MANY hotels in Sibu, including its four biggest, are refusing the state government’s request to be quarantine centres.

The town’s four premier hotels, Kingwood, RH Plaza, Paramount and Tanahmas which could offer over 600 rooms, have all snubbed the state’s request to house Sarawakians returning by air from overseas, the peninsular, Sabah and Labuan.

A state tourism official described the shortage of rooms there “critical”.

“Sibu somehow is not very enthusiastic to participate,” she said, as many hotels see the government money from being a quarantine centre a vital lifeline.

At the end of May last year, the four hotels and Li Hua and Medan were  quarantine hotels.

Today, only the 189-room Premier hotel and 100-room Kawan are left to continue as quarantine hotels.

In desperation, the state disaster management committee turned to the Catholic Church for rooms at its diocesan pastoral centre.

The acute shortage in turn forced the disaster committee to slash the frequency of direct flights from outside the state to two a week.

Beginning today, Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia can only fly one direct Kuala Lumpur – Sibu flight a week.

The Mas flight is every Wednesdays and the Air Asia every Saturdays.

The acute shortage of rooms was the reason the disaster committee allowed some passengers to undergo home quarantine.

It turned out to be a big mistake with two passengers who flout the order spawning the Meradong cluster and the Pasai cluster that is responsible for Sibu to come under a complete lockdown.

Audrey Wan Ullok, president of the Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF) said hoteliers in Sibu gave a variety of reasons to not want to return as quarantine hotels.

“Some said they were worried about the health risks to their staff. Some said slow payment from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the rest said they just didn’t want the business,” Ullok said.

She said the thinking of hoteliers elsewhere are dramatically different.

“We are thankful for the opportunity to become quarantine centres for those having to do their mandatory quarantine on arrival in Sarawak,” Ullok, who manages her family hotel, the Kelabit themed Telang Usang hotel in Kuching, said.

The hotel started to accept “quarantine guests” only four weeks ago.

“This has been the lifeline for many hoteliers throughout the state.

“Without this business, we would have definitely closed shop,” she said alluding to the prolonged pandemic and new rounds of travels restrictions.

Sarawak continue to bar non-Sarawakians from the state.

The reimposition of the conditional movement control order in the red zone of Kuching, Samarahan and Serian and a travel into and out of these districts have dealt fresh blows to state’s already severely battered tourism and travel industry.

“It is extremely bleak as long as the borders are closed. They (travel agents) cannot expect any foreign tourist arrivals,” Ullok said.

The four hotel’s representative, Ibrahim Nordin, chairman of the Sarawak chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), explained their members are not interested because “they are already running high occupancy and had prior commitments and reservations to their long term and regular guests”.

“At the same time, the hotels had secured weddings and other functions.”

Ibrahim said to honour the long term commitments, the four hotels are not able to be quarantine hotels again.

“They are not interested because they could not do their normal business if they are quarantine hotels. Once you are committed to honour all the advance reservations for regular and long term guests and functions, you are not able to be gazetted as quarantine hotels.”

However, with the town going under the stiff movement control order (MCO) and a ban of travel into and out of the town and social gatherings like weddings, the hotels would be under new pressures to survive. – January 15, 2021.