JOHOR BAHRU – Tourism industry players in Johor were expecting a huge influx of people from Singapore over the Hari Raya weekend, but they observed that fewer Singaporeans crossed the Causeway during the recent festive break.
They said that despite the first day of Hari Raya falling on a weekend, the usual heavy congestion at the two land crossings between Johor and Singapore was not seen.
Johor Tourist Guides Association president Jimmy Leong Wei Kong said: “With Hari Raya falling on a Saturday this time, we were expecting a large number of Singaporeans.
“Surprisingly, it was rather quiet this time. The traffic at the Causeway and the Second Link was smooth, which is rare during festive times.”
Mr Leong told The Star: “Apart from those coming here to celebrate Hari Raya, we were also expecting others to travel to Johor to make use of their holidays, but that was not the case this time.”
He believed that the increase in Covid-19 cases in Singapore could have been a factor.
“There has been a surge in Covid-19 cases in Singapore and many may be taking precautionary measures to avoid being infected. This may include postponing travel to other places, including Johor,” he said.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teo said the occupancy rate for hotels this Hari Raya was about 20 per cent lower compared with 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the last time the border was open.
“Even bookings for Ramadan buffets were lower this year. Last year, there was a surge in bookings during Hari Raya as the border had just reopened and many Singaporeans were excited to spend their holidays here again. However, this year things were slow,” he said.
Mr Teo added that the haze could also have contributed to the drop in the number of visitors to Johor this festive season.
But Tourism Johor director Suhairi Hashim said the number of arrivals from Singapore had not dropped. “We cannot compare with last year as at that time, the border had just reopened, but if we were to compare with pre-pandemic times, it was almost the same,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
