GEORGE TOWN – A hotelier is calling for the bureaucratic nature of tourism authorities to be reviewed as part of efforts to revive the ailing industry.
Although tourism is affected globally, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng said the recently launched National Tourism Policy must ensure that Malaysia’s tourism industry rebounds fast from the slow economy since vaccines will be available next year.
He said the industry is a complicated one that involves various stakeholders from the public and private sectors.
“Often there are overlapping jurisdictions with other government agencies and with conflicting priorities. The policy must be upheld across and be prioritised for it to be relevant and effective.
“A clear example is the need to drive international arrivals versus immigration controls.
“The government must realise that relaxation of immigration restrictions (visa requirements) plays a major role in driving tourist arrivals while immigration concerns are valid too, it should be a matter of enforcement and not upfront restrictions.”
Over the course of engagement over the policy, the stakeholders in tourism warned of the risk of “over-committee”, where historically the industry had seen an excessive number of committees, sub-committees, working groups and councils set up to discuss matters with little or no solid action thereafter, he said.
The tourism policy should be the source of authority to act, and to act immediately before falling behind further against neighbouring countries, he added.
“The stakeholders have also requested for more private sector empowerment to lead the strategic thrusts rather than being left in the backseat with little or no control. Stakeholders are immediate parties on the ground with direct access to industry analytics and market trends, and must not be taken lightly.”
The industry employs 3.6 million people and with its enormous contribution to the growth of Malaysia, it must be protected to ensure it does not collapse, Yap said in a statement.
The travel community has pleaded for more assistance as tourism remains in a gridlock of uncertainty.
“We need higher wage subsidies, discounts for utilities as well as waivers of fees, licenses and permits. To date, for the hospitality industry alone, 90 hotels have closed either permanently or temporarily, affecting more than 7,000 employees.
“More than 12,000 had been retrenched while others either took a pay cut or unpaid leave.
“Majority of travel agencies and operators have also ceased operations. The industry risks losing more tourism capacity that will cost more to rebuild,” said Yap. – The Vibes, December 26, 2020
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