PETALING JAYA: Hotels in Sepang and Putrajaya are recording strong bookings ahead of the Formula One (F1) Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this October, highlighting the economic potential of major events and prompting tourism players to call for Malaysia to attract more international sporting and lifestyle spectacles.
Malaysian Association of Hotels vice-president Cs Lim said some hotels in Sepang had already reached full occupancy, while others were seeing demand surge ahead of the event.
“It is really good news. Based on our initial survey of hotels in Sepang, bookings are very strong and some hotels are already fully booked for that period,” he said.
Hotels in Putrajaya were also seeing brisk demand as visitors moved early to secure rooms before rates increased, with demand particularly strong among three, four and five-star properties.
This year’s Bahrain Grand Prix will be held at SIC from Oct 2-4, marking the return of Formula One racing to Malaysia after the Malaysian Grand Prix was discontinued in 2017.
Lim said the event was expected to benefit hotels not only in Sepang but across the Klang Valley through spillover demand.
He added that hotel performance in the first half of the year remained steady, with stronger occupancy levels driven mainly by major events.
“There is nothing spectacular but events organised by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and Tourism Malaysia have helped. During major events in Kuala Lumpur, hotels in surrounding areas also performed well, particularly with the success of the inaugural Rain Rave Water Music Festival,” he said.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Kuala Lumpur chapter chairman BE Lim said hotels in the capital were seeing bookings picked up, although the pace varied.
“Hotels in Kuala Lumpur are slowly filling up, although the pace is uneven. However, we expect occupancy to improve in the weeks to come as the trend is already there,” he said.
Hotels and prime areas in Kuala Lumpur are expected to benefit from higher-spending visitors, race teams and international guests, while businesses and service providers in the Sepang, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya areas are also set to gain from increased activity.
A check by The Star on several hotel booking platforms found limited room availability around Sepang, including in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya, for the race weekend from Oct 2-4.
Several hotels were already fully booked, while others had only a small number of rooms remaining.
Sama-Sama Hotel KL International Airport and Marriott Putrajaya were listed as fully booked, while premium rooms at Tune Hotel KLIA-KLIA2 were mostly unavailable, with only a few rooms left in other categories.
Several five-star hotels, including Zenith Hotel Putrajaya, Pulse Grande Hotel, Dorsett Putrajaya and Le Meridien Putrajaya, also showed limited availability.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Nigel Wong said events such as F1 races, motorsports, marathons and other international competitions could draw foreign visitors while encouraging Malaysians to explore destinations nationwide.
Such events would also benefit hotels, transport operators, restaurants and other local businesses, while offering domestic tourists more travel opportunities beyond conventional leisure activities.
“Events are a great way to get people from one place to another. This applies to the domestic tourism market as well,” he said.
Wong said MATTA would work with its members to develop customised packages for visitors attending major events, similar to durian tourism packages offered during the fruit season.
“The government should work closely with the private sector to encourage more world-class events to be held in Malaysia,” he said.
He added that MATTA was working with BASE Association Malaysia to organise an international BASE jumping competition in Kuala Lumpur next year.
“There are other types of sports that have not been held in Malaysia, or have not been held here for some time. These kinds of sporting events will be very beneficial to us,” he said.
