Today, it is proving spot-on as the word "balance" resonates across all industry sectors. 

Travel industry conferences seeking a speaker who can offer some unique historical hindsight, unconventional foresight and thought-provoking insight on how to rebuild and restore the balance in Asia Pacific travel & tourism can email Imtiaz Muqbil by clicking here. 

There Can Be No Sustainability Without Spirituality

The New World Order will be dominated by a resurgence of spirituality. 

Imtiaz Muqbil claims to be the world's only travel journalist to have visited the Holy Spots of all the major world religions -- Lumbhini, Bodhgaya, Varanasi, Nalanda, Jerusalem, Vatican City, Amritsar, Makkah, Madinah, Najaf and Karbala, as well as religious spots such as Angkor Wat, Bagan, Shwedagon Pagoda, Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Temple of The Tooth, Somnath Temple, Samarkand, Bukhara and many other great mosques, shrines, temples and cathedrals worldwide. 

Sustainability, ecotourism and health & wellness travel have all become so 'yesterday'.  Prepare for the new generation of travel in the New World Order and raise the bar of your next conference, management forum or seminar by hearing Imtiaz Muqbil's thoughts on this unmatched game- and life-changing experience. 

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Secrets of Thailand's Tourism Success

Why the Amazing Kingdom is notching up record-breaking arrivals, and what challenges it faces next

The Thai tourism industry has become by far the Kingdom's most successful service sector, one of its leading job-creators and foreign exchange-earners.  Behind this success lies a fascinating history of great branding campaigns, policy and regulatory changes, budgetary bunfights, strategic thinking and influence of Royal events. 

But this success has now bred a new set of management challenges that may be more difficult to overcome. 

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has been monitoring the pulse of the Thai travel industry full-time since 1981.  Industry conferences and management meetings wishing to benefit from a treasure trove of insights and hindsights on one of the world's great tourism success stories can drop an email here: imtiaz@travel-impact-newswire.com. 

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The Rise of the Whistle-Blowers

For 15 years (January 1997-July 2012), Imtiaz Muqbil penned a hard-hitting fortnightly column called “Soul-Searching” in the so-called “newspaper you can trust”.  In July 2012, the column was gagged, with no explanation. 

Over the years, four columns had explicitly forecast the rise of whistle-blowers -- a prediction now coming 100% true.  Read the four columns by clicking on the links below. 

Too Bad Your Ad Is Not in This Spot

Space available for unique ads that demonstrate commitment to helping physically-challenged people, building global peace, improving social and cultural cohesion, providing opportunities for the under-privileged, alleviating poverty and combatting global injustice & corruption. 

If your product is not meeting any of the above goals, please advertise elsewhere. 

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News Vs Noise

A Unique Course for Travel & Tourism Communicators In The Internet Era

By far the vast majority of media communications in the travel industry is boring, banal and bland.  The same way it has been for the last 30 years. 

Travel Impact Newswire Executive Editor Imtiaz Muqbil has designed a special communications course to help upgrade both the context and the content of industry media material, and make it more interesting, readable and, most important, relevant.