Malaysian tourism graduates are short of the necessary communications and technical skills in order to succeed in the industry, an agents group said.

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Khalid Harun said many students require more work experience, which is not currently required for many tertiary courses, The Star Online reported.

“We cannot just rely on higher institutions of learning to produce professional travel and tour executives, as they provide mostly academic content and superficial on-the-job exposure,” Mr Harun said.

Despite the lack of skills, Mr Harun added that the travel industry is short on manpower because many graduates choose to enter the hospitality field, with only ten percent following on with consultancy.

“The challenges for the industry are many,” he said.

“Hence, we must emphasise on specific education and training in order to produce employable graduates who can maintain the professionalism of the industry.”