SIMUNJAN: The Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture (Motac) has developed a post-MCO tourism and cultural recovery plan to help revive the industry, said its minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukry.
But first and foremost, she said it was important to restore people’s confidence to travel again.
She said the pandemic had caused people to be vigilant and to limit their activities.
“As industry leaders, we need to give assurance that the industry practises the new norms to ensure safety and hygiene as the utmost priority,” the Batang Saong MP told reporters when met during her working visit to her constituency here last Saturday (June 20).
She said the ministry’s agency, Tourism Malaysia, would strengthen the domestic tourism initiatives under the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia (Holiday in Malaysia) campaign, intensify its public relation activities and social media promotions including online collaborations with corporate companies.
“We will also enhance the quality of tourism products and services by adapting the new normal to boost the confidence of tourists to travel again, hence encouraging them to stay longer, visit more places and spend more,” she added.
As for the international market, Nancy said the ministry planned to promote arrivals from short-haul markets such as Asean mainly through cross-border tourism.
For starters, she said the concept of travel bubble with green zone countries identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was gaining popularity among countries that had managed to contain the spread of Covid-19, adding that they were worth considering.
“However, its implementation is subject to bilateral discussions with paramount consideration on the aspects of health, immigration, data tracking, and continuous monitoring by respective agencies concerned in both countries,” she stressed.
