The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has announced a comprehensive recovery plan to breathe some life in the Malaysian tourism sector following the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
MOTAC Minister Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri, revealed at a press conference that the recovery plan will be administered by its agency Tourism Malaysia via the Stimulus Recovery Plan (PRE), utilising the support of various agencies and industry players.
MOTAC Minister Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri at the press conference (image courtesy of Bernama)
Also aimed at restoring the role of the tourism sector as one of the prominent contributors to the Malaysian economy, the PRE involves three main cores that had been identified as ‘quick win’ strategies to boost domestic tourism – Restore Confidence to Travel, Revive Domestic Tourism, and Maximise Resources.
To ensure that the programme directly benefits consumers, vouchers, discounts, cash rebates and the like have been suggested as the mechanism of choice. Handily, this ties in with one of the government’s initiatives to promote digital technology for online orders and purchases, where apps can be used for the redemption of cash e-vouchers.
Key Programmes Ready To Roll
According to MOTAC, the programmes which will be ready for implementation are:
a) Tourism Malaysia Partnerships with MAH and e-market platforms to promote holiday and hotel packages in order to increase hotel occupancy especially those located in city centres that had recorded low occupancies due to the pandemic.
b) Collaboration with MyBHA to assist selected budget hotels (3 stars and below) across the country with emphasis on premises which are registered with MOTAC through ‘Jom Nginap’ and ‘Malaysia Welcomes You’ campaigns.
c) ‘Cuti-Cuti Malaysia’ campaign with the cooperation of airline companies such as Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), Firefly, Air Asia and Malindo Air to increase connectivity to holiday destinations in the country to encourage domestic tourism.
d) Tourism Malaysia will collaborate with industry players in the service and transportation segments, and as well as with the private sector such as Prasarana to induce demand for inter and intra travels amongst domestic tourists and increase the use of public transport service.
e) Collaboration with Karyaneka to offer discounts on craft products to boost sales and drive up demand for Malaysian crafts.
Domestic Travel Bubbles
The National Security Council, or Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN) has released a guideline for domestic tourism.
Among the points to note are that travel between green zones without crossing restricted zones is allowed without restricted passenger numbers or the need for police permission (subject to conditions).
Should the travel path cross yellow, orange or red zones, police permission must be obtained, and no stops in such areas must be made.
Tourists are responsible to monitor their own health before, during and after the holiday, and strictly observe the set SOPs of hygiene and contact tracing.
“MOTAC welcomes the government’s decision to allow domestic travel bubble between green zones in Malaysia. We hope that the public will use the opportunity to travel responsibly and always adhere to the SOPs and the new norms while traveling,” said Dato’ Sri Hajah Nancy Shukri.
The minister also urges tourism industry players to continue rolling out attractive packages to maintain public interest, as well as to abide by the government and health SOPs.
Click here for the domestic tourism guideline by MKN (in Bahasa Melayu).