Malaysian travel agent gives Malaysia a bad name

A restaurant in Japan had to discard 25 sets of nasi lemak after a Malaysian travel agent failed to show up with his group of 25 tourists.

According to Sou Tanaka who worked in a restaurant named Malay Asian Cuisine in Shibuya, Tokyo, the Malaysian travel agent reached out to him in the early hours of May 4th to reserve lunch at 1:30 PM for a group of 25.

Tanaka explained via a Facebook post that they usually offer set menus for groups.

“This morning, I received a phone call from a tour guide (Malaysian) who wanted to make a lunch reservation for the day.

“At our restaurant, we typically propose set menus for groups (from Malaysia and elsewhere) and ensure they are generally satisfied with the menu options and pricing, with the understanding of travel companies and guides,” Tanaka said in the post.

When the reservation time approached, Tanaka attempted to contact the Malaysian travel agent but he received no response.

He then tried to contact the man using a regular phone call knowing full well how expensive the call would be as the Malaysian travel agent was using a Malaysian number.

Since the Malaysian travel agent and his group did not show up, the restaurant had to discard 25 sets of nasi lemak that had been ordered.

“25 servings of nasi lemak… so sad…,” Tanaka said in the post.

“While there have been last-minute cancellations before, we’ve usually been able to communicate and receive apologies.

“But this time, it was truly a real no-show cancellation. It’s a common occurrence in Malaysia for people to be lax with time or forgetful, so I’ve always thought it was inevitable.

“However, this was the first time I encountered such a lack of responsibility, Tanaka said in the same post.

Tanaka expressed disappointment over the incident, as the restaurant had to turn away several customers who arrived during the scheduled time for the Malaysian group’s arrival.

Netizens expressed disapproval over how the Malaysian travel agent ghosted the restaurant.

“Being irresponsible is not acceptable! It’s really annoying if you don’t know manners in Japan.

“As a Malaysian, I think when travelling abroad, you should at least try to follow the manners of that country,” said a Facebook user named Kojkoh Binru.

“Wow, very bad travel agent. Pls file a complaint to the Tourism Malaysia Office … I am very angry and sad when reading your story of this irresponsible travel agent …,” said a Facebook user named Tarmizi Rahman.