Johor tourism not impacted by Ulu Tiram attack, say industry players
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Despite the incident, no large tourist groups have cancelled their tour bookings, said the Johor Tourist Guides Association.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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JOHOR BAHRU - Johor’s tourism sector will not face a negative impact following the attack at the Ulu Tiram police station
Mr Ivan Teoh, chairman of the Johor chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, said that with Malaysia and Singapore school holidays around the corner, hotels in the state are expecting bookings, especially from across the Causeway.
“The attack at the Ulu Tiram police station recently is just a one-off incident, which will not have a negative impact on the Johor tourism industry.
“With the Singapore school holidays to start on May 25, which also coincides with Malaysia’s school holidays, we are expecting a good number of people at hotels in Johor,” Mr Teoh said when contacted on May 19.
Asked about tighter security measures taken by Singapore authorities at the border and the rise of Covid-19 cases in the Republic, Mr Teoh said this would not deter Singaporeans from travelling to Johor.
“The reason is that the cost of living in Singapore is very high, and Singaporeans want to travel to enjoy themselves in places in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and especially Johor.
“We are also expecting a large number of tourists from China to take advantage of the visa waiver to travel to Johor and stay at the hotels here,” Mr Teoh said.
Johor Tourist Guides Association chairman Jimmy Leong said the May 17 attack on the police station was an isolated case, which would not affect tourist arrivals.
“Malaysian authorities have stated that the attacker was a lone wolf. Furthermore, the incident happened on the outskirts of Johor Bahru instead of within the city area.
“What is important is for the authorities to continue providing updates on the matter, which will give more clarity on what happened that can ease public concern,” he added.
Mr Leong said that despite the incident, no large tourist groups have cancelled their tour bookings, which is good for the tourism industry.
Two policemen were killed while another was injured in the attack by a 21-year-old masked man at the police station.
The attacker was also killed in the pre-dawn incident. THE STAR/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
