AMC COLLEGE

THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

ASSIGNMENT
OFFICE USE ONLY
STUDENT’S NAME LEE CHIA SENG
Assignment received:
MATRIC NO DIM 0418/001

AMC COLLEGE SCHOOL OF

SCHOOL
BUSINESS

PROGRAMME DIPLOMA IN MARKETING

SUBJECT MKT 6134: MARKETING RESEARCH

ASSIGNMENT TITLE MARKET RESEARCH: TOURISM

DATE OF SUBMISSION 5TH MARCH 2020

LECTURER’S NAME STEWARD GIMAN STEPHEN

I declare that all material in this assignment is my own work except where there is clear
acknowledgement or reference to the work of others and I have complied and agreed to the College
statement on Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.

Signed Date
*By submitting this assignment and cover sheet electronically, in whatever form, you are
deemed to have made the declaration set out above.
1.0 Introduction

“It ain’t the things we don’t know that gets us in trouble. It’s the things we know that ain’t
so.” (ZIKMUND, 2013). This quote explained that research helps business to test whether
their research outcome could help to make a better decision, making an assumption, and to
prevent or minimize business failure. Marketing research is defined as the systematic and
objective process of generating information for aid in making marketing decisions. Marketing
research allows businesses and organizations to discover their target market, collect
information, and with these sources that they have, it acts as a guideline for them to make a
better decision and minimizing the risk of marketing failure. ("Market Research: Definition,
Methods, Types and Examples | QuestionPro", 2020)

There are 6 steps to conduct marketing research, the first step is identifying the problem. It is
also the most important part because, in order to carry out the research, we need to know
what data, resources, or what we trying to learn from the research. With a clearly identified
problem, the research will have a direction to determine what action should be taken. Once
we have the problem definition, the next step is developing the research plan. The research
plan included what information is needed, identifying a target group, where should the survey
be conducted, and what method of research will be the most effective. For example, a
researcher may use primary research or secondary research as their method if they think
suitable to their objective.

After that, we should design our research, the researcher should develop a set of questions for
the interviewee whether it is qualitative or quantitative. The question should be easy to
understand, able to explain the phenomena or problem. The researcher should also decide
where to reach their target market. For example, the researcher can use email, face to face,
focus group, to reach the target market and conduct the survey. Then, research should be
conducted as planned. 

After collecting data and information from the research, it should be analysed and
transformed to become useful information for the company. Analysing helps a researcher to
filter what information is useful and some are not and a good interpretation of data concludes
better decision making. Lastly, the user data will be prepared as a report and presented to the
high management level for making a decision or discussion. 

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2.0 Identification of the problem
“Many airlines have canceled and/or reduced their China flights. Given the rapid increase in
the number of tourists from China in recent years, the repercussions of the 2019-nCoV
outbreak on global tourism will be significant. It is a critical concern in Malaysia as the
tourism sector is a major foreign exchange contributor to the domestic economy.” (Suhaya,
2020)

COVID-19, also known as coronavirus which originated in China’s Wuhan city has reported
killed 2,236 people and infected over 75,000. The virus can cause illness from the common
cold to SARS and MERS which can lead to death. ("China coronavirus: All you need to
know in 500 words", 2020). According to Bai (2020), The coronavirus is spread through
droplets and surfaces such as coughing and sneezing. However, close contact with an
infectious person, shaking hands or touching any surface that touched by the infectious
person, then touching your nose, eyes or mouth can transmit the virus. Death has been
confirmed in Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan, South Korean. It is a serious outbreak of virus
for China and this led to economic recession globally as china is one of the biggest traders for
many countries.

Travel and tourism are a crucial economic contribution for Malaysia, as travel accounting for
nearly 50% of Malaysia’s export trade in services and approximately nearly 27 million of the
visitors to Malaysia. (Duddu, 2020). According to Chin (2020), In Malaysia’s local tour
operators are facing over 3,000 tour group cancellations. Other than that, there is also room
cancellation since the Chinese New Year holidays because the Chinese Government had
issued a ban for its citizens to go overseas. It is to prevent the virus from spreading to other
countries. 

Malaysia government expects the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020) campaign to attract
a total of 30 million tourist’s arrival with 10.6% of the target being Chinese nationals. It will
be challenging to achieve if the government continue to ban their citizens from flying
overseas.

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Duddu (2020) reported that Sabah and Sarawak had announced a temporary travel restriction.
Sabah restricts people who holding China Passports from entering the state while Sarawak
restricts all Chinese citizens including foreigners with travel history to China in a 14 days
period. Furthermore, Malaysia canceled immigration facilities including visas to China from
Wuhan and other cities near Hubei, as a prevention of a coronavirus importer.

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3.0 Facts/figures/evidence

Figure 1.0 timeline of the outbreak of Coronavirus in China. (2020).

[Image]. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/china-
battles-coronavirus-outbreak-latest-updates-200127021414201.html

Figure 1.1 Duddu, P. (2020). Countries with coronavirus: Malaysia - Covid-19

measures and impact. Retrieved 25 February 2020, from
https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/coronavirus-affected-
countries-malaysia-covid-19-outbreak-measures-tourism-economy-impact/

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Figure 1.3 Sabah govt concerned Wuhan coronavirus outbreak may
affect tourism. (2020). Retrieved 1 March 2020, from
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/01/559896/sabah-govt-
concerned-wuhan-coronavirus-outbreak-may-affect-tourism

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 Figure 1.4 Novel Coronavirus: Temporary Travel Restriction for Chinese
visitors and other foreigners into Sarawak. (2020). Retrieved 1 March 2020,
from https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/advisory/china-coronavirus-
temporary-travel-restriction-sarawak.html

Summary
Malaysia imposed travel restrictions on travelers from China as the Chinese government
declares a province to be under lockdown. According to Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Wan
Azizah Wan Ismail, the decision of restricting traveler from china is made after accounted the
fact that there have been 27.636 cases of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) reported
worldwide with 564 deaths, including 14 cases of 2019-nCoV infection in Malaysia. Sabah
and Sarawak, meanwhile, had imposed a ban on visitors from China including foreigners who
had visited China in the preceding 14 days. This outbreak had affected tourism in Malaysia as
Malaysia has over two million tourists from China per year since 2016. That figure hit a
record high of 2.94 million people in 2018.

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4.0 Research Question and objectives of the study

Area of study: Tourism

Topic: The effect of 2019-nCoV on the tourism industry in Sabah
Problem Statement: Due to the travel restriction from the Malaysian government for China,
the economy is dropping especially in the tourism industry. In Malaysia’s local tour operators
are facing over 3,000 tour group cancellations. Other than that, there is also room
cancellation since the Chinese New Year holidays. This statistic is shocked because, in the
previous year 2019, Sabah tourism alone had achieved 4 million travelers from China.
Therefore, this paper aims to examine the effect of 2019-nCov on the tourism industry in
Sabah.

Research objectives:
1.        To understand effect of 2019-nCoV on the tourism industry in Sabah
2.     To obtain the method of remedying tourism industry in Sabah
3.  To understand 2019-nCov to prevent from infected
 
Research Question
1.        What is 2019-nCoV, the symptoms, and how it spread?
2.     How does the virus impact the tourism industry?
3.  What is the approach to coping with the virus on the tourism industry in Sabah?
4.  What is the government's plan to overcome this situation?

Methodology: Qualitative – Interview and focus group

Significance of research: Tourism brings in money, especially in developing countries like
Malaysia, the income generated can make up a significant proportion of both private, local,
and national incomes. Other than, tourism also provides jobs, employment such as hotels,
bars, transportation, activities, shopping, and restaurant. Tourism is crucial for a country’s
economy. Therefore, it is important to understand the effect of 2019-nCoV and develop a
proper plan that can help the tour operators and local communities to stay in this business
while waiting for the outbreak to over.

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5.0 Justification
In this research, I will be using qualitative research, personal interview and focus group. With
these methods, it can help to obtain detailed and provide a broader range of information.
Other that than, it can help to save time as quantitative needs much more time than qualitative
to collect a large number of individual opinions. In qualitative research, the interviewee is
very important. Thus, the candidates that will be conducting the interview are experienced
tour guides, travel agency, health, and tourism minister or their representative.

Throughout this research, I expect to glean information that is able to help to boost up the
economy of Sabah even Malaysia specifically in the tourism industry. The information will
be used in the business which suffers from the outbreak and providing them the solution to
cope with the situation. In addition, these solutions may be useful in an unpredictable future
where businesses already have the past experience to conquer the problem.

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6.0 References

ZIKMUND, W. (2013). BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODS. 9th ed. [S.l.]: CENGAGE

LEARNING.

Market Research: Definition, Methods, Types and Examples | QuestionPro. (2020). Retrieved
24 February 2020, from https://www.questionpro.com/blog/what-is-market-research/

Suhaya, E. (2020). The Malaysian economy: Impact of the coronavirus outbreak. Retrieved
25 February 2020, from https://www.marc.com.my/index.php/marc-news/1177-the-
malaysian-economy-impact-of-the-coronavirus-outbreak-20200207

China coronavirus: All you need to know in 500 words. (2020). Retrieved 25 February 2020,
from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/china-coronavirus-500-words-
200127065154334.html

Bai, N. (2020). How the New Coronavirus Spreads and Progresses – And Why One Test May
Not Be Enough. Retrieved 25 February 2020, from
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/02/416671/how-new-coronavirus-spreads-and-progresses-
and-why-one-test-may-not-be-enough

Chin, C. (2020). How Malaysian tour operators are keeping tourists safe amid Covid-19 fear.
Retrieved 25 February 2020, from
https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/travel/2020/02/11/how-malaysian-travel-operators-are-
keeping-tourists-safe-amid-coronavirus-fear

Duddu, P. (2020). Countries with coronavirus: Malaysia - Covid-19 measures and impact.
Retrieved 25 February 2020, from https://www.pharmaceutical-
technology.com/features/coronavirus-affected-countries-malaysia-covid-19-outbreak-
measures-tourism-economy-impact/

timeline of the outbreak of Coronavirus in China. (2020). [Image]. Retrieved from

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/china-battles-coronavirus-outbreak-latest-updates-
200127021414201.html

Novel Coronavirus: Temporary Travel Restriction for Chinese visitors and other foreigners
into Sarawak. (2020). Retrieved 1 March 2020, from
https://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/advisory/china-coronavirus-temporary-travel-
restriction-sarawak.html