| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 28/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 37 |
| Copyright: Other |
Regional development by Linsey McNeill
Malaysian hotels bask in sunny sales forecast
Resorts report an upsurge in demand
MALAYSIA has enjoyed a fantastic year and forward bookings suggest the destination will continue to be popular with British holidaymakers next year.Operators said a sudden interest in Borneo coupled with a growing awareness of Malaysia’s main beach resorts was fuelling the growth in demand.
Kuoni said its bookings for Borneo were up 97% this year over last year. Product manager Catherine Pearson said: “It’s going mad -Êthe surge in bookings is astonishing.”
Cresta will feature Borneo for the first time in its 2001 brochure, due out in September, and operators that already feature the island are expanding their programmes to cater for the increased demand.
Sabah, rather than Sarawak, is particularly popular at the moment – probably due to the quality of its hotels and the ease of access to the destination’s main attractions – and operators are adding more hotels in the region for next year.
Gold Medal Holidays, which brought out its first dedicated Malaysia brochure this year, was one of the first UK operators to feature The Magellan Sutera and Spa Hotel in Sabah, in addition to the two established Shangri-La properties.
A five-night package to the five-star Magellan Sutera costs from £639 including flights, which is £100 lower than the cheaper of the two Shangri-La hotels.
Thomas Cook Holidays has also increased its allocation at hotels on the island, and Tradewinds said it will be adding more properties in Borneo in later editions of its 2001 brochure.
Although Sarawak is proving less popular than Sabah, new hotels are expected to draw more holidaymakers to the destination next year. A resort hotel, the Hornbill Golf and Jungle Club, opened in June and another resort property will open in the capital Kuching in January.
sample product
new programmes
Borneo Adventure: Cresta is offering a two-day tour with a trip along the Kinabatangan River, a visit to the Sepilok Orang Utan Centre, a city tour of Sandakan and a walk around the Gomantong Caves from £130.
Sarawak: a new range of hotels are expected to boost tourism in the region next year