The Penang tourism department has recorded a significant drop in the arrival of tourists since the Health Ministry announced Penang's first probable Sars case on April 8.
Penang state executive councillor Kee Phaik Cheen who is in charge of tourism in the state said in the second week of April, tourist visits dropped by seven percent.
Occupancy rates for most Penang hotels went down to about 30 to 40 percent, from about 60 to 70 percent monthly.