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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2021
TOURISM
Among all the industries affected by the
COVID-19 pandemic around the world, one of the
hardest hit has been tourism.
Before the effects of the pandemic on the tourism
industry, tourist arrivals into the country had
been on an upward trend. Statistics revealed in
January 2020 that 213,007 international tourists
arrived in Brunei by air from January to August
2019. The figure surpassed the previous year’s
total tally of 183,637. The contributing factor
for the increase of 16 per cent year-on-year in
2019 was the high impact of travel demands
from the Far East market such as China, South
Korea and Japan as well as improvements in
air connectivity, local events and international
sporting meets.
In light of the pandemic, the government imposed
various measures including travel restrictions to
curb the spread of COVID-19 in the Sultanate.
According to the Brunei Economic Update
for July 2020 by the Centre for Strategic and
Policy Studies, the public health measures
taken inevitably disrupted economic activity,
particularly in the travel and tourism-related
sectors. It reported that more than 90 per cent
of international flights to and from the Brunei
International Airport had been cancelled since
end of March.
Tourist arrivals, which had been on a rising trend,
plunged by more than 70 per cent year-on-year
in March, and hotel occupancy rates stumbled to
26.3 per cent.
However, when the government announced the
de-escalation plans, domestic tourism in the
country started seeing a boost.
Bruneians began following the ‘staycation’
trend by staying at the country’s hotels and
rediscovering trekking sites. Local hotels also
offered special rates to citizens and residents
following pandemic. In addition, with easier
access to Temburong since the opening of the
Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Bridge, many
locals have also started discovering the Green
Jewel district and the various natural attractions
it offers, such as the pristine rainforest and
scenic waterfalls.
Towards further boosting domestic tourism in the
country, various initiatives have been introduced.
One such initiative was the launch of Selera
Bruneiku and Islamic Values in Tourism Services
by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism
(MPRT) on November 4, 2020 to promote local
destinations, activities and products.
Tourist agencies, hotels and tourism service
providers are involved in the collaborative efforts
to produce domestic packages. Initiated by the