KOTA KINABALU: Tourism stakeholders should stay vigilant and ensure their business’s resilience on the heels of widespread novel coronavirus infection, Sabah Tourist Association chairman Tony Chew said.
To date, the coronavirus or 2019-nCov has infected around 6,000 people worldwide and people have refrained from making unnecessary travel plans.
“With this, not only tour operators’ (businesses) will be hard hit (by the spread of the virus) but also airlines, tour guides, accommodations, tourist destinations, restaurants among others.
“Tourism stakeholders should stay vigilant and be resilient, reposition your marketing strategy and target market. (They need to be) working hand-in-hand to pass through such a difficult time,” Chew said when contacted.
He said the travel bans of any tourist group from China had resulted in major cancellation of tour bookings, which would see significantly low tourist arrivals from the country.
Chew said Sabah had been focusing on the Chinese market besides South Korean.
“However, in terms of health and safety reason, we have no alternative but to accept and welcome the restriction to contain the virus as soon as possible.
“With the increasing number of infected patients had been fully recovered and discharged from hospital, that gives us much encouragement that an effective prescription medicine and vaccine are on its way.
“We hope that it will be over very soon.”
Chew also urged those in the frontline, especially in the tourism industry, to adopt personal hygiene practices and preventive measures such as wearing masks and wash hands frequently to reduce the risk of being infected.
From January to November last year, the Sabah Tourism Board recorded 3.766 million tourist arrivals, with China contributing the most, followed by South Korea.