By V. Sivaji
Any form of the return to normalcy in the hospitality industry in Malaysia may only be seen in 2022.
This is due to the fact that vaccinating 70 per cent of the country’s population will take due time.
“Further constraints may be that the “confidence level” among foreign tourists planning their trip here as it may be hijacked by other ASEAN countries like Vietnam, Singapore and Cambodia whose Covid-19 crisis has been handled quite well.
“We might only get business travellers initially as leisure travellers may want to “wait and see”.
“In the meantime, the industry needs the assistance of the local government in terms of the assessment / quit rent fee and also the PBA charges,” said Raj Kumar, chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (Penang Chapter).
Raj also added that discounts or rebates for these authorities which are under the jurisdiction of the local government can greatly assist the hotels which are in the doldrums.
“We have written an appeal letter to the Penang state government on the consideration of these requests and are awaiting their decision.
“Hopefully, we will receive some positive news as there are some 8,000 workers and their family members dependent on the hospitality industry in this state.
“We are trying our best to balance between cutting overhead costs and retaining the staff. Thus, any assistance from the state government is most welcome, added Raj.
To give some perspective on the amount involved for the assessment fee, Raj said that it depends on the size of land of the individual hotel.
“The bigger they are, the more they pay. It may run in hundreds of thousands ringgit. As for PBA, the range of five- hotel rates depends on the number of rooms and the number of swimming pools. It may cost from RM10,000 to RM20,000 monthly easily,” said Raj.
He also cited the example of the Sarawak state government which had waived the hotel license fee till the end of the year.
He also requested for the frontliners to be rewarded with room vouchers that can be used in local hotels of their choice.
“With this, it will benefit members in the hotel group which has some 101 registered members to-date.
“On the federal level, more can be gone from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) to help us in the electricity bill. We need the assistance now, not tomorrow, nest week or next year.
“Meanwhile, the income tax rebate of RM1,000 implemented by the government should also be extended till 2022 to see maximum impact,” he added.
He also called on the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) to invest on new promotional activities to revitalise the country’s tourism industry.