Nancy: Tourism sector to lose RM165b this year
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia may lose RM165 billion in tourist receipts this year due to the Covid19 pandemic.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this estimate was higher than the RM135 billion in losses recorded last year
She said the increase might also be due to the implementation of the Movement Control Order 3.0 nationwide, which had prevented interstate, interdistrict and international tourism activities in the first half of this year.
“Tourism is more than just for leisure as it also provides jobs and incomes that support one in every four jobs, particularly for destinations reliant on the sector.
“However, there is significant progress in terms of health indicators, economic response measures and sector roadmaps as the region is starting to reopen.”
She said this when delivering her keynote speech at the Asean
Leadership and Partnership Forum (ALPF) yesterday.
She said tourism sector players, especially in Asean countries, would need to re-strategise their revival plan post-Covid-19 to gain an edge in the industry.
“Market insights predict that once borders open, tourists will focus on destinations closer to home.
“So it is crucial for us to strengthen cooperation among Asean countries to facilitate international arrivals.
“It is essential for us to promote a safe reopening of the tourism sector and restore people’s confidence to travel, to facilitate the region’s economic recovery, ensuring survivability as well as industry players’ sustainability.”
She highlighted key points for the sector’s revival that should be included in the post-Covid-19 Recovery Plan for Asean tourism, including embracing digital technology and innovative solutions to provide reliable and accessible information.
“Common health protocols for travellers’ safety and host countries should be a key element in the plan to attract regional tourism and promote safe destinations.
“The revival plan should also include preparedness and resilience for future crises through tourism, as well as enabling a sustainable and inclusive recovery.”
Nancy said: “This will require work across the value chain, involving all stakeholders and a commitment to make tourism products and services more sustainable.”
Referring to the Langkawi travel bubble pilot project that kicked off on Sept 16, she said the country was preparing to open the island to international tourists.
“A total of 38,748 domestic tourist arrivals was recorded since day one of the project, with more than RM15.97 million generated.
“We have targeted about 400,000 domestic tourist arrivals for Langkawi under this project till December.
“Looking at this project’s success, we are now preparing to open Langkawi to international tourists soon.”
The ALPF enables participants to discuss ideas on how Asean
countries could rebuild and support sustainable, resilient growth, with a focus on expanded connectivity and digital transformation while also boosting the resilience of its regional supply chain.
The forum was attended by more than 400 participants from Asean countries, including Cambodia’s Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak and United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific executive secretary Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.