Hotels
Room for optimism
Sabah is upbeat on tourism despite challenges
By Oliver Majaham
Pictures by Ille Tugimin and Victor Lo
Sabah’s latest 600-room 4-star Ming Garden hotel opened on a high note earlier this month amid falling demand for rooms as Malaysia Airlines has stopped flights between Kota Kinabalu and Osaka, Haneda, Seoul and Perth. These routes to Japan, South Korea and Australia are important to Sabah’s tourism. Nevertheless, Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman is upbeat because the industry is resilient. And he expects more tourists this year.
His optimism is not unfounded. Ming Garden is owned by China’s Long Yuan Construction Group Company Limited and managed by Hong Kong’s 5-Element. They have been bringing Chinese tourists to the state since its soft opening in December. Chinese made up almost 40% of last year’s 2.8m tourists.
Long Yuan, says Zhou Jing De, its vice-president, spent about 200m ringgit ($65m) to build the 11-storey Ming Garden which comprises 356 flats that have been sold; but their owners have leased them to the hotel to house tourists. Construction started five years ago.
The project on slightly less than a hectare (two-acre) is a joint-venture between the Sabah government’s Sabah Urban Development Corporation and Long Yuan. It has not cost it a sen as Long Yuan paid for the entire project. SUDC however has made a profit of 20m ringgit from the deal, according to Juslie Ajirol, its chairman.
Juslie says there will be future income from leases and the running of the hotel’s car park.
There are 511 hotels in Sabah of which 163 are in Kota Kinabalu. Seven of them are five-star and seven four-star. Alex Cham, chairman of the Sabah and Labuan chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels, says there is an oversupply of rooms in five- and four-star hotels in Kota Kinabalu.
Ming Garden and the new Horizon Hotel add 800 rooms which may push occupancy rate down to 60% and lower, according to Cham.
Still Musa is optimistic. He thinks there is room for more hotels as tourist arrivals are expected to increase. The travel industry has already made alternative arrangements to bring tourists from Japan, South Korea and Australia to Sabah. – Insight Sabah
Posted on March 29, 2012
|
State Assemblymen Swearing in Ceremony |
View |
|
Closing Ceremony of IT training for usage of IOS and Android |
View |
|
The 6th Biennial Sabah Games (SAGA) 2013 |
View |
-
I hope all elected representatives will make full use of the State Assembly sitting as the best platform to not only participate actively in debates, but also more importantly, every word said represent the voice of the grassroots
Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman speaking at the State dinner in conjunction with the opening of the State Assembly sitting in Likas.
-
Before we move further ahead in developing the Oil and Gas industry in Sabah, it is important that we gain better knowledge of and a full understanding on the approach taken by the nation as a whole in this sector of the economy
Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Industrial Development Datuk Raymond Tan said at the 17th Asia Oil and Gas Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Tan led the delegation from Sabah to the Conference.
-
If we wish to become a more developed and more inclusive society, employee welfare must be prioritised. I ask all employers to commit to pay their workers a living wage.
Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, said in his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, yesterday. Malaysia had introduced the Minimum Wage Policy in July last year, and employers were given until early this year to begin complying with the new regulation.
-
The government has established ILTP to fill the void and to produce quality and competent human capital in various fields to meet the labour market. The institute offers various choices for youths to learn and equip themselves with vocational skills that are in great demand in the employment market in Sabah
Datuk Siringan Gubat Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology said this during his working visit to the Commerce and Technical Training Institute (ILTP) in Papar.
-
We strive to empower all members of society, including women to ensure they reach their fullest potential and play a greater role in driving Sabah's future development
Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Haji Aman, said in his address at the swearing-in ceremony for members of the Sabah Women Advisory Council (MPWS) held at his official residence in Seri Gaya yesterday.