The Malaysian Insight

THE severe floods that hit Terengganu last week only had a minor impact and did not affect overall tourism operations in the state, houseboat operators said. 

They said the losses they suffered were due to customer cancellations, not damages caused by the floods.

Kenyir Lake Tourism Association Chairman Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman said there was no serious damage suffered by houseboat operators even though the area was one of the worst hit by floods. 

He said operators were slightly affected by customers who canceled their bookings or postponed their holiday at Tasik Kenyir.

“But it didn’t cause too much of a loss like when we were hit by the prolonged Covid-19 pandemic. The floods only lasted a few days.

“Most customers postponed their vacation dates, so the operators still hold their advance payments. If a booking is cancelled due to unavoidable reasons, the amount will be returned. That is at the discretion of the entrepreneur,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Aziz said most entrepreneurs are now feeling relieved after going through a difficult period during the Covid-19 pandemic since the beginning of 2020.

Most tour operators are gearing up for a return to busy operating levels due to the positive response from customers with full bookings until the Chinese New Year period.

“The school holiday and Chinese New Year period is very busy with bookings. The response is so good that some operators have had to turn down customers due to being fully booked,” he said. 

Terengganu was hit by severe flooding last weekend, affecting some 40,000 people.

This is the second flood in the state this year after March. Hulu Terengganu was among the worst affected areas at the time. 

As of Saturday morning, the Terengganu Disaster Management Committee said 44 temporary evacuation centres were still open in six districts, housing 5,810 people from 1,651 families.

Seeking special government aid

Entrepreneur Sulong Mustafa, 51, said customers cancelling reservations was one of the challenges they had to face, especially during the monsoon season.

“I think almost 70% of houseboat operators are faced with last-minute cancellations or postponements due to the floods.

“The weather is hard to predict and we didn’t expect the flood situation to be so bad this year. We’re just thankful it didn’t cause damage to the houseboats,” he said. 

He also hopes that the state and federal governments can think of a special aid fund for tourism operators, especially when severe floods occur in the future.

“We know that the priority of flood aid is for the victims, but we hope that aid can be provided for the tourism sector that is also affected,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Aziz Che Abdullah, a chalet operator on Pulau Perhentian, said he was lucky because there was no serious damage to his chalets despite the bad weather. 

He said he is now waiting to operate again in March.

“During the monsoon season, the islands in Terengganu will usually close and start operations again in March. But in Pulau Perhentian, if the weather is good, there are those who continue their operations during the monsoon period.

“As for me, I am ready to welcome the arrival of tourists next year when we expect the tourism sector to pick up,” he said.

In 2019, Terengganu received 5.9 million domestic tourists but that number dropped to only 2.7 million in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. – December 28, 2022.