KOTA TINGGI, Aug 16 — Budget hotel operators have been urged to find more creative ways to encourage tourists to return.

Making the call, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said industry players she met in Langkawi recently admitted that they are still feeling the impact of the movement control order (MC), especially when starred hotels are holding large-scale promotions to attract domestic tourists.

"I suggest they hold a conference among themselves so they can come up with resolutions on how to improve the situation, to boost the occupancy rate,” she told reporters at Desaru here today.

Earlier, Nancy accompanied Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad on a visit to the Desaru Coast Destination Resort.

In the nearly one-hour visit, Muhyiddin also visited the Desaru Coast ferry terminal development, which is expected to be completed in June 2021.

Nancy noted the encouraging rise over the last five weeks in the number of domestic tourists especially at hotels near the beach and those promoting attractive offers.

Despite the rise in Covid-19 cases, she said there has been a very high level of compliance with the standard operating procedures (SOPs), with members of the public adapting well to the new normal and even reminding those who do not wear a face mask to do so.

"This is good practice, as everyone becomes a frontliner in ensuring the SOPs are implemented, it will give a strong message to foreigners that we in Malaysia are strict with our regulations.

"So we can still say that Malaysia is a safe destination to visit, and if we compare percentages, Malaysia’s number of positive cases is still quite low, something to be proud of,” she said, reminding domestic travellers to comply with the SOPs while helping to support local economies. — Bernama