THE hotel industry is hoping to welcome more guests over the next month during the holiday season, which is around 50% of the national average.
Yap Lip Seng, chief executive officer of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), said some popular local destinations were seeing high hotel occupancy levels due to people’s desire to go on vacation, coupled with recent holidays and long weekends.
“Many came from the Klang Valley and usually chose resorts for their long-awaited vacations.
“Popular travel destinations are Langkawi, Penang, Port Dickson, parts of the east coast, Ipoh and Genting Highlands.
“But despite the need to catch up, the country’s average occupancy was only around 40%,” he says.
At popular holiday and nature destinations, hotel occupancy peaked on the long weekends, while others remained moderate.
Nevertheless, the association expects more business, between 40 and 50% average occupancy in the next month.
“Similarly, last year, when the interstate travel ban was lifted in December, hotels saw an increase in bookings for the Christmas and New Years holidays.
“The average occupancy peaked at 43% at the weekend,” recalls Yap.
But with only the domestic market, he says, business is still limited with lower purchasing power as demand fluctuates between weekdays and weekends.
“These are also driven by travelers from the Klang Valley who are looking for a short break after the interstate travel ban.
“A popular choice among the people of Klang Valley are the resorts and islands. They like to travel out of the city, especially into nature, ”he adds.
Yap says these travelers are willing to spend more than they used to consistently travel abroad, but are now only within the country.
“These are the ones who are driving business into the high-end hotels and resorts now. But once the international borders are reopened, they can return to their preferred international destinations, ”he says.
Yap says the industry is confident that international borders are gradually reopening and calls this “badly needed”.
“Maybe you can focus on the ASEAN countries first and then on certain markets like China,” he suggests.
Yap emphasizes that hotels have been well prepared from day one and demonstrate a high level of compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that minimize risks for employees and guests.
“Part of the Clean & Safe Malaysia label for MAH’s independent hygiene and safety certification includes, for example, in addition to the strict SOPs in all areas of the hotel, emergency and isolation plans in the event that cases are discovered.
“Hotels can be safely reopened, not just for stays, but also for dining and event venues,” he says.
Regarding Covid-19, Yap says Malaysia should shift its focus to the daily numbers to move into an endemic phase in which we are living with the coronavirus.
“We have to be able to face the situation instead of avoiding it.
“The current vaccination rate and our health care capabilities are both very encouraging to keep the situation under control,” he added.
While Malaysia’s borders have yet to be opened, the industry expects the domestic market to dominate for another year as it awaits the return of international tourists.
Uzaidi Udanis, president of the Malaysia Tourism Council, says the industry is keen to see the country reopen its borders as many resort operators depend on foreign visitors.
“The sooner the borders are opened, the better it will be for the industry.
“At the moment, Malaysians can leave the country, but that does not apply to foreign tourists who come here,” he says, adding that international visitors can only travel to Langkawi in the travel bubble.
Uzaidi suggests that the council act as a coordinator between health authorities and tour operators to disseminate information on Covid-19 hotspots to keep everyone safe, including foreign tourists and locals alike.
“We need to learn to live with Covid-19 and minimize its spread through data centers or reference points for the data on active Covid-19 cases for tourism companies.
“The council stands ready to coordinate such data centers to distribute information to tour operators in order to protect everyone,” he says.
Uzaidi, who is also president of the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association, says such efforts will ensure a better experience for everyone as tour operators would know which places to avoid to prevent outbreaks.
For now, the industry is preparing to reopen the borders by re-employing workers such as kitchen staff and marketing officers.
“Some former tourism workers like tour guides found another source of income during the pandemic.
“But now the players in the industry have to adjust to the situation, including a stronger focus on digital marketing,” he says.
With the industry still recovering, Uzaidi says it will take extraordinary steps for these extraordinary times.
“Whenever possible, companies should encourage employees to go on vacation to reward employees for their hard work while promoting local tourism,” he adds.
