Allow interstate travel, we’ve suffered enough, say Sabah tourism groups

 

Sabah’s budget hotels say their rooms are empty during weekdays.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s tourism and hospitality industries are hoping the government will lift the interstate travel ban soon, with Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently touching on the possibility.

Although Muhyiddin did not confirm such travel will be allowed just yet, Sabah Tourist Association (STA) president Tonny Chew welcomed the intention, saying the tourism industry cannot afford the travel ban much longer.

“The industry is suffering and in a dire situation. Many may face permanent closure as they no longer have cash flow to survive.

“The industry has seen practically zero income for more than a year now,” he told FMT, adding that more industry frontliners may lose their jobs if the interstate travel ban was extended.

“We urge the government to reopen interstate travel with stringent SOPs and implement the travel bubble concept that can greatly reduce the risk of Covid-19 infections.”

Muhyiddin had said the possibility of allowing interstate travel, particularly in conjunction with Hari Raya, needed to be studied first before any decision was taken.

He said it would depend on the six indicators that the health ministry had stipulated – the number of positive cases, number of patients discharged, rate of infection, number of deaths, availability of hospital beds in the ICU and the number of frontliners available.

Budget Hotel Malaysia Association Sabah chapter chairman James Ong said the sector had suffered because of the lack of travellers from outside the state.

He said while Sabahans travelled within the state and stayed in budget hotels, it was mostly during weekends.

“We need people from Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru, Penang, Kelantan and elsewhere. These are the holidaymakers who are going to fill up our rooms during the weekdays,” he told FMT.

“The government has opened up inter-district travel between permitted zones, so it’s a little better compared to before, but it is still not good enough.”

Ong said about 30% of the association’s 192 members in Sabah had closed down temporarily, while others were trying to manage.

“Some, like myself, make sure our establishments stay open so people can keep their jobs. In a way, we feel we have a responsibility to remain open and do our part in keeping the economy going.

“But it has been very tough for most of us. We need all the help we can get, any lifeline we can hang on to.

“Those who came into the business about two years ago will suffer the most while those who have been in business for a long time can still take the knocks. But, this cannot go on much longer,” he said.

Another hotel operator, Foo Ngee Kee, called for a “balanced approach” to help the industry.

“While we understand the need for movement restrictions to flatten the Covid-19 curve and reduce infections, opening up interstate or inter-zone travel will help the hotels, big and small, earn some much-needed revenue from room sales.

“This will supplement the financial aid that the government is currently providing to hoteliers,” he said. - FMT