Singapore Tourism Report Q1 2010 - new market report released

Singapore's tourism industry experienced a difficult H109 Visitor arrivals were down by 11.5%, to just 4.51mn in January-June. The Singapore Tourist Board (STB) attributed the poor performance primarily to the global economic crisis, but arrivals from North Asia were also reduced due to the effects of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) pandemic.

From the halfway point of the year, tourist
arrivals resumed an upwards trend. In December 2009, the STB said visitor arrivals stood at 8.71mn for January-November. Strong increases were recorded in arrivals from Indonesia, Malaysia and China over October and November. That said, we believe the most likely outcome for the year as a whole is a slight fall in arrivals from 2008’s 10.12mn arrivals, mainly as a result of the very poor first half.

…But The Longer-Term Prognosis Remains Positive
Although 2009 was difficult for the Singaporean tourism industry, there are reasons to be positive about the medium-to-long term as the global economy recovers. In particular, the opening of the two integrated resorts, at Marina Bay and Sentosa, in 2010 should help the island attract new tourists. Also in 2010, Singapore will host the first Youth Olympics and open the International Cruise Terminal.

Tiger Airways Announces IPO

In January 2010, Singapore's Tiger Airways unveiled its long awaited initial public offering (IPO) of stock in the company. The airline hopes to raise SGD273mn via the IPO, which it will use to fund aircraft purchases and pay down debt.

Some media reports said Tiger Airways had initially hoped to raise more money via the IPO, but an uncertain outlook for global investment markets and the challenging outlook for the airline industry may have both played a part in the downsizing of the offer.

Integrated Resorts

Opening Soon Four of the new hotels at the Sentosa integrated resort – Maxims Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel Singapore –start phased opening in late January 2010. The other two hotels at the resort are the Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas. Bookings for the hotels opened in H209. Other attractions at Sentosa will include a Universal Studios theme park, a casino and the world’s largest oceanarium. We believe Sentosa and other new resorts will do much to significantly boost Singapore’s tourism industry from 2010 onwards. We expect to report on the opening of the resort and its prospects in Q210.


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Singapore tourism drops 4.3 per cent, hotels take hit

Singapore - Tourist arrivals in Singapore fell 4.3 per cent in 2009 to 9.7 million, the city-state's tourism board said Tuesday. Hotels were hit hard as visitors stayed away due to the economic recession and the H1N1 flu outbreak. A strong rebound in the last quarter allowed for a "very credible" performance over the whole year, tourism board chief executive Aw Kah Peng said. Visitor arrivals for the month of December reached a record 971,000.

However, tourism receipts over the year were estimated at 12.4 billion Singapore dollars (8.7 billion US dollars), down 19 per cent from a year earlier, the board said.

Hotels were hit hard as the average room rate fell 22.3 per cent to 191 Singapore dollars. Average revenue per hotel room - including rooms that remained vacant - was down 26.6 per cent to 146 Singapore dollars in 2009.

Overall room revenue for Singapore's hotels in 2009 was 1.51 billion Singapore dollars, a slump of 28.3 per cent from a year earlier.

The tourism board is to present its forecast for 2010 in March, Aw said, adding that "we expect the growth momentum from the last quarter 2009 to continue."

Hopes are riding on two new multibillion-dollar casino resorts, designed to attract visitors from across the Asia-Pacific region, to restore the fortunes of Singapore's ailing tourism industry.

Resorts World Sentosa, which includes South-East Asia's first Universal Studios theme park, has already opened some of its hotels and received the gambling licence for its casino last weekend.

Marina Bay Sands, located in the heart of the financial district, is slated to open in April at the earliest.

Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/308233,singapore-tourism-drops-43-per-cent-hotels-take-hit.html#ixzz0fgfRcRMS


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Singapore Tourism Emerges With Integrated Resorts

SINGAPORE — Singapore has been missing that "certain something" as a tourist destination. Now, finally, it may have the answer in two integrated casino-resorts-the recently opened US$4.4 billion Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) from Malaysian gaming giant Genting Group and the US$5.5 billion Marina Bay Sands (MBS) now slated for a late-April opening.

The Sands project reportedly was nearing default late last year, but Las Vegas Sands Corp. raised US$2.1 billion in a bond sale to complete the project.

The two resorts-with government regulations allotting less than 5% of their space for gaming-reflects an attempt to diversify Singapore's tourism base to compete more effectively with neighboring countries. But whether or not Singapore can compete with Macau or become the Las Vegas of Southeast Asia might depend on how consumers react to the expected imposition of restrictions in the form of a S$2,000 (US$1,440) annual fee or S$100 entry fee, as well as stringent rules for traditional gambling junkets to deter money laundering.

However, the two resorts are expected to contribute about 1% to 2% of Singapore's gross domestic product, help the country achieve visitor arrival goals of 17 million by 2015 (10 million in 2008) and eventually add 35,000 jobs to the economy. The government hopes to boost tourism earning to S$30 billion (US$21.5 billion) by 2015-tripling current figures.

While neither RWS nor MBS executives would offer any revenue projections, reports have MBS with net profits of between S$800 million and S$1 billion next year, with the smaller Sentosa project netting S$750 million. Analysts say 70% to 80% of revenues initially will come from gaming, sliding back to 50% to 60% once all the other attractions are open.

Robert Hecker, Singapore-based managing director for Horwath Asia Pacific, says the timing of these projects is right for the region's rebounding markets and will help drive incremental business to the rest of the market.

The Missing Link
RWS's four hotels-Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael-and shop outlets on Sentosa Island opened January 20, offering a combined inventory of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurants. Another two hotels, Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas, will add another 500 rooms when they launch after 2010. Initial reports showed all four hotels fully booked with very limited availability in March and April. "Our first weekend that was opened to the public saw us hit more than 90% in room occupancy with Festive and Hard Rock Hotels fully booked," says Robin Goh, assistant director of communications.

The sprawling 49-ha (121-acre) resort designed by Michael Graves on an island a quarter-mile off the coast plans to open its casino February 14. The other main attraction—Southeast Asia's first Universal Studios theme park—is also expected to open within the first quarter. Built in less than three years, RWS is targeting a wider family-focused audience with its theme park and the world's largest marine life park, scheduled for 2011. In addition, RWS will also include 26 function rooms, a 1,600-seat theater and a destination spa. The strong F&B component, when fully operational, is expected to serve 25,000 to 30,000 meals a day, and 40,000 meals on weekends.

RWS Chief Executive Officer Tan Hee Teck has been quoted as saying he expects 60% of Sentosa visitors to be foreigners, of whom 20% to 25% would be from China. In addition, initial MICE business looks very positive, with 33 conferences booked so far this year, no doubt taking advantage of the 6,300-seat ballroom.

Hecker says having a branded theme park as well as integration of highly marketable attractions-as opposed to how disparate and non-integrated Sentosa has been in the past-makes it the "missing link" in Singapore's tourism offering. "Throw in the casinos to help ‘subsidize' such major tourist and visitor attractions and you have a clear win-win scenario. The only real issue I can foresee is access and crowd management, particularly for Resorts World."

Icon Status
With more than 1,300 team members already on board, MBS in late April will open the first phase, including nearly 1,000 hotel rooms, part of the shopping mall and convention center, the first three celebrity chef restaurants and other dining, as well as the casino, according to CEO and President Thomas Arasi. The second phase-which includes the Sands SkyPark sitting on the 57th story of the signature-curved three hotel towers, the Event Plaza along Marina Bay and more shops and restaurants-will open in the summer. Theaters and the museum will open later in the year.

"You can't beat the location of Marina Bay-prime city center for a convention-fueled destination," Hecker says. "It's iconic and will be perceived and realized as a must-visit property on an international level."

Arasi says the curves of the Marina Bay Sands hotel towers are "spectacular, both visually and from an engineering perspective." Those same towers have also been the source of engineering challenges, as has been reclaiming land from the sea for the 120,000-sq.-m (1.3 million-sq.-ft.) convention center, which has pushed back the opening to April.

The sloping towers and the straight legs were constructed as two separate buildings. "We used steel link trusses to connect the two structures at level 23 to form one building," Arasi says. "The link trusses helped to transfer the weight from the sloping legs to the stronger legs. We built one hotel floor every four days-an unprecedented feat for a project of this scale. The building is already an icon redefining the Singapore skyline."

The 7,000-tonne (15.4 million-pound) steel structure of the Sands SkyPark took 14 heavy lifts to place. "We have fitted out the hotel rooms up to about the 22nd floor, we are working on the interiors of the convention center and the casino, and we completed the chandelier in the casino. The event plaza along Marina Bay is almost complete. It's really exciting to see this come together," Arasi says.

To drive business, Arasi says MBS already has a strong lineup of events for the Sands Expo and Convention Centre that will bring more than 150,000 attendees to the integrated resort beginning this year. Among many events, the resort is hosting the 2010 UFI Congress, which is coming back to Singapore after a 15-year absence. "The diversity of trade shows and conferences in Marina Bay Sands is a strong sign of support for us and for Singapore," Arasi adds.

Arasi says his sales team is also working closely with the Singapore Tourism Board on joint marketing activities. "We have built up our sales network in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, as well as in Europe and the Americas," Arasi says. "In terms of geographical mix, we are targeting the markets of Southeast Asia, China, India, Middle East and Russia, as well as the U.S. and Europe."


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Lucy Ong appointed as Tourism WA's Marketing Manager for Singapore & Malaysia

Tourism Western Australia’s marketing representation agency in Singapore and Malaysia, Xzodus, has appointed Ms Lucy Ong to the role of Marketing Manager – Singapore and Malaysia.

No stranger to the travel trade, Lucy was the Regional Marketing Manager – South East Asia for VisitBritain (formerly British Tourist Authority) for 11 years before leaving the industry in 2007 for a temporary family relocation to the USA.

During her time with Visit Britain, she played a key role in raising the profile of Britain through comprehensive joint marketing and training programs with the trade and media as well as undertaking research on the needs of the SE Asian travellers into Britain. She was also responsible for organising Destination Britain, a major trade event attracting over 200 Asia Pacific buyers and US sellers.

In addition, she played a key role in winning a Marketing award for the Singapore office for the Shop-Till-You-Drop campaign ran in conjunction with Maison de la France.

A graduate from the National University of Singapore in Business Administration, Lucy will be responsible for the overall management of TWA’s marketing activities in the Singapore and Malaysia markets. She joins the Xzodus team of Senior Consultants, Lee Ee Lian and Selena Oh, Marketing Executives Anne Chen (Singapore) and Jenny Chan (Malaysia), who work on the Tourism WA account.


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Singapore Tourism Report Q1 2010 - New Market Report Published

LONDON, ENGLAND

Singapore's tourism industry experienced a difficult H109 Visitor arrivals were down by 11.5%, to just 4.51mn in January-June. The Singapore Tourist Board (STB) attributed the poor performance primarily to the global economic crisis, but arrivals from North Asia were also reduced due to the effects of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) pandemic.

From the halfway point of the year, tourist arrivals resumed an upwards trend. In December 2009, the STB said visitor arrivals stood at 8.71mn for January-November. Strong increases were recorded in arrivals from Indonesia, Malaysia and China over October and November. That said, we believe the most likely outcome for the year as a whole is a slight fall in arrivals from 2008's 10.12mn arrivals, mainly as a result of the very poor first half.

...But The Longer-Term Prognosis Remains Positive
Although 2009 was difficult for the Singaporean tourism industry, there are reasons to be positive about the medium-to-long term as the global economy recovers. In particular, the opening of the two integrated resorts, at Marina Bay and Sentosa, in 2010 should help the island attract new tourists. Also in 2010, Singapore will host the first Youth Olympics and open the International Cruise Terminal.

Tiger Airways Announces IPO

In January 2010, Singapore's Tiger Airways unveiled its long awaited initial public offering (IPO) of stock in the company. The airline hopes to raise SGD273mn via the IPO, which it will use to fund aircraft purchases and pay down debt.

Some media reports said Tiger Airways had initially hoped to raise more money via the IPO, but an uncertain outlook for global investment markets and the challenging outlook for the airline industry may have both played a part in the downsizing of the offer.

Integrated Resorts

Opening Soon Four of the new hotels at the Sentosa integrated resort - Maxims Tower, Hotel Michael, Festive Hotel and the Hard Rock Hotel Singapore -start phased opening in late January 2010. The other two hotels at the resort are the Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas. Bookings for the hotels opened in H209. Other attractions at Sentosa will include a Universal Studios theme park, a casino and the world's largest oceanarium. We believe Sentosa and other new resorts will do much to significantly boost Singapore's tourism industry from 2010 onwards. We expect to report on the opening of the resort and its prospects in Q210.


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Singapore to help boost eco-tourism in Johor

SINGAPORE, Jan 8 — Singapore is lending Malaysia its expertise in developing green reserves for eco-tourism.

The tourism agencies of both countries have started a joint feasibility study to look into how an attraction like Singapore's Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve in Kranji can be replicated across the Causeway.

The areas that Malaysia hopes to develop into tourism spots are all in Johor — Sungai Pulai, Tanjung Piai and Pulau Kukup.

All have been classified as Ramsar sites, a title granted by the Geneva-based Ramsar Convention Bureau to identify wetlands of international importance.

Johor's lush Sungai Pulai alone spans 9ha. Officially gazetted in 1923, it is the country's second-largest mangrove forest.

It sits at the mouth of a lowland tropical river basin, and is home to seagrass beds, intertidal mudflats and an inland freshwater riverine forest, which teem with animal life.

The joint feasibility study, expected to be completed this year, is the first such venture into the tourism sector.

It will identify appropriate activities for visitors and the kind of people likely to go there, as well as explore the adoption of a code of management practices.

The first mention of the collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia in this area came from Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan last year, when he gave an update on Singapore's involvement in Iskandar Malaysia, a project to develop southern Johor's economic corridor.

Collaborations between the two countries in this economic zone come under a joint ministerial committee.

Mah added that the two sides' environment agencies are also sharing expertise in areas such as river cleaning.

Malaysia's senior regional government officials have been quoted in the media as having said that the move to develop Sungai Pulai is in line with the plan to build a viable tourist hot spot there.

Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman told the New Straits Times: “Together with the rapid development in Iskandar Malaysia, the state aims to preserve its natural beauty and carry out sustainable development.”

When contacted, John Conceicao, director of strategic planning and innovation at the Singapore Tourism Board, said it was working with its Malaysian counterpart on developing joint marketing campaigns for the nature sites “to potentially increase tourism flows into and between Iskandar Malaysia and Singapore”.

Professor Leo Tan, director of special projects at the National University of Singapore, said that if the findings of the study are followed through and adopted, the area's vital eco-system could be preserved.

Pointing to Sungei Buloh here, he said that it had, with proper management, “morphed out of what was nothing more than a dilapidated prawn pond”.

He added: “The key for any country lies in optimising its resources in a rational and educated manner... to develop an appreciation and understanding of why we need to protect our biodiversity.” — The Straits Times


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Phuket tourism in high gear with last-minute bookings

PHUKET: For the last few weeks, a steady rise in the island’s hotel reservations indicate a strong start for the 2010 tourism season.

According to the Phuket Tourist Association, which since 1980 began monitoring information and trends for the island tourism industry, hotel bookings have increased considerably compared with the same period last year.

According to Phuket Tourist Association president Somboon Jirayut, between the last week of December 2009 and the beginning of January, vacation rentals and hotel room reservations increased, with up to 90 percent of those reservations being last-minute bookings.

“With the high season just beginning, but already breaking records, the island’s hospitality business is encouraged. Many post-tsunami factors are contributing to increased tourism and luckily, Thailand's political climate has remained stable following the 2008 anti-government protests,” Mr Somboon said.

Mr Somboon added that additional flights to Phuket from Australia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore were a significant factor in the increase of tourists.

“Over the last year tourists’ behaviors have changed. In the past, most tourists made their vacation reservations at least one-year in advance. These days, however, most visitors book their rooms closer to their projected travel dates or even at the last minute,” he concluded.


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Cruise Brings Tourism Boost

Bandar Seri Begawan - German cruise vessel MS AIDAcara made her maiden call at Muara Port yesterday, marking another milestone for the Ports Department in attracting cruise vessels to call at the port and providing good linkages with other major tourist destinations in the region.

Built in June 1996 and refurbished in 2001, the MS AIDAcara weighs 38,531 tonnes and is 634.2 feet in length with 11 decks capable of carrying 1,186 passengers and 360 crews.

The vessel has been awarded a four-star status, according to TopNews Travel, along with other vessels owned by German company, AIDA Cruises.

MS AIDAcara arrived in Brunei at 6.30am after a long journey from their previous stop in Singapore.

Present at Muara Port yesterday to greet the crew was Ports Department Director Ang Kian Guan and officers from the department who had the opportunity to tour the vessel under the guide of the ship's captain, Detlef Harms.

Following the arrival, all passengers disembarked to take their day tour around Brunei before returning to the ship in the afternoon to continue their journey to their next destination: Ho Chi Minh City.

In 2008, 21 cruise liners called at Muara Port, carrying a total of 15,801 passengers and 8,640 crewmen. This year, 24 cruise liners are scheduled to berth at the port.

More cruise liner calls are scheduled for next year, with nine vessels expected to call at the port in March.

From 2010, Muara Port will be part of the Asean Cruise Terminal Operators network under the Asean Ports Association. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times


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Tourism Report Singapore

Bharatbook.com included a new report on "Tourism Report Singapore" into its market report catalogue for reselling.

The Singapore Tourism Report has been researched at source, and features latest-available data covering tourist expenditure, government expenditure on tourism, foreign direct investment projects, domestic airline revenues, passenger arrivals and departures, and the country’s hospitality markets; 5-year industry forecasts through end-2013; company rankings and competitive landscapes for multinational and local companies; and analysis of latest industry developments, trends and regulatory changes, as well as political risk factors affecting theSingaporean tourism sector.

Business Monitor International’s Singaporean Tourism Report provides industry professionals and strategists, corporate analysts, associations, government departments and regulatory bodies with independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on theSingaporean tourism industry.
Key Benefits of Report

*

Benchmark BMI’s Independent 5-year Tourism Industry Forecasts on Singapore to test other views – a key input for successful budgetary and planning in the Singaporean Tourism market.
*

Target Business Opportunities & Risks in the Singaporean Tourism Sector through our reviews of latest industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments in Singapore.
*

Exploit the Latest Competitive Singaporean Tourism Intelligence & company SWOTS on your competitors and peers through company rankings by sales, market share and ownership structure – includes multi-national and national companies inSingapore.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report feel free to visit : http://www.bharatbook.com/Market-Research-Reports/Tourism-Report-Singapore.html

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Contact us at :

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Singapore Tourism Board launches City Advantage tag for business travellers

Singapore Tourism Board (STB), as the latest addition to its ‘2009 Reasons to meet in Singapore’ campaign, has launched the City Advantage tag for business travellers. The campaign promotes Singapore as a preferred MICE destination with a host of offerings ranging from dining to retail, and attractions to healthcare and wellness. More than 20 hotels have come together to offer privileges such as free unlimited Internet services, complimentary breakfast, accommodation extension and a host of other meetings packages. The City Advantage, which is exclusive to business travellers and delegates attending MICE events that are taking place in Singapore until December 2009, is distributed through hotels and to delegates upon registration at MICE events. Designed for both form and functionality, the City Advantage tag is compact and lightweight to suit the needs of business travellers.

“Through the City Advantage programme, we aim to showcase Singapore as a vibrant and cosmopolitan destination that offers memorable experiences for business visitors. Singapore delivers on this value proposition with the ‘2009 Reasons to meet in Singapor’ campaign, with business visitors gaining the added advantage of being able to experience the diverse leisure offerings in Singapore,” said Melissa Ow, Assistant Chief Executive, Business Travel and MICE Group, STB.

STB is also encouraging business delegates to tap on the benefits of the ‘Bring along a partner’ promotion, which features special deals for their partners such as dining and spa treatments. Information on the participating merchants under ‘2009 Reasons to meet in Singapore’ can be found on the City Advantage tag, along with contact numbers which business travellers can call to readily access taxi services, Goods and Services Tax (GST) refund and tourist information.

Elaborating on the City Advantage tag, Chew Tiong Heng, Director, Destination Marketing, STB said, “The objective of the City Advantage tag is to enhance and enrich the experiences of business visitors while they are in Singapore. The City Advantage tag and programmes under the ‘2009 Reasons to meet in Singapore’ campaign are all initiatives under BOOST (Building On Opportunities to Strengthen Tourism) to provide leisure and business visitors with value-enhancing packages and experiences. We would like to express our appreciation for the valuable efforts of our industry partners, in collaborating with the STB to develop these attractive promotions. We encourage all business travellers to take advantage of these exclusive promotions that stretch the dollar, and to enjoy Singapore’s stimulating destination offerings.”

STB launched BOOST, a SD 90 million initiative to help the tourism sector through the economic downturn. In the short term, BOOST aims to capture greater mindshare and maintain market share with ‘2009 Reasons to enjoy Singapore and ‘2009 Reasons to meet in Singapore’. Beyond these campaigns, BOOST also focuses on strengthening the sector by building capabilities, boosting collaboration with industry partners, and shaping the future of Singapore’s tourism sector.

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Singapore tourism plummets further in May

Singapore - Singapore's ailing tourism industry plummeted further in May as hotel room revenue fell a heavy 37.7 per cent compared to a year earlier and the number of visitor arrivals was back to a double-digit decline, the Singapore Tourism Board said Friday.

In May, hotel room revenue in the city-state reached an estimated 112 million Singapore dollars (77 million US dollars), down from 180 million Singapore dollars a year ago.

Total visitor arrivals came up to 730,000, a decline of 13 per cent compared to May 2008.

In April the number of visitor arrivals shrank just 6.1 per cent following three months of double-digit slumps, raising hopes that the worst might be over for Singapore's tourism sector, which has been hit hard by the global economic downturn.

But the board said tourist numbers from Asian markets like China, Japan and South Korea fell sharply in May, attributing the decline in part to the global outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

Singapore confirmed 95 new cases of H1N1 Thursday, bringing the total number to 315.

Among Singapore's top 15 tourist markets only Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines posted growth in May, due to 'aggressive airline and marketing promotions,' the board said.

Hotel business continued to drop with an average room occupancy rate reaching 69 per cent in May, a fall of 12.2 percentage points compared to a year ago.

The average room rate reached an estimated 184 Singapore dollars, down 25.4 per cent from May 2008, the board said. dpa kpo se 260829 GMT Jun 09 Sent via WebAccess by Portmann MEZ 26-06-2009_10:44

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Singapore skyline tour is a high priority for any tourist

The passport control officer offered us sweets as she stamped our passport - in conversation we agreed that this was the friendliest passport experience ever.

With just a few hours to spend in this great bustling city, the perfect place to spend at least some of it is on the Singapore Flyer.

The first thing you will be told is that it is even taller than the London Eye - it stands at 165m, the height of a 42-storey building.

And in a city of skyscrapers, it's probably just as well.

The 30-minute flight costs S$29.50 (R174) for an adult and includes an audio guide to the city.

The audio points to the iconic and historical landmarks and views, from the Marina Bay to the Singapore River, Raffles Place, Empress Place and the Padang.

From it you can see the city's most beloved icon - the Merlion, which is wrapped in blue protective sheeting awaiting repairs after being struck by lightning recently.

You can also see a full-scale model of a new casino development and, in the background, the jungle of cranes as the real thing is built. The casino development is Singapore-style - three skyscrapers linked together by a roof.

And if that doesn't excite you, you can always go shopping on Orchard Road or visit Sentosa island, walk around the Chinese quarters or if you have time, go and have a a G & T at Raffles. Delve a little and you will find Singapore a fascinating place. But should you need a new camera, Singapore offers competitive prices.

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Flu scare affecting Johor tourism

JOHOR BARU: The influenza A(H1N1) virus has come as a double whammy to the tourism industry that is still reeling from the effects of the global recession.

Tour groups in Singapore have cancelled plans for travel in June, which is a popular holiday period during the island republic’s school break.

Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said there was also a slowdown in bookings from countries like Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

“The industry has already seen a 40% slump in the past six months due to the economic uncertainties.

“We expect to see a drop in revenue as people hold back their travel plans because of the unpredictable situation of the pandemic, he said.

However, Leong said the real impact of the flu on tourism would only be felt in the next few months as those, who had paid in advance for their tours, would usually continue with their plans.

“Johor is particularly vulnerable as it is dependant on Singapore for the bulk of its tourist arrivals,” said Leong.

The last time the tourism industry was badly hit by a pandemic was during the SARS outbreak in 2003.

He said hotels had learnt from the SARS episode and were now prepared to separate and isolate their guests in special rooms if any showed signs of illness.

“It is worrying as the livelihood of those dependent on the tourism industry is also at stake,” he said.

However, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Ngiam Foon said the outbreak had yet to affect outbound travel, with many Malaysians still going ahead with their vacation plans.

He said Malaysians did not panic easily although they would monitor the health status of their destinations before departing.

“At present, there is minimal impact on Malaysian travellers. There are no cancellations as yet.

“The consumers are smart as they will find out the true status of their intended destination before travelling. Regional travel is not affected,” he said.

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