'Online' Hotels Put Sultanate On Tourism Map
By Asri Razak

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei Darussalam's tourism industry was given a further boast thanks to the efforts by the Brunei Association of Hotels (BAH) which is now `live' online in a bid to put the sultanate on the global tourism map.

"Brunei Association of Hotels is an important link in the tourism equation, and most business organisations have web sites displaying information about the business," said Sheikh 7amaluddin, Director of Industrial Promotions and Tourism Development yesterday at the launching of the association's website at the Sheraton Utama Hotel in the capital.

He said, the Tourism Department "urges" the nation's accommodation providers to become members' of BAH to create "awareness" on different types of accommodations that Brunei has to offer.

In an interview with The Brunei Times, President of BAH, Datin Zainah Mohd Bujang who is also the General Manager of Sheraton Utama Hotel said that hotels in Brunei Darussalam during the Sea Games in the 1990s saw an average of 40 to 50 per cent occupancy rates. Towards the late 90s when more hotels were established, hotels in the sultanate fared better, especially when Brunei hosted the Apec Summit in 2000. She said, this year, there has been a "natural increase" in business, and with the development of a website, it will create awareness, to those interested in visiting the country.

Juliius Datinguinoo, of Afman Technologies Sdh Bhd, developer of the BAH website www.hotelsofbrunei.com, said the website which took two months to develop, is already "live" online and ready for viewers.

He said, the "user friendly" website is a listing of all member hotels of BAH, which summarises services provided by each hotel. Through this "portal" viewers visiting the site have- easy access to each individual sites of member hotels as well as other information about Brunei.

When a potential visitor searches for "Brunei hotels", for instance, the website will "pop up" the top 10 search engine results, creating exposure, said the web developer. BAH celebrated their 10 year anniversary yesterday. First started with just 10 member hotels, with rooms totaling up to 1000, it now boasts of 24 members with total rooms of 2,500. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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