More cancel Sabah trip over insurance
Published on: Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: There have been low occupancies even in budget accommodation, particularly backpacker lodges, in Sabah for the year ending this month.
One top operator rated by Trip Advisor revealed that occupancy rate at his hostel was below 50 per cent – on average around 40 per cent. The blame went to the perception of the State's security where news of repeated curfew renewals by the police, although only applied to the East Coast, cast a blanket over the whole State as if a state of security siege exists.
The most common reason received by operators here was that bookings by overseas clients had to be cancelled because there was an insurance coverage problem due to some travel advisories in the past where the destination was marked in the red zone.
"Some cancelled their trip booked because they could not get any insurance coverage or that their insurance company would disclaim any liability should they travel to places like Sabah," said Wong Su Kong, a hostel operator at Mosque Valley next to Bandaran Berjaya.
This was confirmed by Richie Lee heading the Sabah Backpacker Operators Association, saying the situation persists for the whole year. "Yes, although backpackers are reputed to be an adventurous lot, the insurance aspect is still a prudent issue for many to cover any mishaps as medical costs are escalating," said Robert Chin, another operator.
Negative news that made the headlines across the world like the recent beheading and recovery of the headless corpse only served to tarnish the State's image of providing security to tourists and citizens alike.
Richie said his association is working with the federal and state tourism authorities to promote the industry, especially domestic tourism by Malaysians by road, rail, sea and air.
A memorandum was signed with Almacrest International College here to train their tourism graduates before they enter the market with some travels within the State to gain better practical experience and soft skills.
"In some overseas countries, new graduates travel for a few months or a year to gain valuable experience before they apply for jobs. Normally those who are well-travelled have an edge over those with the same qualifications in the job market," Richie said.
"Therefore, we encourage graduates to do so. They can stay at backpacker hostels where the costs are not exorbitant and where they get to meet people from other places all around the world to open their mind, worldview and gain confidence from such interactions," said Jeffrey Sim.
Domestic tourism accounts for some 60 per cent of the hoteliers' business, and the arrivals from strong backpacking countries mostly in the First World is dropping no thanks to the inability of the Philippines to control the export of their lawlessness social problems.
