Tour guides take other jobs to survive
GEORGE TOWN: With the travel industry yet to shake off the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, a former tour operator has gone back to his roots as a hawker to survive.
When he was younger, Kent Ooi, 46, used to help his parents sell wonton mee for about 10 years.
“My company has been closed since the movement control order (MCO) was implemented in March.
“I thought I could wait for the pandemic to slow down but it is showing no sign of that.
“Selling wonton mee was a family business and my parents taught me everything I know. I am glad that I have this background as it proves to be so useful now,” he said.
Ooi, who was a tour operator for over 10 years, recently rented equipment for a hawker stall and started selling wonton mee at Anson Road here after being out of work for almost half a year.
Ooi is not alone as other tour guides have also changed careers to survive.
K.H. Tan, 56, a local guide for seven years, is now an e-hailing driver but even that work has not been lucrative for him.
“As I am single, it is all right for me to earn enough to sustain myself. Even as an e-hailing driver, business has not been good since the conditional MCO began.
“Due to restrictions in movement, many of us lost about 80% of our passengers as people are not travel
ling as much.
“I don’t dare to go out as well. For now, I stay home most of the time, rationing between my savings and spendings,” he said.
Another local guide, who wanted to be known as Kam, 50, said he started doing sales for e-wallet companies.
“I expected that things would not recover that quickly so I started helping e-wallet companies get merchandise supplies.
“I earned a commission and was able to get by for a while but as more and more businesses adopted e-wallet payments, I can’t earn as much anymore. So for now, I am looking around for freelance jobs or part-time gigs,” he said.
Penang Tourist Guides Association vice-president Clement Liang said many switched to other ways of making a living.
“Our association has over 700 members and they are now working as delivery riders and drivers, while some have gone into other fields to earn a living.
“But all of them are still holding on to their licences as tour guides. None have given up their licences so far,” he said.
Tour guides, Liang said, would be ready for tourists once borders reopen and safe to travel again.
“We expect domestic tourism will likely take off first. Then, hopefully, the country’s borders will reopen,” he said.