In promoting tourism, businesses in entertainment industry should provide e-commerce to their potential customers. Amongst the businesses in entertainment that are engaged in e-commerce include Sunway Lagoon, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), Escape-Room and KidZania. Hence, this chapter presents an evaluation of online marketing strategies and tools used by airlines industries like Malaysia Airlines System (MAS), Firefly, AirAsia, and Malindo Air, besides entertainment industries such as Sunway Lagoon, Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC), Escape-Room and KidZania. This research noted that websites need to be more interactive, enable customers to interact and socialize among each other through membership management and additional value-added information. Website with graphics and hyperlinks are not persuasive enough, website should improve with additional suggestions or ‘show more' features to invite customer perform additional clicks and explore to the website. Most of the website offers membership to its customer. This, this membership function should be fully utilized.
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Multimedia Development Corporation (MDEC) reported that there are potential for e-commerce businesses due to the stable growth of e-commerce among Malaysian merchants (Mansor & Abidin, 2010). Fruiting from the technology and information advancement and policy makers’ interventions and economic reforms, there is a lucrative potential of growth for e-commerce in Malaysian market and e-commerce provides Malaysia a platform to be in-line with the developed nations (Jehangir, Dominic, Naseebullah & Khan, 2011). Ability for business transactions conducted over the Internet has driven to the emerging of Internet users to shop online which may bring significant influences on international business market and political affairs of the global economy (Khan, Dominic & Khan, 2011).
In line with Visit Malaysia 2015, there is a great potential for growth of aviation and entertainment industry in Malaysia. Economic growth which is encouraged by globalization can be facilitated through the aviation industry (Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia, 2013a). Aviation industry could help to link one country with other countries, encouraging inbound and outbound trading, promoting tourism industry, improving trade balances, and improve the connectivity between nations. In short, aviation industry is the source to facilitate trading, businesses and communication. In Malaysia there are several players in the aviation industry, namely Malaysia Airlines System (MAS), Firefly, MAS Wings, AirAsia, AirAsia X, Transmile Air, Berjaya Air, Mas Kargo (Kementerian Pengangkutan Malaysia, 2013b) and Malindo Air. Table 1 lists the total passengers managed by all the airports in Malaysia from year 2008-2012 whereby a substantial increase of people travelling to and out of Malaysia, reflecting that the aviation industry is blooming. Airlines companies are amongst the leaders to introduce electronic commerce and conducting business through Internet (Yang, 2011).
Table 1. Total passengers managed by all the airports in Malaysia from year 2008-2012
Year | Domestic | International | Total Passengers Managed |
2008 | 27,353,531 | 20,918,150 | 48,271,681 |
2009 | 29,235,057 | 22,881,206 | 52,116,263 |
2010 | 30,790,714 | 27,573,735 | 58,364,449 |
2011 | 34,239,173 | 30,461,581 | 64,700,754 |
2012 | 35,634,012 | 32,396,964 | 68,030,976 |
Source: Ministry of Transportation Malaysia (2008; 2009; 2010; 2011; 2012).