Monsoon not dampening Johor tourism

Splashing good time: The long school holiday season has been a boon for several theme parks around Johor.

JOHOR BARU: The monsoon season, which has forced authorities to close popular tourist destinations such as national parks and islands in Johor, will have a minimal effect on tourism, says Johor Tourist Guides Association president Jimmy Leong Wei Kong.

“As a precaution, the authorities have not allowed any sea-related activities or those at high risk areas. But there are other alternative destinations that tourists can still visit in Johor,” he said.

Besides attractions at the Johor Baru central business district, Leong said districts such as Kluang, Batu Pahat and Muar were getting more popular with both foreign and domestic tourists, especially those seeking a “retro vibe”.

“And I am sure that the cool and cloudy weather now (is much more comfortable) for visitors going to theme parks in Johor,” he added.

Thus, he believed that the monsoon season would not have any great effect on the tourism industry here as it was a normal occurrence during the yearend.

However, he said the main concern of industry players about the monsoon season was the possibility of road access being cut off during floods.

Tourism Johor director Suhairi Hashim said that national parks and islands off the coast of Mersing were closed during the monsoon season.

“Based on our experience, the monsoon season will last until the middle of January.

“Hopefully, the weather will improve so that our national parks and islands will be open to the public once more.

“However, other top tourism destinations in Johor, such as Desaru, remain open for tourists,” he added.

Suhairi also said that the high volume of traffic at other tourism destinations in the state was a good sign that the monsoon season had had little effect on Johor’s tourism industry.