Hotels In Red In Brunei Face Power Crisis
By Ignatius Stephen

Bandar Seri Begawan - Some hotels in Brunei are facing a nightmare situation as they are facing a "power struggle." And no one knows how long the agony is going to last.

Many are unable to make ends meet, industry sources said. The current situation in which the killer SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) has hit the trade is threatening to put some of them out of business.

So much so the shocking story of some hotels in Brunei not being able to pay even their power bills for over three years is making its rounds in the capital.

Some may face legal action involving many thousands of dollars, sources said.

At present hotels in Brunei like elsewhere in the region suffer from the lowest occupancy rates in recent times.

Relevant authorities are understood to be studying the case of two hotels who have allegedly not paid their power bills for over three years, sources said.

Where there were only about five hotels before they sprang up like mushrooms in preparation to the holding of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) in Brunei in November, 2000.

Soon after Apec a devastating slump in hotel occupancy ensued as empty rooms awaited non-existent customers, sources pointed out.

Working closely, Brunei Tourism Authority, the local travel agents and Royal Brunei Airlines and the hotels themselves managed to achieve a degree of success and tourists were beginning to fill the empty rooms in recent times.

Things were looking up and tour groups from even Russia and China were starting to come in, according to a travel agent.

Hotel bookings looked promising and Brunei was preparing for a tourism bonanza by midyear, remarked an Inbound tour agent.

And this bombshell in the form of the deadly SARS devastated the region.

"At one stroke our dreams were demolished. Instead it was a nightmare that we faced.

Every group due in was cancelled. Complete ruin faced us," said a leading tour operator.

"Where Brunei is concerned, Singapore is the key. If Singapore is cleared then there is a chance for us," he said.

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