KUALA LUMPUR - The year-end school holidays which began on Dec 16, have led to a surge in the demand for homestays in several states.
The operator for Inapan Desa Permai in Kangar, PERLIS, Hazaida Zuraini, 46, said they were fully booked until the end of the month, mostly by families.
"...bookings for next year are already in. I have received reservations for my homestay for the February school break and next year’s Christmas holidays,” she told Bernama recently.
A guest at Inapan Desa Permai, Rooslina Ahmad, 63 from Puchong, Selangor, said she came to Perlis for a holiday with 35 family members.
"We are more comfortable with homestays because they can accommodate a large group. The facilities and conditions in the homestays are also pleasant. We checked in yesterday and checked out today, and we plan to visit Padang Besar, Wang Kelian and the Timah Tasoh Lake,” she added.
Like Hazaida, Mohd Yusuf Yaakob, 30, who manages Orang-Orang Village cabin room stay in Arau also said they were fully booked until the end of this month, adding that he planned to add more cabin rooms in the future.
In MELAKA, the chairman of the state homestay and village stay type of accommodation Datuk Akramuddin Abd Aziz said bookings were full because reservations were made several months prior.
Currently, there are 185 rooms in nine villages registered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and just last month, about 400 visitors booked several homestay and village stay accommodations in Alai, he said.
"It was understood that there are already reservations in conjunction with next year’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The price for a homestay or village stay in Melaka is around RM90 to RM120 per night, and some tourists made reservations for up to three or four days,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tuan Mohd Nor Tuan Yahya, 58, and his wife Rohani Mohamed, 57, from Pasir Tumboh, Kelantan, said they chose to stay at a homestay in Bukit Rambai for its reasonable price and facilities.
The couple, who is participating in a motorcycle convoy said they paid RM100 for a night’s stay.
NEGERI SEMBILAN Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) chairman Haziz Hassan said hotel booking rates surged by 70 to 80 per cent during the current school holidays, thereby providing a good return to the state’s hospitality industry.
He said the tourism sector was crucial because of the spillover into other sectors such as food and beverages, crafts and transportation, adding that most tourists in the state are from nearby states such as Melaka and the Klang Valley, as well as from overseas.
A Bernama check found local and foreign tourists thronging the Teluk Kemang beach to spend quality time with their families.
A tourist from Beijing, China, Eng Boh Yee, 26, who is in Malaysia with her friends said they chose Port Dickson to spend their holidays because of its beautiful beaches and it is conveniently close to Kuala Lumpur.
A drinks seller at the beach, Nur Ayu Naziera Abdullah, 21, said her daily income has increased, fetching nearly RM3,000 due to the large number of tourists visiting the beach. - BERNAMA