1. View of Johor Bahru from causeway (between Singapore and Johor Bahru) 2. Wide shot of traffic on causeway 3. Close up of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) sign 4. Wide shot of Malaysian immigration 5. SARS screening sign 6. Medic walking to check driver 7. Two medics sitting on bench 8. Pan across Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque 9. Merchant selling paintings 10. Close up of merchant 11. Wide shot of merchants sitting in front of mosque 12. Cutaway of mosque 13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Abdul Ghafar, merchant: "Business zero. Nothing at all." 14. Exterior of village house museum 15. Empty seats by stage where music and dancing is performed for tourists 16. Assistant Manager Alex Tan sitting in shop 17. Staff sitting doing nothing 18. SOUNDBITE: (English) Alex Tan, Assistant Manager of Village House Museum: "The impact has been great. We normally have up to 200 tourists coming here. And nowadays just up to 20. And as a result, we have to lay off some of the staff." 20. Set up of Jimmy Leong Wie Kong, Chairman of Johor Tourist Guide Association 21. SOUNDBITE: (English) Jimmy Leong Wie Kong, Chairman of Johor Tourist Guide Association: "On an average during weekends and peak seasons, we have up to 150 (buses). Currently what we are experiencing now is something like one or two buses a day, and each bus is carrying something like two to five tourists at the most. And definitely this has hit the tourist guides very, very much." 22. Man at buffet (Mutiara Hotel) 23. Close up of cakes 24. Japanese tourists 25. Chef cooking 26. Chambermaid making up a bed 27. Set up shot of Mutiara Hotel General Manager Nash Nasihin Ali walking to the reception 28. Nash Nasihin Ali talking to reception staff 29. SOUNDBITE: (English) Mutiara Hotel General Manager, Nash Nasihin Ali: "I have been in the tourism industry for the past 27 years. Personally, I think this is the worst that I have ever experienced, and I have never remembered any incidents of this nature happen before. And even during the first Gulf War in 1991, we did not experience a decline in business of more than 15 per cent, compared to now when we are down 25 per cent, almost 30 per cent." 30. Various of shopping mall 31. Johor Bahru Tourist Board sign 32. Girl at reception of tourist board 33. Man packing brochures into bags 34. Close up of bags STORYLINE: The lack of tourists going to Singapore as a result of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) has had a devastating effect on the economy of the nearby Malaysian town of Johor Bahru. Johor Bahru is Malaysia's southernmost town and its gateway to Singapore. Usually, up to a million people cross the causeway into the city each month. However, this figure has been dramatically reduced since the outbreak of SARS, even though the virus has not been a major problem in Malaysia - there have been only two or three isolated cases. Street traders are suffering because of the lack of visitors, and tourist attractions such as the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque and the Village House Museum are also much quieter. Alex Tan, Assistant Manager of Village House Museum, said, "The impact has been great. We normally have up to 200 tourists coming here. And nowadays just up to 20. And as a result, we have to lay off some of the staff." It is not just tourists from overseas that are avoiding Johor Bahru. Malaysians themselves, are also staying away because of the city's proximity to Singapore. Mutiara Hotel General Manager Nash Nasihin Ali said, "I have been in the tourism industry for the past 27 years. Personally, I think this is the worst that I have ever experienced." Shopping malls that are usually full of Singaporean shoppers are also much quieter than usual. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0a651a1bd19614c5a02c130a6c61bc9f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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