GEORGE TOWN – Not only is Covid-19 claiming innocent lives but also renowned personalities in significant industries.
One of them is the tourism industry, which lost former National Tourism Council (NTC) deputy president Mohd Taib Abdul Wahab and Somboon Cheanswaths, a journalist turned Tourism Authority of Thailand Public Relations stalwart.
Taib, 75, a pioneering activist in the industry, had gone to hospital in Johor seeking treatment and, after being in the intensive care unit for a few days, died of Covid-19 complications on Sunday night.
Selangor Tourism Association president Patrick Cheng said that he was informed of Taib’s sudden passing early yesterday.
Cheng said that Taib devoted his entire life to tourism, starting with his involvement in Hertz Rental Car services prior to moving on to various tourism organisations.
“It is a loss that resonates in the industry. He was part of the pioneering team in the private sector, which collaborated with Tourism Malaysia to grow the leisure sector.”
Earlier this month, former journalist Somboon Cheanswaths, who spent 24 years helping to transform the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) into one of the most vibrant tourism promotion groups in the region, also succumbed to Covid-19 on July 6.
The Tumpat-born Cheanswaths was highly regarded in the journalism circle for always extending a helping hand to travel writers, who were invited for TAT’s various media familiarisation incentive trips.
An avid golfer, Cheanswaths is also believed to be one the first Malaysians of Thai descent to work as a journalist in mainstream media. – The Vibes, July 20, 2021
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