BUTTERWORTH – The new Penang Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) chairman is rallying the industry to prepare for when the economy, now stagnant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, normalises and businesses thrive once more.
Raj Kumar, who is also general manager of The Light Hotel Penang, sees the present lull as a chance to develop new tourism products and retrain employees.
“It shouldn’t be a period to be disheartened despite the lay-offs. We must rise to meet the challenges of operating under limited conditions,” he said in an interview with The Vibes.
He said the hotel business is often affected by external factors, with the virus crisis being a major determinant currently.
One area that has huge prospects and room for improvement is Seberang Prai, he said, noting that tourism in the state has always been island-centric.
There is a wide variety of attractions that can be cultivated and enhanced, such as the Penang Bird Park, Butterworth’s heritage streets, and the many nature parks on the mainland, he said.
Raj said MAH hotels are willing to participate in the marketing of tourism products on the mainland that can be packaged together with attractions on the island.
The Light Hotel, located in Seberang Jaya here, has come out with a coffee-table book on attractions in Seberang Prai that the management plans to present to the city council as part of efforts to work together with local authorities to promote tourism domestically, he said.
He also spoke about the need to retrain hoteliers on cleanliness and maintaining top hygiene practices to overcome Covid-19.
“Now is the time for our staff to be trained on preserving cleanliness.”
There is also a need to improve service quality to make guests feel at home at whatever property they stay in or visit.
Acknowledging that it is a testing time, Raj said hoteliers should nevertheless pick up new culinary and digital skills so that they are ready for when tourists return in droves.
With about 90 members, MAH’s Penang chapter is one of the largest in the country.
The hotels in the state are divided by location, between the Unesco heritage zone of George Town, the Batu Ferringhi tourism belt and the mainland.
Since the coronavirus struck early this year, the average occupancy rate has been 25% to 30%, with the figure plummeting to 10% on some occasions.
Raj expressed hope that the authorities will regulate the operations of homestay services like those offered by popular platform Airbnb, as they are hurting licensed hotels. – The Vibes, November 6, 2020
