The columnist calls on his peers in the tourism industry to keep fighting for survival. — LEESAN
Many months have passed since the coronavirus became a worldwide pandemic. The past few months have crippled the tourism industry, triggering multiple business closures and causing many to lose their jobs.Malaysia’s Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry recently reported that the local tourism and culture industries have suffered losses as much as RM45bil in the first six months . And the loss is expected to double.
During this time, we all have to find some means to survive. Some have started selling durians, homemade cakes, dumplings, fish balls, bento boxes, nasi lemak, murtabak, soya milk, handcrafted soap – anything that they can think of, really – for tiny profits. While waiting for the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to come up with solid solutions to fully revive the industry, operators should perhaps stand united and work together.
And while our tourism ministry has been actively promoting domestic travel, there is still room for improvement.