TANJUNG BUNGAH: It’s been more than 365 days since the heavenly beaches of Penang were closed off to the world. Its silence remains painfully loud to the eight men at Sky Sea and Shore.
Despite basking in the sparkling sands of Batu Ferringhi every day, its barren beaches and crashing waves are salty reminders of their drowning water sports rental business.
Mohamad Izahari is one of the eight men who finds company in dusty jet skis and limp life jackets. Since 2002, the 44-year-old has earned his living on the seas and has devoted 19 years of his life towards filling Batu Ferringhi with merry thrill seekers from all around the world.
As a senior in Sky Sea and Shore, Mohamad is no stranger to the demanding pressure of ensuring his customers’ safety as they whizz through the sky and splash along on jet skis.
Currently, instead of worrying if customers might injure themselves while paragliding and jet ski-ing, Mohamad is burdened with the thought of taking up an extra job, on top of his 9am to 7pm full-time gig.
“My wife lost her job after Holiday Inn closed,” said Mohamad. He explained that the 40-year-old Holiday Inn hotel in Batu Ferringhi was forced to close due to the tourism crash in 2020.
“Even though we get help from the government, it’s still really hard to sustain and I’m considering taking up a part time job,” he continued, adding that his salary has steadily decreased over the course of last year and the recent MCO.
Holiday Inn’s closure in 2020 not only affected Mohamad’s life, but has also dramatically affected others whom he worked closely with.
“In 2019, there were 22 people working here, but now, only eight are left,” he said.
“Our business used to be good as we serviced two hotels, but now there’s only Park Royal,” said Mohamad, who added that even now, Park Royal was at a shocking occupancy of just 5%.
“We used to earn about RM20,000 per day, but today there’s no business at all,” he said, adding that at most, the business makes a few thousands only during the weekends, if they’re lucky.
Mohamad and his team at Sky Sea and Shore are just a few of the struggling faces in the tourism industry, and their struggle is confirmed by Chin Poh Chin, president of the Penang Tourist Guides Association.
“Tourist guides, hotels, site attractions and the F&B industry are the worst hit with minimal income since March 2020,” said Chin, who added that the implementation of various MCOs and inter-state travel bans have made things worse.
Although Batu Ferringhi’s beaches show no signs of filling up, Mohamad continues to arrive at it’s shores every day, just to watch waves crash endlessly into each other.
“We’re waiting for the MCO to be over and for tourists from Kuala Lumpur and Johor to finally come here,” the restless water sports operator said.
According to Chin, there may be a calm after the storm for people like Mohamad.
“As the pandemic subsides, and with SOPs in place, the future looks bright as many domestic travellers, particularly those with families, will be seeking staycations,” Chin said.
Even so, people like Mohamad will continue to fuel up his jet skis and prep his paragliding wings, as vacationers will soon return to Batu Ferringhi’s sky, sea and shore.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2021/04/29/water-sports-services-drown-amid-tourism-drought/