GEORGE TOWN: Despite its engagement in the international travel bubble programme, hotels in Langkawi have seen a drop in occupancy because of the Omicron wave.

       Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Kedah and Perlis chapter chairman Eugene Dass said the number of bookings had not been encouraging and attributed it to the surge in Covid-19 cases.

       “We do see expats from Kuala Lumpur and some Singaporeans visiting but it is less than 5% of the number of tourists we have there.

       “Langkawi is still seeing mostly domestic support but that too has dwindled due to Omicron and the reopening of schools.

       “The numbers are not as vibrant as they should be and Langkawi is still in the picking-up stage after reopening,” he said.

       Dass said in general, business would be much better if more borders reopened.

       “It’s not that Langkawi is predominantly dependent on foreign tourists but we do rely on them.

       “When the Thai border reopens, it will be a litmus test for us.

       “We have no track record of Thai tourists to compare to but as their currency is much stronger than ours, it might bring people to Langkawi,” he said.

       On the Penang front, MAH Penang chapter chairman K. Raj Kumar said occupancy rates at hotels had dropped.

       “Spending power after Chinese New Year usually goes down.

       “This is not new but prior to the pandemic, we had foreign tourists to balance it out. The increase in Covid-19 cases has added to the lack of domestic tourists but business hotels are seeing normal occupancy.“It is the beach and city hotels that have been affected,” he said.

       “We had foreign tourists to cover for the lack of domestic occupants but now, our only source is the domestic market, which is why we are feeling the impact.

       “However, there are still people travelling and staying in hotels, mostly to enjoy the facilities,” he said.

       Raj Kumar said the only issue had been postponement of events due to close contact cases.

       “That has the biggest impact on us compared to occupancy.

       “Another pattern that has changed is there are no more advance bookings for rooms,” he said.