Foreign tourists are back in droves but hoteliers are worried their business would be hard hit again if the worker shortage is not resolved. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUNWhile upbeat over tourist arrivals this year, the Malaysian Association of Hotels has warned the tourism industry would not be able to service its projected five million arrivals if the Human Resources Ministry fails to process work permit applications.
Toh said the industry-wide worker shortage includes kitchen staff such as chefs and support personnel, front office staff, chambermaids, stewards, waiters, and others who had taken other jobs during the Covid-19 pandemic when many hotels were forced to close due to a lack of business. “We even provided training to current hotel employees so that they could be multi-skilled. We reskilled others too, and even tried to hire part-timers.
Toh said the industry has carried out aggressive marketing in Turkey and the Middle East to promote Malaysia, adding that the demand is there and industry players are confident of hitting the target of five million tourist arrivals by year-end.