The ongoing travel ban on visitors from China has predictably upset tourism in Sabah, along with other businesses that used to thrive on the regular stream of tourists to the north Borneo capital seaside city now strangled by the Wuhan virus

The ongoing travel ban on visitors from China has predictably upset tourism in Sabah, along with other businesses that used to thrive on the regular stream of tourists to the north Borneo capital seaside city now strangled by the Wuhan virus.

Since the ban on Chinese visitors arriving via direct flight earlier this month, the streets of Kota Kinabalu have been visibly empty of the colourfully garbed visitors from the Far East and their tour buses parked kerbside outside shopping malls, coffee shops and other tourist attractions.

With their biggest source of income cut off, local business owners, tour and travel companies, hotels, and food and beverage outlets here resorted to coming up with contingencies to fill the Chinese tourist void.

Many of the four- and five-star hotels have since slashed their rates and are offering “staycation” packages with food and beverage thrown in to entice Malaysian visitors to fill the unoccupied rooms.

The Malaysian Association of Hotels reported that Sabah suffered from up to 29,874 room cancellations from January 22 onwards, with some RM10 million in loss of revenue.

“We were supposed to be at 80 per cent occupancy, but we are barely touching 20 per cent,” one international chain hotelier told Malay Mail on condition of anonymity.

“We have to fill the rooms somehow, and on short notice, this is the most effective way,” he said.

At least four popular five-star hotels and resorts in the city have reduced their rates and are promoting these home-away-from-home packages for RM400 to RM500 for locals.

Tour companies, previously inundated with the hordes of Chinese tour groups, are drawing up special priced packages aimed at Malaysians.