KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia needs to start planning for the recovery of its tourism industry, such as implementing strategies to open up its international borders to tourists who have received the COVID-19 vaccine jabs, once the Movement Control Order (MCO) 3.0 ends.
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) president Uzaidi Udanis said that in its efforts to revive the deteriorating tourism industry, Malaysia should look at and study other country's best practices, such as Qatar, the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"We need to initiate a sandbox (experiment) where we can test specific destinations, such as Qatar-Malaysia, for example, before opening up to other destinations.
"At the same time, we should also look at allowing vaccinated tourists to visit Malaysia without having to go through a quarantine period from October onwards, with compulsory bookings through travel agents," he told reporters in a press conference via Zoom today.
He said the association also hoped that the National Security Council (MKN) would give the nod for the domestic travel bubble after the MCO, with travel bookings through travel agents only.
To ensure the survival of the tourism industry, Uzaidi called for an automatic loan moratorium, with zero interest, for all loans effective immediately until the end of the year to all individual tourism players and tourism companies who have loan facilities before March 2020.
He also requested for a tax waiver to be extended to all travel agents for five years from 2021 to 2025, since that is how long the tourism industry is expected to take to recover, as well as another round of one-off cash assistance to tourism players.
He also called for the implementation of a special waiver on insurance and road tax, including the Puspakom fee for all valid registered tourism vehicles, for three years from 2021-2024.
"There are about 9,990 registered tour buses in the market. So, based on a minimum rental income of RM600 per day, these bus operators are losing about RM6 million a day.
"In addition, these bus operators need to pay a high insurance fee for tourism vehicles (van and tour buses), which ranges from RM1,000 to RM10,000 per year, even though the buses are not operational," he said.
Meanwhile, Uzaidi also felt that the Bank Negara governor's recent forecast of Malaysia's economic growth was not an accurate reflection of what is happening in the tourism industry.
Bank Negara Malaysia governor Datuk Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus had recently said that Malaysia was on track for a 6 per cent to 7.5 per cent growth despite the imposition of the Movement Control Order 2.0 and the continued closure of international borders and restrictions on interstate travel.
"With the announcement of the MCO 3.0, the tourism industry is almost 100 per cent paralysed... there is no growth when interstate (travel is not allowed) and the international borders remain closed, plus it's been reported that a few popular destinations, including Langkawi, have become like ghost islands with no tourists and suffering huge losses," he said.
He added that a survey carried out among the 3,000 MITA members found that the pandemic has, so far, forced 10 per cent of its licensed travel agents to close shop, 70 per cent of its member companies to become dormant while 20 per cent are still surviving and active with fewer than two employees.
In view of the current high number of COVID-19 infections and deaths reported daily, the association also called on the government to issue stricter and total lockdown to ensure the nation breaks the chain of infection.
"We know that it will be tough for most of us, but we are ready to sacrifice for the sake of the country and the people. Once we are successful, we can practice a new norm of travelling, with strict compliance of the standard operating procedure (SOP)," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Tue May 18 2021
Uzaidi said the association also hoped that the MKN would give the nod for the domestic travel bubble after the MCO, with travel bookings through travel agents only. - Bernama
AUG 2024: Taekwondo dan silat jelma satu emas
Emas dari taekwondo hadir dalam acara poomsae berpasukan wanita dibarisi Nur Humaira Abdul Karim, Seah Jing Ying dan Wong Zin.
Terima kasih Stadium Shah Alam - TMJ
Rumah pasukan Selangor itu kini sedang dalam proses untuk dirobohkan selepas lebih empat tahun tidak digunakan.
Peniaga besi buruk terlepas hukuman mati, digantikan penjara 35 tahun
Panel tiga hakim diketuai Ketua Hakim Negara Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat membenarkan permohonan semakan V Raja.
Komuniti India terima tambahan RM130 juta dalam tempoh empat bulan - Ramanan
Ramanan berkata, hanya Kerajaan Perpaduan dan Anwar yang prihatin memberi peruntukan besar kepada masyarakat India di Malaysia.
Beberapa jalan ditutup bermula Sabtu hingga petang Ahad
Beberapa jalan di sekitar kawasan Dewan Serbaguna Jawi, Taman Desa Jawi akan ditutup bermula jam 5 petang Sabtu hingga jam 3 petang Ahad sempena Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Bakap, Sabtu ini.
Ketua Polis Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) Superintendan Chong Boo Khim berkata, jalan yang terlibat ialah Jalan Serindit, Jalan Susur Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah SPS dan Jalan Susur Jabatan Kerja Raya SPS.
Ketua Polis Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan (SPS) Superintendan Chong Boo Khim berkata, jalan yang terlibat ialah Jalan Serindit, Jalan Susur Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah SPS dan Jalan Susur Jabatan Kerja Raya SPS.
Fadhlina rayu undi calon PH
Menteri Pendidikan Fadhlina Sidek merayu pengundi di Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sungai Bakap memberi peluang kepada calon Pakatan Harapan (PH) bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK), Dr Joohari Ariffin untuk berkhidmat sebagai wakil rakyat pada pengundian Sabtu ini.
Faisal Halim sudah mula jalani sesi latihan sejak Rabu
Pemain berusia 26 tahun itu difahamkan sudah mula turun ke padang tetapi masih belum bersedia untuk menerima sebarang liputan media.
Sebuah roket dari Lubnan dipintas Israel
Sebuah roket yang dilancarkan dari Lubnan berjaya dipintas rejim Israel pada Khamis.
Roket yang dipintas itu kemudian mengenai bumbung sebuah pusat beli-belah di bandar Acre, utara Israel.
Roket yang dipintas itu kemudian mengenai bumbung sebuah pusat beli-belah di bandar Acre, utara Israel.
Singapura tunggu masa sesuai untuk iktiraf Palestin
Republik Singapura pada dasarnya bersedia untuk mengiktiraf Palestin sebagai sebuah negara jika ia menolak keganasan dan menerima hak Israel untuk wujud.
Ratusan penunjuk perasaan Israel gesa pembebasan tebusan
Ratusan penunjuk perasaan anti-kerajaan turun ke jalan-jalan di Baitulmaqdis pada Khamis bagi menggesa pembebasan tebusan ketika rundingan mengenai perjanjian antara Hamas dan Israel dilaporkan akan disambung semula.
Pemandu maut dalam kemalangan tiga lori
Seorang pemandu lori maut dalam kemalangan membabitkan tiga lori di Kilometer (KM) 186.8 Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS) arah Utara.
Penumpang kereta maut dalam nahas babitkan bas ekspres
Mangsa yang maut merupakan penumpang kereta berusia 30 tahun manakala pemandu berusia 40 tahun cedera di bahagian muka.
Aliran trafik perlahan di lebuh raya utama malam ini
Aliran trafik di beberapa lebuh raya utama negara dilaporkan perlahan menuju ke Lembah Klang susulan pergerakan pulang orang ramai selepas sambutan Aidiladha.
Aidiladha: Aliran trafik menghala Pantai Timur dan Utara bergerak perlahan
Aliran trafik bergerak perlahan di beberapa lebuh raya utama berikutan pertambahan kenderaan, menjelang Hari Raya Aidiladha pada Isnin.
PLUS aktifkan laluan kontra di Putrajaya-Elite bagi kerja penurapan
PLUS akan mengaktifkan laluan kontra di laluan antara Putrajaya ke Plaza Tol Putrajaya (Lingkaran Putrajaya) di Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Hubungan Tengah (ELITE) pada 10 hingga 12 Jun.
Tumpahan minyak lori terbakar hampir sebabkan gangguan air di Selangor
Tumpahan minyak daripada kenderaan itu berisiko menyebabkan pencemaran kepada sumber air berhampiran Sungai Lamiar dan seterusnya ke Sungai Labu, Selangor.
Bas rempuh lori: Pemandu ada 15 saman trafik, bas ada 38 saman terkumpul
Pemandu bas ekspres yang terbabit kemalangan dengan sebuah lori tangki di kilometer (KM) 290.9 Lebuh Raya Utara Selatan (PLUS), arah selatan di sini mempunyai 15 rekod saman trafik.
Lima cedera, bas ekspres rempuh belakang treler
Terdapat seramai 26 orang dalam bas ekspres itu iaitu 11 wanita, 10 lelaki, tiga kanak-kanak perempuan dan seorang bayi lelaki.
Kemalangan dua treler di lebuh raya, semua lorong arah utara terhalang
Susulan kemalangan itu menyebabkan semua lorong arah utara terhalang dan trafik dilencongkan ke Plaza Tol Kuala Kangsar.
Aliran trafik semakin sesak, kemalangan di beberapa kawasan
Aliran trafik sesak selepas Plaza Tol Sungai Besi menuju ke pusat bandar setakat jam 4.50 petang.