SEDC’s Hotels, Resort Relook at Services, Products

https://www.theborneopost.com/2020/12/07/sedcs-hotels-resort-relook-at-services-products/

KUCHING: In the midst of Covid-19 pandemic, Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) in Santubong is trying to generate income, including planting local vegetables and herbs, introducing new tourism packages and undertaking food deliveries.

Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) Tourism and Hospitality Division managing director Mark Ferguson said vegetables planted around SVC compound are for sale or cooked at its kitchen for customers.

He said the pandemic was actually a blessing in disguise as it allowed them to relook tourism products and develop them to benefit their businesses as well as the state’s tourism industry.

They had to think of innovative ways to get revenue, including developing packages and tourism products to attract visitors to SCV as the number has dropped drastically to only four or five persons a day due to the pandemic.

“Currently, we are cultivating the herbal and orchard garden in SCV, and this would take a few months. We are also planting local vegetables around SCV to sustain our restaurant here.

“We are doing our best to sustain the business, while keeping our staff number intact during this very difficult time. While we expect international travellers to return soon, we have to focus on domestic travellers in the meantime,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.

Ferguson said like many other businesses, the SEDC Tourism and Hospitality Division is facing grim prospect in the new global economic landscape, where the corporate sector is forced to adapt to the new norms.

“The market will continuously be threatened by the pandemic and development of new technologies,” he said, adding that SEDC hotels’ occupancy rate had also dropped to below 10 per cent due to pandemic fears.

“However, our resort has benefited in some way from local tourists, especially during weekends. We hope to capitalise on local tourism as conditional movement control order (CMCO) ended in the Kuching district,” he said.

Asked on SEDC hotels performance before, during and after the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), Ferguson said it was still too early to see an increase in number of guests in their hotels and resort after the CMCO was lifted on Nov 27.

He said there had been many cancellations for December, noting that both Grand Margherita and Riverside Majestic Astana Wing have been designated as quarantine hotels, while the Riverside Majestic Puteri Wing is closed for renovation until July 2021.

Prior to the MCO, he said SEDC hotels and resort managed by the Hemisphere Hotels and Resorts – which includes Riverside Majestic, Grand Margherita and Damai Beach Resort – had enjoyed occupancy rates of above 60 per cent with a thriving food and beverage (F&B) business.

He said Damai Beach Resort remained open throughout the MCO, but the occupancy rate was less than 10 per cent.

However, business had gradually picked up since July to achieve over 30 per cent occupancy rate in October. Its bonfire sunset barbecue on Saturday evenings was a huge tourist attraction, while weekend occupancy rate was over 80 per cent.

Meanwhile, Grand Margherita Hotel enjoyed slow pick up from July onwards, and managed to exceed 40 per cent occupancy rate in September.

However, during the CMCO, business fell to below 10 per cent again, with bookings for many rooms and functions cancelled, Ferguson said.

“In response to the slowdown in business due to the MCO, our hotels and resorts had to be innovative in promoting our rooms and F&B services. For example, at our Grand Margherita Hotel, we converted the Rajang Terrace to al fresco-dining for guests to enjoy outdoor dining by the poolside.

“We expanded this concept on Saturday evenings to include a poolside buffet called Chef’s Parade. Strict standard operating procedures were enforced, including having our chefs serving the food instead of guests helping themselves,” he said.

Ferguson said last year, the SEDC had embarked on several development initiatives and improvement works, including the refurbishment and upgrading works for 239 guestrooms and corridors, third floor functions rooms and other related works at Puteri Wing of Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching.

He said similar works had also been undertaken at the Grand Margherita Hotel and Sarawak Plaza shopping complex, Sunset Ballroom foyer at Damai Beach Resort as well as at the Damai Lagoon Resort and Spa.

“SEDC is expected to invest substantially to develop the Damai Peninsular into a major tourist destination, based on the tourism masterplan to develop the location with new attractions and other development initiatives,” he added. — Bernama