RESORT and chalet owners on Mersing Island have implemented a three-month temporary shutdown during the monsoon season to repair and improve the amenities at their properties.
Lanting Beach Resort owner Sallehuddin Latif said he had allocated RM25,000 to repair the jetty among other amenities at his resort in Pulau Pemanggil.
“This is the perfect time for resort owners to improve and upgrade their resorts when there are no visitors around.
“The overall cost for maintenance is about RM10,000 for the raw materials including wiring. What makes it expensive is the cost to bring those items from the mainland to the island.
“Renting the cargo boat and crane, including hiring the people to do the job, is another RM15,000,” he said, adding that he closed his operations on Nov 22.
Sallehuddin, fondly known as Pak Dean, said he had also sent his team to attend a social media marketing class to improve their social media promotions next year.
“We usually advertise our resort in fishing magazines as people often come here for deep-sea fishing or snorkelling.
“But we decided that next year, we want to expand our reach and we have also included diving activities in our resort,” he said, adding that he had started promoting his resort on TikTok and Instagram.
Sallehuddin said he had received bookings for the Chinese New Year holidays next year.
These were customers who booked their stay through the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA), he said.
Mak Su Chalet Pulau Tinggi owner Norashimah Sharom said strong winds and heavy rain has damaged some parts of the roof at her resort.
“We stopped operating on Oct 20 due to the strong wind and rough sea.
“To date, I have spent more than RM4,000 to repair part of the damage caused by the bad weather.
“Any damage to the chalet must be repaired immediately to avoid it from getting worse, which will then cost even more to be restored,” she said, adding that she planned to reopen her business in March, after the Chinese New Year holidays.
“Usually after the holiday season, the wind and sea will start to shift and be a bit calmer,” she added.
Reference: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2023/12/22/resorts-ride-out-rough-weather-and-dive-into-repairs