LUMUT (Dec 27): The occupancy rates in hotels nationwide are expected to continue to increase next year when the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) is lifted end of this year.

Tourism Malaysia Domestic & Events Division, senior director Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar said they were targetting an increase of 20%, but did not state the current occupancy rate.

He said the increase in bookings was also, among others, driven by the launch of the Malaysian Holiday Special Package for Civil Servants in September to encourage the public, especially civil servants to go on a vacation in the country.

“We request these civil servants who may have been less affected economically and some of them also get bonuses, to travel and help the country’s tourism industry,” he told reporters after the Tourism Malaysia Surfcasting Tour 2020 - Series 3 fishing competition prize giving ceremony at Lumut Waterfront here on Dec 27, 2020.

Ammar also reminded hotel and resort operators to conduct disinfection exercises to boost tourists’ confidence to stay at their premises.

“We will not compromise and insist that standard operating procedures (SOPs) should always be adhered to. For example, in today’s fishing programme each participant was placed 1.5 metres apart,” he said.

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