Where did you spend your last holidays?

IT will be almost two years by next March that any of us would have either asked or responded to this previously common question from a friend or work colleague. For since about February 2020 due to the pandemic that’s called Covid-19 going on, holidays have virtually ceased and had become non-existent for almost all of us.

The coronavirus has caused havoc and created a devastation beyond mere health issues threatening each and every one of our lives: it has totally collapsed what was the global tourism industry and brought travels – by air, by sea and by land – to their knees.

There is no one single business that has not been affected, except for those that manufacture, supply and sell goods in the health and wellness industry – from face masks to sanitisers to oxygen suppliers and medical supplies both pharmaceuticals and equipment.

Industries servicing the health and wellness side, especially private hospitals, clinics and general healthcare, are about the only ones left with graphs showing great growth percentages and healthy profits.

So where indeed did you spend your last holidays, and what travel destinations are you dreaming and planning on going to once all this nasty business is behind us – and only God knows when that’d be?
Now’s a good a time as any to reminisce on the ‘good old days’ and what we have taken for granted for many of us – our regular annual holidays when we go on leave, especially those with school-going children who had to schedule and time their vacations with school holidays and so on.

In my younger days, when I was in school, my parents, both of whom were working – Dad was a civil servant, Mum an English school-teacher; we had always looked forward to going on our ‘summer holidays’, although sometimes we had to wait for the year-end longer break.

I’m sure many of you were in the same shoes.

I remember very well my first school holidays, which lasted about three weeks.

I was 14, in Form 2 secondary in 1964, and it was my very first flight to Singapore; in those days, it was by Fokker Friendship, which took all of two and a half hours.

We had all stayed at the Victoria Hotel on Victoria Street which, at the time, was the most popular hotel for folks from Kuching; later in the late 1970s, the Phoenix Hotel became ‘the hotel’ that you’d cross paths with other Kuching folks in the hotel lobby all the time!

The boom in the more up-market hotel chains like Holiday Inn, The Mandarin and Sheraton from the 1980s onwards and the increasing affluence of Kuching tourists had meant that by then, travellers would book into many other ‘name hotels’ throughout the city state.

Shopping, visiting relatives and the good food plus many touristy sights were the main attractions of Singapore then, and the bulk of Sarawakians would make it their #1 holiday spot, until about the time from the 1990s when the Malaysian ringgit had taken a steep dive against the Singapore dollar.

While it was at par value for many years from 1963, it had doubled to 2-to-1 in favour of Singapore by 2000; today, it is trading at three times the value of the ringgit.

This had put paid to the attraction of Singapore as a holiday destination for many.

The increasing affluence, coupled with the fact that many families who had sent their children overseas to study especially to Australia and New Zealand, and purchased properties there, meant that the trend was to go holiday there with the children – and save on the lodging and food. Singapore, as the #1 destination, had lost its lustre.

Those who could afford it would prefer to go on more than one holiday each year; many were beginning to habitually make two or three shorter holiday trips by buying packaged tours tailor-made for them.

The popular destinations in recent years appeared to be China (PRC), Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, with nearby Thailand, Vietnam and even Cambodia securing the attention of holiday-makers.

Many local travel and tour agencies have done their homework and been coming up with attractively-priced packages that would include an all-in price; and with the economies of scale, had been able to turn a decent profit as well.

There have also been a greater interest and some growth in the domestic travel business – group tours of attractions in peninsular Malaysia, be it a Genting Holiday or for durians (during the season) or to the rustic island of Penang or historical Melaka; and also to Sabah especially for the Kinabalu Park (not just to climb the famous mountain); the wetlands of Kinabatangan and the underwater world of Sipadan, Mabul and the remote jungles of Danum and the ‘lost’ Meliau Basin.

There is much to see within our very own country.

I’m still surprised and puzzled that our own domestic attractions have not been as popular or have made much headway despite their wondrous beauty and exoticism. In recent years, we have improved and increased in the number of homestays, the infrastructure and ease of transportation, and the number of travel agencies promoting these destinations have increased and the pricing of packages are pretty reasonable too.

I have travelled the length and breadth of our beloved Sarawak and I can tell you that it is worth your time and effort to go and see and experience what is out there for yourself and your family.

I would start from the very eastern-most tip which is Tanjong Po (the famous lighthouse ) and the Tanjung Datu National Park, the smallest of all our parks; reachable only by boat and nicknamed the ‘Heaven of Borneo’.

Then, you have Sematan and Lundu and the many gorgeous beaches there; and travelling westwards, you go to Muara Tebas, Santubong and many fishing villages.

On the road after you get out of Kuching, there are Serian, Simanggang, Lubok Antu, Batang Ai (the former Sheraton Resort has just been taken over by the Ceria Group), Betong, Saratok and up to Sarikei and then Bintangor, and Sibu!

The Rajang River and the upriver towns of Kapit and Belaga are worth exploring. Further afield, you would arrive in Bintulu and then, Miri.

Anyone in search of the ‘Shangri La of Sarawak’ must visit Bario, or Ba Kelalan in the Kelabit Highlands. Finally, you reach Limbang and Lawas and there, you would say goodbye to Sarawak as you enter Brunei and venture forth to Sabah – yet another state worth your time and holiday visit!

I would like to say to you that the next time your school-going child asks you: ‘Where are we going for our next holidays Dad (or Mum)?’, to answer the child this: ‘Let’s go see our own country now, because when you’re older and on your own, you would have all the time to see the rest of the world yourself’.