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Executive Column: RedDoorz CEO says it’s time to get out again
Hotel booking platform RedDoorz has seen some recovery in occupancy rates and revenue this year, and CEO Amit Saberwal expects further improvement as people get out to travel again.
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RedDoorz CEO Amit Saberwal (Courtesy of RedDoorz/-)
T
he coronavirus pandemic has hit tourism hard, but as the vaccination rate rises and case numbers drop, people are regaining confidence about travelling, at least to domestic destinations.
The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry aims to focus on local travelers for the tourism recovery as foreign arrivals dropped 69 percent in the January-to-August period over the same period of last year.
RedDoorz, Southeast Asia’s leading budget hotel chain, has seen occupancy rates grow back to pre-pandemic levels, especially in its biggest market, Indonesia. The Jakarta Post’s Eisya A. Eloksari spoke with the company’s CEO, Amit Saberwal, on Oct. 22 about the future of tourism.
Question: Has RedDoorz seen signs of a recovery in tourism?
Answer: Yes, during September and October, when the COVID-19 wave started coming down and people became more confident, our revenue in Indonesia was more than 100 percent of the pre-pandemic level.
The occupancy rate is around 70 percent of the pre-pandemic level, but it is uneven. For example, Jakarta and Bandung are doing well, but Bali and Lombok are not. I think the first quarter of next year will be the time for a significant recovery.
