Longest Pizza John A Come-on At Brunei Food Festival
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - The longest pizza john will be main highlight for the upcoming Brunei Food Festival scheduled to take place in early October this year.

Dubbed the "Big Makan", the three-day festival scheduled to kick off October 1 part of the calendar of events aimed at boosting the ailing tourism industry in the country, which is currently recording an average occupancy rate of only 25 to 30 per cent.

Datin Hjh Zainah bte Mohd Bujang, President of the Brunei Association of Hotels (BAH) and the General Manager of Sheraton Utama Hotel, said this in an interview with the Bulletin.

The "Big Makan" festival will coincide with the upcoming Brunei Grand Sale and will be held at the parking space in front of the Sheraton Utama Hotel in the capital. Last year, the hoteliers came up with the largest cake ever made in Brunei.

"The occupancy rate is not peaking up this year," said Datin Hjh Zainah. "It is still the same as last year’s, though some hotels recorded a slight increase, unlike the old days."

"Hotels here aggressively compete for business in a very small market. There are not enough rooms for business in Brunei to fairly distribute a healthy occupancy," she added.

"Meanwhile, some hotels continue to struggle with loan repayments in the current hospitality climate."

"Though the country's economic outlook for the second quarter of this year looks promising, it is not the case in the hotel industry since there were no meetings held, nor do projects run to boost the occupancy rate unlike those days when the country hosted major events."

"Prior to and after any major event organised in Brunei, hotels tend to record robust occupancy due to the influx of behind-the-scenes players," she added.

According the Datin Hjh Zainah, with the new routes from Royal Brunei Airlines this year, such as the launch of Sydney route, there will be more opportunities for hotels to tap into the transit passenger market.

“Though there is already a strong record of transit passengers at the moment, this market does not generate enough room nights or cause for excitement," she said.

Speaking on the longest pizza to be made by the Sheraton Utama Hotel, Datin Hjh Zainah said it would be created from a special recipe prepared by the hotel's Executive Chef, Ken Yeong.

BAH has invited restaurants and eateries to take part in the "Big Makan" festival and has also organised games and entertainment throughout the festival.

Organisers will also be promoting a "Makan Time" from 10 am to 10 pm at the event. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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