Covid-19 forces Johor govt to push funds into tourism

By TIN Media | Johor Published 4 years ago on 19 February 2020
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Johor Baru: :

Tourism industry players in Johor hope the government can help boost domestic tourism which has been affected by Covid-19 outbreak.

Malaysia Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said the tourism industry in Johor was currently at a standstill mode, with revenue badly affected.

“We hope the Johor government can help us through this challenging time, ” he said, adding that it could boost domestic tourism to help overcome the current situation.

“As people are avoiding travelling overseas, perhaps they could be encouraged to visit local tourist attractions instead, ” he said.

Leong said industry players might have to resolve to retrenching its staff if the situation worsened.

“We are currently taking cost-cutting measures to survive. We are earning almost nothing and if this situation persists, some people may lose their jobs, ” he said.

Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor chapter secretary Yvonne Loh said the hotel industry was badly affected by Covid-19, with many hotel bookings cancelled, especially by those from China, Singapore and South Korea.

“Initially Chinese tourists were cancelling bookings but now those from Singapore and South Korea are also staying away.

“Hotels are taking measures like reducing operational costs to stay in business, ” she said.

Loh said some hotels were using this lull to train their employees, clear leave and upgrade their premises.

“Some hotels seem to be doing comparatively well for now as they are still getting domestic visitors here for work matters, ” she said.

Loh said the hotel industry in Johor reportedly had lost about RM3.8mil in earnings as of Feb 8 due to more than 4,000 room cancellations.


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