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As today is the first day of MITM Fair held in Ipoh Parade, Ipoh from Friday to Sunday (27.7.2018 - 29.7.2018). The amount of customer walked in to the office asking for travel packages are fewer than normal days. As MITM Fair is a fair where tour operators, travel trades or any other tourism industry players display and offer their attractive affordable packages and promotions to customers,  hence explain why customers tend to less walked-in to Dynasty World travel agency.

But there are still customers that came in to do visa application such as the China, Myanmar and Vietnam Visa and also flight booking. As there are three (3) types of visa to do I took over the Vietnam Visa application and help two (2) China passport holder customers in applying the visa at the official website (https://vietnamdiscovery.com/vietnam-visa)

Once the Vietnam visa application is done, I went to assists my colleague in doing Myanmar Visa,  we called Myanmar Embassy regarding of the application where the applicant (Myanmar passport holder) planned to bring her son (Malaysia passport holder) to Myanmar, so what kind of document or visa category should we apply as there are three (3) to four (4) types of visa available.

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Earlier of the day before proceeding in doing more research on U.S. visa application, I am to brief my colleagues regarding of the Australia visa reapplication and what are the supporting documents needed. After that, I proceed in doing research about U.S. visa and jot down some important steps, information and samples of the online application for easy reference for the front desk and management team.

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As the Australia Visa case is on hold, waiting for the Australia High Commission Malaysia's reply. We then inform client the latest update of his visa application and explained to him that the second application may not be granted as well. The processing time in reapplying the Australia Visa is roughly 2 weeks with an email reply by the Embassy.

Next, I am assigned by the Tour Executive in creating a check list for all the tour consultants (front desk staff). The content of the check list is mainly the general information needed in processing any kind of procedure such as the applicant's identify card, passport, kind of room needed (single, double, triple bedding), English or Mandarin speaker tour guide and many more.  The purpose of this checklist is to reduce mistakes made by the tour consultants when asking for client's details/ information or certain documents needed in processing certain procedures. By this way, mistake done by the staff is lesser and more effective.

Later of the day assisted by company's Tour Executive, I am to ask two customers some questions in filling up the U.S. visa form application: DS-160. As U.S. visa application is harder to apply with its strict procedure, all information given and written down in the form cannot have any mistake made. Any wrong information stated in the form, the visa application will automatically be rejected. Hence, we advise client/ customers to answer the questions honesty without any fraud in it.

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Once the quotation and booking reservation is made with the tour operator, Extragreen. We proceed in making the official itinerary from A-Z details in it such as the departure and arrival time and date, type of airline, meals and all of day tours details in it. Such as the attractions that are included in each of the day tours and whether meals will be provided, with a symbol 'MOB' (meal on board),  '-' (no meals provided) and 'L' (lunch provided).

Once the trip itinerary and the other supporting documents are in hand, we proceed by typing a formal letter on behalf of the client, seen and proved by Dynasty World's Executive Director to ask for the grant of the Australia Visa application. After all the documents are ready, we then send an email given to us by the Embassy and wait for the final decision on the grant.

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Back to handling case where client's Australia Visa got rejected by the Australia Embassy. The client called back to the Dynasty World after the interview and stated that the immigration officer at the Australia High Commission Malaysia requested the travel agency that is in charged of the visa application, to send an email along with the supporting documents stated to revise back the visa rejection.

To get to know the situation even clearer, we proceed by calling the contact number given by the officer to ask on the documents needed to resubmit the visa application. Supporting documents needed are mainly applicant's identity card, passport biodata and observation page, ETA referral, return flight ticket, travel itinerary and financial proof. As client's plan travelling to Sydney  is to have a free and easy trip, hence no itinerary is prepared by the client.  But to make the visa application easier to approve with valid it is better to have an itinerary. That is why the client in the end requested for Sydney day tours that he can joined.

As the travel agency do not provide any Australia day tours, we will have to ask quotation by sending an email to the tour operator, referring to the day tours packages that they provide at  extragreen.com.au. The selection of day tours have to be based on client's interest and the itinerary flow plan to make the trip to the fullest.

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Today I managed to assist a customer that wanted more information about Sri Lanka and Korea trip, his preference towards these trips are the travelling date have to be during mid-November and trip duration is preferably for 6 Days and 5 Nights for both of travel packages.

In Dynasty World's policy, customers that came to seek for travel packages cannot leave without any information in hand, hence once the customer requested/ asked about any travel package the tour consultants will automatically print out the package along with the trip's detail. Such as the traveling date, type of airline, weather during the travel dates and package price. Besides that, we will also explain to customers what is inclusive and exclusive in the price stated. And lastly inform customer if there is any visa required before travelling, example countries that need visa are Sri Lanka, China, Australia, Canada and many more. Before customer leave, we will make sure that customers understand about the travel package given to him/her and name, contact number of the customer will be taken down for feedback.

Task continue by sending emails to hotels that have changes in their previous contract rates (inclusive 6% GST) and request for a new contract rate without the GST.

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While continue calling the current hotels' contract rate that the travel agency has to request a new rates, these contract rates are to be sort out according to its respective files. There are two (2) types of contract rate files, mainly file for East & West Malaysia hotels and file specially for islands resorts & hotel such as Tioman Island, Pangkor Island, Perhentian Island and so on.

After sorting all the contract rates to its respective files, I am assigned to look for information on Canada Visa Application for Malaysian travelers and non-Malaysian travelers. All information regarding of the visa is found in Government of Canada's official website at https://www.canada.ca. All of the information, such as the Canada visa fee, supporting documents needed are then be type and save in PDF file along with the visa application procedure (example) for future reference.

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The first task of the day is to call up all of the hotels' contract rate according to states. The purpose of calling is to double confirm on the contract rate prices after the abolishment of GST, some hotel supplier stated that there will be no changes on the prices due to the company's policy but there are also majority of the hotels that have alter their prices in conjunction of the 0% GST.  Hotel rates that have changes are to send an email to the person in charged to request for the new contract rates.

The purpose of asking contract rate from the hotel supplier, is to request an agent rates (special rates) for Free Independent Traveler (FIT) and Group Inclusive Tour (GIT). Agent rates are relatively cheaper than the rates stated on the hotel's website or third-party website, such as Trivago, Agoda or Booking.com. Low rates given by the hotels are to let travel agency to markup prices on their selling price to the customers, however the selling price set by the travel agency cannot be higher than the price set by the hotel.

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On the second day of work, I am to assist my colleague in handling a case where a client's Australia Visa is rejected by the Australia Embassy. As the client's traveling date is next week on the 25th of July, the case is considered as a top urgent situation to handle by the Dynasty  World's management team. All sort of solution is brought up in settling the case, such as doing some researches on the ETA visa rejection and calling the Australia High Commission Malaysia.

Once the embassy said that interview is needed, the management team proceed in booking an interview session via email with the immigration officer on behalf of the client, and prepare more detailed documents of client to be bring together during the interview. And lastly brief the client about the situation and informed the client that questioning may be involve. And suggest client to postpone the travelling date as Visa reapplication require a long time to settle and approved.

Work continue by sorting out all the contract rates from the file that are inclusive 6% Government Service Tax (GST) and pile it together in a stack according to states for calling the next day.

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First day of practical work in Dynasty World Tours & Travels travel agency, started off with a warm welcome by the old and new colleagues that I have been working with in SIEP 1. Operating hours of the travel agency is Monday - Friday: 9 am to 5.30 pm, Saturday: 9 am to 1.30 pm, Sunday & Public Holidays (closed). Entrusted by the Tour Executive and the Executive Director,  I was given a task to train up some of the new colleagues in term of their communication skill on:

-Email content to the tour operator when requesting for travel package quotation or hotels for contract rates.
-Way of approaching English speaking clients (verbally)
-Handling situation with the Embassy through emails and phone calls

Besides that, I was also given the task to update the hotel contract rates file, in checking the changes of price after the abolishment of GST and requesting a few new contract rates from new hotel supplier around Malaysia, as well as hotels from Thailand.