More holidaymakers from across the Causeway are travelling to Johor Baru during the school holidays in Singapore. — Filepic
WITH the school holidays in Singapore and visa exemption for China nationals, hotels in Johor Baru are seeing good occupancy rates, and this is set to continue with the long Hari Raya Haji weekend.
Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said there were currently about 18,500 hotel rooms in Johor Baru alone.
“After Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru has the second most number of hotel rooms in Malaysia.
Teo says hotels in Johor Baru have seen a rise in bookings from China nationals since the visa waiver.
“Currently, the occupancy rate at hotels, especially those located in the city, is peaking.
“About 80% of hotel rooms in Johor Baru alone have been taken up by foreign tourists,” he said when contacted.
Teo said the room reservations were largely due to the ongoing school holiday in Singapore as well as the high number of tourists from China.
He said the government’s decision to implement a 30-day visa-free policy for China nationals was the major factor.
He added that hotels were expecting bookings from locals over this stretch of extended weekend holiday.
Teo said the hospitality industry in the state was expected to grow further following the announcement of Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and Special Financial Zone (SFZ).
“Once JS-SEZ and SFZ is realised, we should see more people, not only foreign tourists but also foreign investors coming into Johor.
“We should see more demand for hotel rooms as well as venues for business seminars and meetings,” he added.
Muslims in Malaysia will celebrate Hari Raya Haji on June 17.
