GEORGE TOWN: Malaysians are a farsighted bunch and many planned their vacations for the Hari Raya break some time ago.
“The weaker ringgit has had little effect on those who decided to travel as they started planning many months ago,” said Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Penang chapter chairman Carolyn Leong.
She said favourite overseas destinations among Malaysians include countries such as Japan, South Korea and China, where it is spring now and which allow visa-free entries to Malaysians.
“Western Australia is also a short flight away. These trips are short – they take place within a week, so this fits the holiday period,” she added.
Leong said the additional direct flights from Penang had also been another encouraging factor.
She said travel bookings for the Hari Raya holiday period were up 50%.
“Some of the tours were fully booked two months ago,” she added.
But Leong said she has observed a decline in bookings for trips to Europe.
“These packages, which usually require over a week of travel, cost more due to the currency exchange rate,” she said.
“They’re about 10% more expensive than last year.”
As for those opting to travel domestically, Leong said most of them would go to Sabah and Sarawak.
She said the MATTA Fair in Penang would be held on April 27 and 28 at the Setia SPICE Arena.
Penang Tourist Guides Association chairman Clement Liang said cities such as George Town, Alor Setar and Ipoh would see an influx of people during the holiday.
This is boosted by the announcement that drivers of private vehicles would enjoy toll-free travel on highways today and tomorrow, he said.
“Many Malaysians would opt to drive back to their hometown.
“Small restaurants, hawkers, shops and travel agencies will benefit from this,” he said.
Tourism Malaysia Penang director Shahrul Aman Sabir Ahmad said Hari Raya celebrants would be home for the festive season while others would take the opportunity to go for a holiday.
“Penang and Langkawi are popular destinations during festive holidays like this.
“Our Cuti-Cuti Malaysia campaign is ongoing and we are actively promoting archaeology and historical tourism packages for Penang, Kedah and Perak as well as ecotourism packages for Perlis,” he said.
In Johor, Amari Johor Bahru general manager Pauline Chua said the hotel was anticipating a surge of guests, especially from Singapore.
“But our guests primarily come from central regions such as Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Negri Sembilan, with a smaller contingent from Penang,” she said.
Chua said hotel guests would comprise about 60% locals and the remaining 40% from Singapore.
“On average, our occupancy rate usually hovers around 80-85% throughout the year.
“However, during weekends and peak holiday periods such as the Hari Raya season, we anticipate a surge in occupancy levels, reaching about 95%,” she said, adding that hotel guests would normally opt for a minimum stay of two nights.
