KOTA KINABALU – Despite a change in government, Sabah will continue to distribute the tourism development grant to assist operators badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sabah was previously administered by the Warisan-led government before it was defeated by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah coalition during state elections in September.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Arifin said his ministry has received numerous applications for the grant, which are now being processed.
“An update on the grants will be made in two to three weeks' time,” he told The Vibes yesterday.
The grant was announced by the previous government before the Sabah elections, with some RM10 million allocated for the purpose.
Tourism players can get up to RM20,000 to upgrade their facilities and tourism products before the then October 31 deadline.
Sandakan Tourism Association president Teo Chee Kim said the state’s tourism industry is the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, for which the authorities were forced to implement a lockdown to stop the deadly virus from spreading.
“Without a doubt, our tourism industry is the hardest hit sector during this crisis. Since the movement control order (MCO) started in March, the tourism industry is virtually at a standstill.
“As we can see around us in Sabah, especially in Sandakan, souvenir shops, cafés, restaurants and even hotels are closing due to the impact of the pandemic,” he said.
The association hopes that the state’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry can expedite the disbursement of this grant to approved applicants so that they can embark on their planned upgrading works and mitigate cash-flow problems.
On another note, Teo suggested that the government provide cash vouchers for locals to spend on domestic tourism.
“Instead of spending money on publicity or advertisements, the association would like to suggest that the federal and state governments emulate Taiwan’s triple stimulus vouchers programme.
“Under this programme, Taiwanese are able to purchase an envelope of vouchers worth NT$3,000 (RM432) at a price of NT$1,000 (RM144).
“It puts money in the people’s hands to spend on specific sectors that are in dire need of help,” he said.
On the aviation sector, Teo said with the required pre-departure testing regime and reduced flight frequency between the peninsula and Sabah, travelling has become more costly.
Due to Sabah’s geographical vastness and continuous emergence of Covid-19 clusters in the state, current promotional efforts to lure domestic travellers may be a futile attempt, he said. – The Vibes, December 8, 2020
With additional reporting by Rebecca Chong
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