THE government’s decision to ease Covid-19 restrictions in areas subject to phase 2 of the national recovery plan shows that there is light at the end of the tunnel for the tourism sector, industry players said.

They told The Malaysian Insight the “soft-opening” will enable them to better handle domestic and international tourists when the sector fully reopens.

“There are some grey areas that need to be ironed out, but otherwise this is good news. There is finally light at the end of the tunnel,” K. Raj Kumar, chairman of Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang Chapter, said.

He said while the government announced that domestic tourism within states can resume from today, there have been no guidelines about whether guests are allowed to use hotel facilities, such as the swimming pool.

“We can’t expect the guest to just stay in the hotel and not have any access to the facilities available. The government needs to come up with guidelines for this.”

Raj, who is also the manager of the Light Hotel in Seberang Jaya said, in preparation for the arrival of guests, the hotel has started sanitising its premises and stocking up on food.

The 303 rooms are open for reservation, while dining capacity will be reduced by 50%.

“We will continue to sanitise the hotel every three hours when we reopen. Our staff are also required to adhere to strict standard operating procedures (SOP).

“They must wear masks, face shields and gloves at all times,” he said, adding that 90% of his 220 staff have been vaccinated, while others are waiting for their appointments.

“This weekend we will see some movement. We have already received some reservations.

“It’s okay if we start slowly because too many people may cause problems. This will prepare us to receive more guests come September or October when the country moves to phase 4,” he said.

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced yesterday the government will relax the SOP in phase 2 areas and for vaccinated people.

Dine-in, inter-district travel and tourism within the state, along with solo-participant sports will also be allowed for vaccinated people from August 10.

Currently only Penang, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Sabah have transitioned to phase 2. Meanwhile, Perlis, Sarawak and Labuan are now in phase 3.

However, the rest of the country is still in phase 1.

Limiting number of guests

Alex Lee, the owner of Terrapuri Heritage Village in Setiu, Terengganu, said the resort will only open 15 of its 22 villas.

“Less is more. At the moment we only operate 15 villas. We only allow at most two people in a villa and up to four if it’s a family.

“Dining will also be in one of our six open air dining areas in our courtyard,” he said, adding that all 15 employees at the resort have been vaccinated.

The villas in Terrapuri, which faces the South China Sea, are traditional Malay houses between 100 and 250 years’ old.

Lee purchased the homes over the course of 30 years and restored them with modern amenities.

He said even with the resumption of domestic tourism, the resort will still have to compete with local homestays, which are a lot cheaper than the resort.

“Lots of tourists stay at local homestays, which are very cheap. That was why lots of hotels and resorts closed down.

“Terrapuri has an open concept. I think during a pandemic it’s safer to stay in Terrapuri compared to a hotel with a central air conditioning system.”

Lee said the resort has not operated at all this year.

“We have suffered around RM500,000 in lost revenue because we have kept all our staff.

“There is also still quite a bit of maintenance to do as the villages are wooden structures.”

Short notice

Meanwhile, Penang Tourist Guides Association chairman Chin Poh Chin, while she welcomed the government’s decision, said businesses were not given much notice or time to prepare for tourist arrivals.

“It’s a bit of a hassle because we have a lot to prepare and there is still a lot of uncertainty.

“Many tourist destinations here are still unsure if they can operate and some are not even sure if we are in the correct phase of the recovery plan,” she said.

Chin said several business owners have also complained about having to check the digital certificates to ensure that people are vaccinated.

While around 500 out of 700 registered tourist guides in Penang have been vaccinated, Chin said the rest were choosy about which vaccine they wanted and have not received their jabs.

“We have not received any tourist enquiries as yet, but in January Penang put in place measures to welcome them back to the island.”

Chin said while allowing domestic tourism is a good step, she says most Malaysians will prefer overseas travel when the borders reopen.

“If the government holds the Matta travel fair now, they will have a lot of reservations as Malaysians – who have been cooped up at home for almost two years – will most certainly want to travel overseas.”

Chin, who has not worked for more than 400 days and has been volunteering at the vaccination centre over the past three months, said she is glad to return to her old job.

“Hopefully by next year, things will be back to normal, but it will take at least another two years for domestic tourism to bounce back.”

Last year, Malaysia lost close to RM100 billion from the tourism sector due to the pandemic.

The country was due to welcome around 30 million international tourists as part of the Visit Malaysia 2020 programme.

In 2019, tourism was worth RM240 billion in revenue to Malaysia, or 15.9% of GDP. – August 10, 2021.