Explore new territories, fresh methods to mitigate COVID-19 impact

By TIN Media | Penang Published 3 years ago on 17 February 2021
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GEORGETOWN:

Penang state government encourages players from tourism and creative economy to constantly search and explore new territories, find new ways and strengthen survival practices amid adversity.

Penang state executive councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin said although it is not an easy task, transforming attempts in this difficult time was required to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Hoteliers are now facing the toughest time in the industry as opposed to harvesting one of the biggest revenue growth-spurts that were initially projected with the ‘Visit Malaysia 2020’ and ‘Experience Penang: The Diversity of Asia 2020’ campaigns.

“For Penang to remain sustainable without international tourism, we have no choice but to leverage on innovation, creativity and digitalisation,” he said in a statement.

In the light of the low occupancy rates and restricting travel activities in place, he listed the many hotels in Penang which have used a paradigm shift by providing 'drive-thru' services for hotel-standard meals which are economically priced to suit the public.

He congratulated the hoteliers of Penang for the integration of the idea, which is conventionally seen in fast-food chains, which discover a revolutionary income stream to reduce the financial burden.

Yeoh also expected that this will be a long way to recovery, as many researchers have anticipated that the travel industry will take at least 2 years to return to the days before COVID-19.

“In the future, there is a need to develop big data insights, go beyond segments to provide personalised services, optimise hotel facilities to generate ancillary revenues and maximise guests’ spending.

“Penang will also focus on responsible domestic tourism when the pandemic is better controlled in Malaysia as the lifting of international borders remains uncertain.

“Domestic tourism will continue to be a key driver of recovery in the coming years and to help sustain the hospitality industry,” he said.


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