SHARP DECLINE IN TOURIST ARRIVALS
Popular tourist spots hard-hit by absence of Chinese visitors, say tourism players
POPULAR tourist spots around the country have seen a significant drop in the number of tourists, particularly from China, following the novel coronavirus (2019nCOV) outbreak.
Among the destinations affected is Penang Hill, which is a favourite among locals and foreign tourists.
Penang Hill Corporation general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng said when the outbreak first emerged, the iconic destination saw a drop of 10 per cent in the number of visitors.
Since then, the number of visitors has dropped to more than 30 per cent.
“In the past, the Chinese New Year was a peak period for us. This time, however, there’s a marked decline.
“More people are staying away from public places as a precautionary measure.
“It’s common to see visitors putting on face masks while going up the hill, something we have never seen before,” Cheok told the New Straits Times.
He said there was a decline in the number of tourists from other countries possibly due to flight cancellations.
“Similarly, there is also a decline in the number of domestic visitors.
“We are not sure how long this is going to last. We hope the situation will improve and return to normal.”
In Kuala Terengganu, the state’s hospitality industry has estimated a 50 per cent drop in tourist numbers due to stringent health screenings implemented at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Terengganu’s Malaysian Association Of Tour And Travel Agents chairman, Roslan Idris, said based on feedback from members, many travel arrangements, especially to Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian had been cancelled.
“Operators on the islands will likely be hard-hit by the cancellation of bookings.
“This will affect them when they open for business at the end of the month, which is when the monsoon season ends.”
He said to offset the drop in international guests, some agencies introduced packages to lure locals to stay at resorts on the islands.
He said other agencies were luring more Thai and Singapore tourists who entered Malaysia by road, or Indonesian tourists who arrived by boat via Johor and Malacca before travelling by bus to Terengganu.
In Kota Kinabalu, tourism players have started to feel the pinch from the absence of Chinese tourists.
A ticketing officer at Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal, Muhaimirin Saratal, said sales dropped by 70 per cent following the state government’s ban on incoming direct flights from China since Jan 30.
The decision was made to prevent the spread of the coronavirus that originated from Wuhan, China.
Muhaimirin said usually, a lot of people would book tickets between 7am and noon daily, but not in recent weeks.
“During the February to April peak season, the company usually deploys five boats to ferry passengers every day to the islands, but now we hardly use one.”