ALOR STAR – One sure way of speeding up the recovery of Malaysia’s tourism industry is to have the people living at tourism destinations vaccinated early, said Langkawi Business Association deputy president Datuk Alexander Issac.
This is being done by the Tourism Authority of Thailand – to have at least 70% of the 400,000-odd population in Phuket vaccinated by July in order to jump-start the country’s tourism sector.
“We want to rebuild tourism faster and one way of doing that is to inculcate positive sentiments and inject confidence back into the markets.
“If we vaccinate the people at our tourism destinations, it will boost the sector and generate a spillover effect towards better domestic consumption,” said Alexander.
He said in the event those living at tourism destinations cultivate herd immunity, it will help revive the tourism sector faster than ever.
“It will be good if the vaccination masterplan is defined by zones, especially those who play a big role in the recovery of the economy,” he said.
Currently, front-liners, those in the high-risk category and the elderly will be vaccinated first.
“We can do it easily in Langkawi because the numbers are small – about 70,000 people.
“Illegal entry into the island can also be avoided since Langkawi is somewhat isolated,” said Alexander.
Once the vaccination is completed, the proposed travel bubble can be aggressively implemented to boost tourist numbers.
Meanwhile the Kedah/Perlis chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has been mooting a similar idea but there has been no response from health and tourism authorities.
Chapter chairman Eugene Dass said hoteliers should be considered as front-liners due to their role.
“If we are vaccinated, it will expedite the recovery of the sector, which provides the second-highest number of jobs after the manufacturing sector,” he said.
Dass said MAH has recommended this to the Health Ministry, but it has so far fallen on deaf ears. – The Vibes, April 1, 2021
