KUALA LUMPUR – The tourism industry suffered a staggering loss of RM100 billion this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting movement restrictions, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the income losses mainly relate to accommodation, transportation, shopping, and food and beverages.
However, she noted that the impact of the health crisis was also felt by other countries and is not exclusive to Malaysia.
“The recent conditional movement control orders in several locations in Malaysia, due to the third Covid-19 wave, will only make matters worse here,” she said in her Budget 2021 winding-up speech today.
Nancy said that the government has announced various initiatives under several economic stimulus packages to cushion the impact on industry players.
She said that the ministry has also drafted a tourism recovery plan, with its main strategy focusing on boosting domestic tourism.
“We know that with the closure of our borders, we have lost potential income from foreign travellers, on average amounting to some RM25 million each year.
“It’s true that this gap is too huge to fill, but we are optimistic that the focus on domestic tourism now is important, as it can be a catalyst to the industry,” she said.
Nancy said that the ministry had among other things suggested domestic travel bubbles in green zones, which was announced by Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob last week. – The Vibes, November 26, 2020
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