Higher international tourist arrivals to contribute towards improved hotel occupancy rates
PETALING JAYA: The sustained recovery in the business and leisure tourism markets in Malaysia, on the back of improving global economic conditions, augurs well for the local hotel and resort operators.
Industry observers told StarBiz in general, the number of international tourist arrivals in Malaysia was set to grow further, and local hotel and resort operators were well-positioned to benefit from this favourable trend.
Latest data from the Tourism Ministry showed that international tourist arrivals between January and September this year grew to 16.18 million from 15.38 million in the same period last year.
The number of international tourist arrivals for the whole of 2010 is expected to touch 24 million, up from 23.65 million in 2009.
The United Nations World Tourism Organisation recently said the increasing government support and rising promotional activities would continue to boost international tourist arrivals in Malaysia.
The international body, which listed Malaysia among the top 10 tourist destinations across the globe for 2009, projected international tourist arrivals in the country to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of around 8% between 2011 and 2013.
Providing further impetus to the Malaysian tourism market is the growing number of domestic travellers or interstate tourists.
"Such encouraging trend will contribute to improved hotel occupancy rates in the country going forward," an analyst said.
Statistics from the Malaysian Association of Hotels showed that the overall hotel occupancy rate for the nine months to September this year stood at 62%.
That's a slight improvement from the average 60% for the same period last year, but still below the average of 65% for the first nine months of 2008, before the effects of the global financial crisis were felt in Malaysia.
"With improved business and consumer sentiments following the recovery of the global economy, it won't be surprising to see local hotel and resort operators chart strengthening operating performance over the medium term," the analyst said, pointing to the encouraging results of Shangri-La Hotels (M) Bhd as an example.
Shangri-La is among the few hotel and resort operators listed on Bursa Malaysia.
Announcing its financial results on Tuesday, the company said its net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30 grew to RM26.7mil on group revenue of RM111.95mil, compared with a net profit of RM15.89mil on group revenue of RM93.06mil in the previous corresponding period.
In its statement, Shangri-La attributed its stronger financial performance to extensive renovations to the guestrooms and facilities at both its Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Golden Sands Resort late last year and better operating performances of its Rasa Ria Resort in Sabah and Golden Sands Resort in Penang, as a result of good improvements in both occupancy and average room rates.
"On the whole, market conditions for the company as well as the industry have only gotten better; and that will be reflected in the results of the company and ultimately, its share price," an analyst said.
Shangri-La's share price has been rising steadily since the start of the year. From RM1.80 to its closing price at RM2.84 yesterday, the counter made a year-to-date gain of 58%. The average target price for the stock is RM3.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
How Johorean are you?
How well do you know Johor? On facebook there is a quiz that asks several questions to prove how Johorean one is.
And its Jalan Wong Ah Fook is also famous.
One of the brain-teasers posed by the organisers was to name the 10 tourism icons of Johor.
Mind you, as a journalist, I though it would easy and I zealously jotted down 11 of them.
My team was the third to cross the finishing line out of the 10 that took part.
However, later that night we found we were at eighth place.
This was because the challenge was not based on time, but rather on points given for answering questions correctly.
We finished our physical tasks at record time but fared badly when it came to the questions comprising 60 per cent of the total score.
Unfortunately, we only knew this when the winners were announced. All that rushing was to no avail!
It was an eye-opener. We arrived at the finishing line more than five hours earlier compared with the last team to finish. What a shock to learn that last team was the one who won the challenge!
So, just you know, the 10 tourism icons in Johor are:
The Sultan Ibrahim Building on Bukit Timbalan. It is perhaps the most distinctive structure symbolising Johor Baru.
Then there is the Sultan Abu Bakar Royal Museum at Istana Besar. It was commissioned in 1864 by the Father of Modern Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar.
Kota Iskandar, that was named after the late Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar, comes next.
It was formerly known as the Johor State New Administrative Centre. Now it is fondly known as the Jewel of Johor and is the current administrative centre for the state government in Nusajaya.
Tanjung Piai National Park is home to many species of birds and mangrove flora and fauna, while Tanjung Kukup is the world's largest uninhabited mangrove island in the world.
Pulau Rawa is renowned for its beautiful beaches and offshore coral reefs, while Pulau Sibu is a an island of lush tropical rain forest.
Danga Bay or Teluk Danga is often referred to as the vision city of the south for being JB's premier waterfront city and the largest recreational park.
Endau Rompin National Park is one of the remaining large tracts of pristine lowland tropical rainforest.
Gunung Ledang or Mount Ophir is shrouded in mystical legends and folklore.
According to the legend of the Princess of Gunung Ledang, the Sultan of Malacca wanted the princess's hand in marriage and she, not wanting to marry him, demanded that the Sultan present her with seven jars of women's tears, seven trays of mosquitoes' hearts and seven bowls of the blood of the sultan's son.
After he was unable to meet these impossible requests, she fled to the mountain and continues to live in a hidden cave to this day.
Desaru boasts 25km of inviting beaches fringed by palms and casuarinas.
Kluang has the biggest dragon fruit orchard, organic vegetable farm, organic padi field, and pineapple and tea plantation.
To Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Johor Office acting director Nizam Abdul Wahid, thank you, sir for making me more of a Johorean!
I am not a Johorean but have been based in Bandar Baru Uda in Johor Baru for almost five years. I took the quiz and found out I am 98 per cent Johorean.
So, how well do I actually know Johor?
 |
The Johor State New Administrative Centre (above) is also known the Jewel of Johor while Danga Bay (below) is JB’s premier waterfront city. |
I know that it's known as the Southern Getaway of Malaysia, is known for its zapin and kuda kepang dances, and is blessed with beautiful beaches.
But on a recent assignment to Endau-Rompin Johor National Park to cover and participate in Tourism Malaysia-Johor Office's Media-Tourist Agent Eco-Challenge, I realised that what I knew of Johor is just the tip of the iceberg.
It was my first trip to the park, also known as Peta, because of an Orang Asli settlement called Kampung Peta located along the route into the area.
Because there is no proper road into the park, I had to endure a bumpy ride in a four-wheel-drive as it made its way through the pothole-riddled muddy road.
Still, it was lots of fun and an unforgettable experience.
One of the brain-teasers posed by the organisers was to name the 10 tourism icons of Johor.
Mind you, as a journalist, I though it would easy and I zealously jotted down 11 of them.
My team was the third to cross the finishing line out of the 10 that took part.
However, later that night we found we were at eighth place.
This was because the challenge was not based on time, but rather on points given for answering questions correctly.
We finished our physical tasks at record time but fared badly when it came to the questions comprising 60 per cent of the total score.
Unfortunately, we only knew this when the winners were announced. All that rushing was to no avail!
It was an eye-opener. We arrived at the finishing line more than five hours earlier compared with the last team to finish. What a shock to learn that last team was the one who won the challenge!
Though they were slow at the physical tasks, they won because they had all the answers right.
Upon returning to Johor Baru, I surfed the Internet to learn more about the state that I was tested on. I was amazed at how much I didn't know!
So, just you know, the 10 tourism icons in Johor are:
The Sultan Ibrahim Building on Bukit Timbalan. It is perhaps the most distinctive structure symbolising Johor Baru.
Then there is the Sultan Abu Bakar Royal Museum at Istana Besar. It was commissioned in 1864 by the Father of Modern Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar.
Kota Iskandar, that was named after the late Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar, comes next.
It was formerly known as the Johor State New Administrative Centre. Now it is fondly known as the Jewel of Johor and is the current administrative centre for the state government in Nusajaya.
Tanjung Piai National Park is home to many species of birds and mangrove flora and fauna, while Tanjung Kukup is the world's largest uninhabited mangrove island in the world.
Pulau Rawa is renowned for its beautiful beaches and offshore coral reefs, while Pulau Sibu is a an island of lush tropical rain forest.
Danga Bay or Teluk Danga is often referred to as the vision city of the south for being JB's premier waterfront city and the largest recreational park.
Endau Rompin National Park is one of the remaining large tracts of pristine lowland tropical rainforest.
Gunung Ledang or Mount Ophir is shrouded in mystical legends and folklore.
According to the legend of the Princess of Gunung Ledang, the Sultan of Malacca wanted the princess's hand in marriage and she, not wanting to marry him, demanded that the Sultan present her with seven jars of women's tears, seven trays of mosquitoes' hearts and seven bowls of the blood of the sultan's son.
After he was unable to meet these impossible requests, she fled to the mountain and continues to live in a hidden cave to this day.
Desaru boasts 25km of inviting beaches fringed by palms and casuarinas.
Kluang has the biggest dragon fruit orchard, organic vegetable farm, organic padi field, and pineapple and tea plantation.
To Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Johor Office acting director Nizam Abdul Wahid, thank you, sir for making me more of a Johorean!
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