LUMUT – The hotel occupancy rates in Pulau Pangkor showed an increase of up to 78% since interstate travel was allowed on Monday.
Perak Housing, Local Government and Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohammed Radzi said since then, 9,888 tourists had entered Pulau Pangkor.
“Since the reopening of domestic tourism last month, 6,430 tourist arrivals were recorded in Pangkor in August, while last month, there were 12,879 tourist arrivals.
“This is a good sign, and we are confident that the tourism industry in Pulau Pangkor, which has begun to receive more tourists, will see a revival,” she said when met by reporters after observing standard operating procedure compliance at the Lumut passenger jetty today.
Meanwhile, Nolee said the committee is constantly monitoring the needs of the ferry service and are prepared to offer additional trips, but that will depend on factors such as the readiness of the operators on the duty-free island to receive more tourists.
She said some facilities are provided to tourists including recreational activities, which are allowed until midnight, and tourists can now buy duty-free goods after being on the island for more than 24 hours as compared with 48 hours previously.
“To date, 25 out of the 47 hotels in Pulau Pangkor are in operation while the rest will open in stages,” she said.
Nolee also said that based on information regarding Perak tourism received through the hoteliers’ association, a 50% increase in the hotel occupancy rate was recorded in areas like Ipoh and the outskirts since October 10.
“Based on data from the Malaysian Association of Hotels, the occupancy rate in Ipoh is at 50% while data from the Taiping Municipal Council show that hotels operating in the municipality have an occupancy rate of 56%.
“Meanwhile, figures from the Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association show that other areas like Tg Malim, Tapah, Manjung, Kuala Kangsar and Taiping have registered a 46.1% hotel occupancy rate,” she added. – Bernama, October 17, 2021
