KUALA LUMPUR: With the tourism sector yet to recover from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, the boss of a local travel agency has decided to diversify and innovate its core operations.
‘No travels for now, no problem!’
KUALA LUMPUR: With the tourism sector yet to recover from the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, the boss of a local travel agency has decided to diversify and innovate its core operations.
Since the middle of last year, Datuk Seri Koh Yock Heng has taken on a new role as a part-time chef, trying his hand at making pastries and cakes.
Koh has also carried out food deliveries and is now actively promoting his outlet, Capitol Cafe, in the heart of the city.
“It will be some time before the tourism sector can regain its foothold.
“With the increasing Covid-19 cases, we need to look for alternatives and the food industry is one option to keep us afloat,” he said in an interview.
Foreign flavours: Koh serving up locals craving food from abroad outside Capitol Cafe in Kuala Lumpur.
The managing director of Apple Vacations group, which specialises in tours to Japan before the pandemic hit and scuttled its operations, said despite a drop in revenue, none of his staff had been laid off since March last year.
Koh said he treated all his workers as “part of a large happy family” and decided to keep everyone on his payroll.
However, he said recently, the company had offered a mutual separation scheme to employees who decided to leave for other job opportunities.
“Most of them have families to feed and other commitments such as house and car instalments. I do not have the heart to tell them to quit. I am optimistic that we can pull through these trying times together.
“As the saying goes ‘united we stand, divided we fall’,” he said.
Koh has rotated his staff to help out at the kopitiam as well as send food delivery orders in the Klang Valley.
“As people cannot travel overseas yet, we decided to ‘bring’ these countries to them. One way is to enjoy some signature dishes like Javanese Ayam Penyet, Balinese Style Duck with Honey Sauce, Thai Basil Chicken and Indonesia’s Nasi Ikan Bawal Balado.
“We also offer traditional delicacies such as Honey Ubi Kayu Chip and homemade Swiss kaya roll cakes to evoke memories of yesteryears during our grandparents’ time in the 1950s,” he said.
Koh said due to closed international borders, premium products such as cookies, fruits and snacks were imported from Japan for those craving them.
The agency’s main office in Bukit Bintang has been converted into a packaging and distribution centre.
“The response is very encouraging as most of these products are snapped up within a short period after we upload short videos on our Facebook and other social media apps.”
Published in The Star, 6 May 2021
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