GEORGE TOWN – Penang has urged Putrajaya to consider allowing international tourists who have been vaccinated to enter Malaysia and rejuvenate the waning tourism industry.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said it is time that the travel industry applies innovative measures to deal with the unique threat of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Malaysia can consider opening up a ‘travel corridor’ with countries that impose strict measures to control the spread of the virus through a tourism bubble programme.
“The federal government should allow tourists who have completed their vaccination to enter the country under pandemic prevention guidelines.
“Tourism is a main source of income for our economy, and we need to come up with appropriate policies to restart international tourism.
“We need to start looking at viable alternatives that can sustain the industry and stabilise tourism economy post-Covid-19.”
For example, Yeoh said, tourism getaway Phuket in Thailand will implement quarantine exemptions for vaccinated tourists who enter the island resort.
“Tourism is one of the most competitive sectors. To ensure it is not left behind, Malaysia needs to introduce relevant policies and look into alternatives to welcome international tourists and restart international tourism.”
In a recent Bernama report, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang urged the federal government to be proactive and come up with an enhanced and targeted rescue plan for tour and travel agents, following the latest movement control order (MCO) and bleak travel forecast this year.
Tan said tourism-related businesses are in distress due to the industry’s fragile and uncertain environment, which is expected to continue into late 2021.
“Tour and travel agents have been battling with a drop in revenue and liquidity problems since the start of the pandemic. Putrajaya’s efforts have had no significant impact on this segment of the industry.
“In previous years, tourism has been the third largest contributor to the national gross domestic product (GDP).”
The industry contributed 14.1% (RM166 billion) to GDP in 2015, 14.5% (RM182 billion) in 2016, 14.6% (RM201 billion) in 2017, 15.2% (RM220 billion) in 2018, and 15.9% (RM240 billion) in 2019.
Matta said travel agents, especially those who own tourism vehicles, are likely to face the same fate as hoteliers – who are forced to shut due to MCO 2.0 and continuous closure of borders.
The association has urged travel businesses to go for consolidation and mergers, as more than 5,000 travel companies are now in dire straits, adding that Putrajaya needs to initiate rehabilitation programmes as the situation will worsen.
It is no longer “business as usual” for the industry during the pandemic, Matta said, urging government agencies to make immediate policy changes to ease the financial burden of the hardest-hit industry in Malaysia. – The Vibes, April 11, 2021
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