Compulsory use of tour vehicles will not save sinking hotels

By YS Chan

YESTERDAY, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that travelling for tourism is now allowed but only between states under the recovery movement control order (RMCO), but not those still under conditional MCO (CMCO).

He said those wanting to travel for tourism must use the services of tour agencies registered under the Tourism, Culture and Arts Ministry, and use transportation provided by them. Also, tour agencies will need to get approval from police for cross-border travel.

While travelling, they must proceed directly to the destination at another RMCO state and not allowed to stop when passing through a CMCO state. They must also reserve their accommodation and tourism activities ahead of the trip.

Going on holidays in private vehicles is not allowed. If so, many sinking hotels will soon go under. This is because over 99% of domestic tourists have not been using transport arranged by travel agencies or provided by tour vehicle operators.

Overwhelming number prefers to drive their own cars or use e-hailing vehicles or taxis from the airport or train/bus stations. It would be prohibitively expensive to charter a tour car licensed under limousine taxi for interstate travel.

Even the cost of using a passenger van or multi-purpose vehicle (MVP) would be too much to bear, particularly for families that could only afford to stay at tourist-class or budget hotels, many of which are fast sinking and workers soon out of job with little chance of being employed.

As I have proposed earlier, the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO), Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA) should jointly work out a foolproof mechanism and submit to the National Security Council (NSC).

The aim is to produce a controlled legal document that serves as room confirmation and receipt for amount paid. It would include details of the issuing hotel, guests’ names and their identity numbers, check-in and check-out dates, vehicle registration or flight number and others.

In order to save sinking hotels and accompanying livelihoods, the scheme must allow all those planning to stay at licensed hotels to travel freely within the country, regardless of CMCO or RMCO, before it is too late.

If not, it would be most unfair to hoteliers and workers that have put on a brave front over the past year, only to see all their efforts have been in vain. If so, they should have just ceased operations or closed altogether much earlier, like many others have done.

Although travel agencies are also desperately needing help, compelling the public to use tour vehicles will not help tour vehicle operators, as there will be few takers. Only those who can afford to stay in 5-star hotels have less qualms in paying high prices for road transport.

Sinking hotels require more than just first aid and must be treated under intensive care, not slapped with conditions that impede recovery. Travel agencies need effective measures that have been proposed by many travel associations, not token procedures that are of no real help.

In any case, the groundswell of dissatisfaction and misery should not be allowed to fester and eventually reach a tipping point. Likewise, sinking hotels should not be allowed to submerge unless we want to practise law of the jungle and survival of the fittest. – March 10, 2021

YS Chan is Asean Tourism Master Trainer for travel agencies, master trainer for Travel & Tours Enhancement Course and Mesra Malaysia (both programmes under Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture). He is also a tourism and transport industry consultant and writer.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.