PEOPLE have the spending power now, which is clearly reflected in the relatively high occupancy rates at beach and city hotels in the state, said Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter chairman K. Raj Kumar.
“Starting this weekend, Penang can expect a swarm of visitors, and as per the data collected, beach hotels have recorded over 90 percent of occupancy rate, while city hotels on the island and on the mainland have over 70 and 80 percent respectively.
“More than this, I am interested to look at the domestic market in 2022, specifically from February onwards, because that is when the holiday climate will make a shift to normalcy routine for most people.
“The spending power now is definitely greater among many, excluding foreign tourists as international borders are yet to open, although Malaysia and Singapore have agreed terms to kickstart the Vaccinated Travel Lane-Land (VTL-Land) programme.
It was recently reported by an English daily that due to the increased public demand for travel via VTL-land, all categories of travellers who are Malaysian and Singaporean citizens will be able to enter Singapore and Malaysia from Dec 20 onwards.
“Besides this programme, I believe the Federal Government is very likely to take cautionary steps in 2022 while discussing with other countries over the reopening of international borders.
“With the emergence of the new Covid variant (Omicron), international borders might not be reopening sooner than expected.
“This also means that Penang might have to wait a little longer before the decision is made by the Federal Government,” Raj told Buletin Mutiara during an exclusive interview today.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Chan Kok Kuan