Tourism players want to reopen in Phase 2 just like shopping malls
The Malaysian Association of Theme Parks and Family Attractions has urged the government to allow the tourism and hospitality industry to resume operations during Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan.
In a statement today, the association said theme parks, family attractions, playlands, spa wellness centres and cinemas should be treated the same as shopping malls, resorts and hotels that will be allowed to operate in Phase 2.
The Malaysian Association of Theme Parks and Family Attractions has urged the government to allow the tourism and hospitality industry to resume operations during Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan.
In a statement today, the association said theme parks, family attractions, playlands, spa wellness centres and cinemas should be treated the same as shopping malls, resorts and hotels that will be allowed to operate in Phase 2.
They said that this was necessary because tourism industry revenue was down by 80.9 percent in 2020 thus affecting the national economy.
Tourism, argued the association, was the third biggest contributor to the GDP in 2018 - around 13.1 percent to 14.2 percent - and was a major source of employment - around 3.6 million or 23.6 percent of the total workforce in 2019.
The association also urged the government to allow the Ministry of Tourism and Culture to handle the Penjana Tourism Sector Financing scheme.
While the association expressed gratitude for the scheme, they noted that it remains a low-impact initiative based on the latest Economic Stimulus Implementation and Coordination Unit Between National Agencies (Laksana) Report.
"Only 6.5 percent of the RM1 billion was utilised. As of June 4, there were 666 applications for this funding and out of the total, 327 applications were approved with total funding of RM65.1 million.
"We seek a straightforward programme to be managed and distributed by a single agency under Motac. Currently, the scheme is controlled by 12 commercial and development banks. We need converged single-window management of this fund," said the association.
The association also wants the government to freeze all statutory requirements for the tourism industry - annual license renewals, vehicle inspections, quit rent, EPF contributions and service tax, among others - for the year 2021.
Lastly, the association urged the government to consult tourism industry players on Covid-19 protocols such as operating hours, capacity and other measures.
"The government must maximise the potential of MySejahtera and the Hotspots Identification for Dynamic Engagement (Hide) for proactive measures. Hide needs to be more transparent with the rakyat knowing what parameters are being measured.
"It cannot be punitive, but rather incentivised to use. Let Motac be the anchoring ministry for these initiatives," said the association.
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