We Make the Difference!
Our tagline emphasizes our commitment in offering one of a kind experiences!
Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd, better known as AOS, is a Malaysian company with more than 45 years experience in the leisure and incentive sectors of tourism. Started in 1976 with a staff of five, AOS today is a leading and reputable company with over 70 committed and dedicated staff members, its own B2B booking engine and fleet of vehicles.
Being in the business for such a long time gives us the advantage to pool our experience and expertise to be a specialist in providing high quality tour services, interesting and fun programmes with eco and nature tours, along with tailor-made and incentive programmes to suit the different requirements of our clients.
Chairman – Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab Beg
DS Mirza, a tourism scholar, served Tourism Malaysia for much of his carreer with the Malaysian Government. His last post was Director General which he held for 12 years. During his service, he had invaluable industry experience by his placement as Director Overseas in Europe and Japan. He was also assigned as General Manager of International Hotel and Resorts and as Deputy Commissioner General of Malaysia at World Expo 88 in Australia.
DS Mirza has an MBA and BBA Degree from Ohio University USA and A Tourism Administration Diploma from UiTM.
During the his long service he assumed the Chairmanship of PATA Malaysia Chapter and he had headed various task force at regional and international forums. He is currently the Chairman of AESTOM- Association of Ex Staff of TM.
The Group Managing Director – Mr. Anthony Wong
Anthony and a team of young adventure enthusiasts established AOS in 1976. His fist job with AOS was a guide at the age of 17 years old. In 1976, he and a team of enthusiastic adventurers established Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd. His immense experiences and tireless efforts to promote eco tourism have been recognized locally and internationally with the numerous awards and accolades received. As an established and distinguished speaker,
Anthony is frequently invited to give talks and seminars on issues of the travel industry, and has featured on local television networks and media on his achievements and views on sustainable tourism. His pet project, The Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa is a green hotel and he hopes to make it a showcase and model to encourage other hotels to shift towards greener practices.
Deputy Group Managing Director – Ms. Cindy Wong
Cindy Wong worked as the Executive Secretary in the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt but as the travel business continued to grow she decided to quit her job to take care of the daily management of AOS. Her administration and accounting background enable her to fit in the role easily. With her keen sense of business, she played a vital role in growing the organization.
The Managing Director – Ms. Yap Sook Ling
Trained as a Chartered Secretary, Sook Ling decided to join AOS out of curiosity about the travel industry and has never looked back since. She served as the Sales Manager, Sales & Marketing Manager and Incentive & Convention Manager and finally promoted to the Managing Director.
With more than 19 years of experience in the business, Sook Ling oversees the overall daily operations of the company and still makes it a point to travel widely overseas and locally for research, update of products and to touch base with our overseas agents.
General Manager – Mr. Noor M Ismail
Starting his career at a very young age of 18, Noor joined Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel in the year 2001. As a Tour Coordinator. He began his portfolio in handling individual and group travel arrangement before he was transferred to the Sales & Marketing Department in 2007. After few years, he was appointed as Business Development Director of the Europe, Oceania, Africa & Americas and in October 2013, his was appointed as the Head of Sales & Marketing (Inbound) until end of 2017. In October 2022, Noor rejoined AOS as General Manager.
Raised from a humble background, Noor is always open to new ideas and on the lookout for new experiences. He takes inspiration from his superiors and colleagues, and constantly pushes himself out of his comfort zone. Noor also believes that he has a long way to go and for him, learning opportunities are a life-long commitment and a never-ending process.
1970s START THE JOURNEY
Antony Wong getting close to the wildlife in Taman Negara, 1976
In 1972 Anthony Wong, a young Kuala Lumpur teenager, guided fellow school students to the summit of Gunung Tahan without a guide or teacher. This was a time when few visitors even went to Taman Negara let alone ascended peaks with poorly defined trails. Thereafter, Anthony was recruited to guide Australian university students who had travelled to Malaysia with the assistance of Student Travel Australia (STU). Despite still at school, Anthony regularly guided the equally adventurous Australians all over the country during his school holiday breaks.
AOS office at Kuta Beach Balli, Indonesia, 1977
Anthony Wong progressed from being a part-time school student and occasional tour guide for foreign students to the formal establishment of Asian Overland Services in 1976. In 1978, business developed to the extent that a more professional service was required and this meant opening an office. Between 1978 and 1981, AOS operated its office from Room 202 of the Hotel Malaya, Chinatown; then one of KL’s few hotels of international standard. AOS went international in 1977 with the opening of a small office in Bali.
The oldest surviving photograph of the original partners of AOS, 1978
1980s GLOBALIZATION
AOS was actively involved in establishing itself and fostering international partnerships. It conducted familiarisation trips, attended trade fairs, developed experiential activities like rafting and homestays, study tours and researched products to accommodate an eager market. AOS was already practicing ecotourism before it became fashionable and modernised its operations by installing a specialised tour operator software.
AOS is a regular attendee at travel trade shows around the world. For example, the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) was first staged in 1981 and, as it was held in Malaysia, AOS was there as one of the pioneering participants. While the World Travel Mart (WTM) was first staged in 1980 in Olympia London with 40 countries, 221 exhibitors and 9,000 people attending. It now attracts 182 countries and regions, 5,000 exhibitors and 50,000 people.
1990s GOLDEN YEARS
Tourism really started to blossom in the 1990s as more people began to travel. ‘Visit Malaysia Year’ commenced in 1990 and became the starting point for the expansion of the country’s tourism industry. It succeeded in attracting 7.5 million international tourists compared to 4.9 million in the previous year. Due to its success, the campaign was repeated in 1994 and 2007. In 1999, Malaysia successfully launched the ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ branding campaign that is still in place today.
AOS established itself as one of the leading inbound tour operators during the decade. In 1991, it acquired the Jungle Lodge in Gombak and set about conducting leadership, team building and outdoors activities for a growing niche tourism sector involved in incentive tours. There was also an emergence of conferences, meetings and exhibitions in the 1990s and AOS started assisting such groups. In East Malaysia, AOS became more involved in ecotourism and ‘adopted’ the Nanga Stamang Longhouse in the wilds of Sarawak, Borneo. AOS continued to attend travel marts to highlight Malaysia’s many tourism attactions, destinations, event and services.
2000s TECHNOLOGY ERA
The world did not end with the ‘Millennium Bug’ as predicted and the new millennium saw the dawn of the technological era as the internet gained traction with more bookings done online. Low Cost Carriers started to make an impact on travel and Malaysia Airlines launched Firefly in 2007. In 2002, the KLIA Express Rail Link provided speedy train access to and from the airport. The success of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (to coincide with Malaysia’s 50th Independence anniversary) helped propel the tourism industry into the 21st century. New events like the Kuala Lumpur International Arts Festival and Colors of Malaysia were staged.
Tourism Malaysia realised the importance of promotion through sports and signed promotional deals with Chelsea Football Club and later with Manchester United to coincide with Visit Malaysia Year 2007. Branding and persistence are important in tourism as all associated with AOS know. Similarly, Tourism Malaysia’s ‘Malaysia Truly Asia’ campaign helped establish Malaysia’s global presence and was awarded the Best Long Term Marketing and Branding Campaign at the 2008 Asian Marketing Effectiveness Awards.
The conference business boomed during the decade and AOS helped organised significant conferences such as FIGO2006 with over 8,500 delegates and others that involved dignitaries such as the President of the United States. Realising the potential of international conferences, Malaysia invested in providing the required facilities. Among the projects undertaken were the construction of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre and Putrajaya Convention Centre.
During the decade, AOS invested in training, new technology and fostering business alliances too. Malaysia’s largest conference to date was organised by AOS as the PCO. The International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) congress, FIGO 2006 achieved its target of over 8,000 participants. Kuala Lumpur played host to the international participants from November 5 to 10, 2016. The gynaecologists and obstetricians from 130 countries and territories attended the 18th triennial congress organised by the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM). The event from planning to convening took eight years and was funded by AOSCE.
An opportunity arose in 2005 for AOS to purchase an absolute beachfront property on Malaysia’s premier island destination, Langkawi. Frangipani Langkawi Resort & Spa fronts 400m of beachfront along Pantai Tengah where the tranquil waters ensure it is a great family beachfront destination.
2010s STAY CONNECTED
The second decade of the 21st Century is one where travellers are more connected than ever before with smartphones, internet and social media dominating people’s lives. Now selecting a hotel is based upon wi-fi access and fast communications are everything in tourism with AOS as connected as any in the industry. In 2014, Malaysia recorded 26 million tourists generating RM65 billion in tourism income. According to the World Tourism Organisation, in 2016, Malaysia was the 3rd most visited country in Asia Pacific with the top ten arrivals from Singapore, Indonesia, China, Thailand, Brunei, India, South Korea, Philippines, Japan and the UK. AOS continues to be involved in ground handling for the cruise industry and the luxury Eastern and Oriental Express train. AOSCE handles major meetings and events in the country and staff regularly represent the company overseas.
With the expanding Asian cruise industry, AOS invested extensively in the cruise shore excursion handling industry and entered a partnership with Royal Caribbean Cruises in 2013. As one of the founding members of the Asian Cruise Services Network (ACSN), AOS champions ACSN’s tagline to become “An Alliance of Trusted Expertise” in establishing alliances to promote regional cruise ship ground-handling services within one network. AOS aims to enhance its sustainability commitment in its products in tandem with its belief in sustainable development and environmental conservation to preserve biodiversity, nature, wildlife and their natural ecosystems.
Organising any event can be difficult but when it involves a leader such as the President of the United States of America, there are many more challenges than most meetings/events. AOSCE was the event manager for the launch of the Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) in Cyberjaya in April 2014.
We are extremely honored and humbled by the many awards received over the years.
Each award deserves the same level of appreciation as each one endorses our commitment to innovation, best practice in achieving quality tour products & services and demonstrates that a company with vision and team spirit can succeed in today’s competitive market.
We are pleased to share with you some of our awards and accolades, our true milestones, and we let them do all the talking.
Our Memberships are an integral factor that will enable our success in offering the best global services, we are member of:
