Johor expecting influx of festive visitors

JOHOR BARU: Hotels here are seeing an increase in room bookings due to the stretch of holidays next week.

Malaysian Association Hotels Johor Chapter chairman Ivan Teo said that with Labour Day and Hari Raya Aidilfitri taking place just days apart, hotels here had a good reason to be optimistic that the public holidays would serve as a break for many vacationers.

“Many hotels here have started to report an increase in bookings and with Hari Raya drawing nearer, we expect the trend to continue.

“We also expect to see many Singaporeans crossing the Causeway and coming here as Johor Baru is always their main choice of destination besides Desaru,” he said here yesterday.

Teo added that with the influx of travellers, both domestic and foreign, small businesses that were dependant on them would see positive changes after the two-year nose-dive driven by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysia Budget and Business Hotel Association Johor Chapter chairman Jarod Chia said they were expecting last-minute bookings from travellers during the holiday period.

He said at present, there was a rise in bookings and reservations made by travellers for the festive celebrations.

Chia added that during the first couple of weeks of border reopening, not many bookings had been made by Singaporeans at budget hotels around Johor.

“Not many Singaporeans were driving into the state as most of the Singapore-registered vehicles were actually Malaysians returning to their hometowns.

“But with the upcoming holidays, we expect to see many Singaporeans coming here to celebrate the festivities with their loved ones or for a much-needed vacation,” he said, adding that 207 budget hotels in Johor were registered under the association.