The Malaysian hotel industry is working out various ways to counter the sharp decline in tourist arrivals and room occupancy arising from the war in Iraq and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
We are now advising our member hotels to tell staff to take annual leave now. Or do whatever remedial work they need to do during this low period. If the problem persists, we may have to resort to other measures such as a cut in management pay, or reducing the number of working days per week, said Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO) president Tan Boon Lee.