KUCHING: The proposed reopening of Malaysia’s international borders by March and non-mandatory quarantine for visitors will essentially hasten the National Recovery Plan (NRP).
Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah stated that it will also boost Sarawak’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030).
He said the suggestions and recommendations made by the National Recovery Council (NRC) bode well for the speedy recovery of Malaysia’s various economic sectors which were badly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic especially the tourism and hospitality industry.
“Sarawak was not spared, it had lost billions in revenue streams from the tourism and hospitality industry which in the past years had contributed to the local economy and the livelihood of those working in the downstream industry.
“What had been mentioned and suggested by NRC chairman, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was welcomed by industry players all over because the positive impacts from the reopening of our borders will boost our economic recovery efforts,” he said in a statement on Wednesday (Feb 9).
Abdul Karim who is also the Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development noted that the people will reap the benefits likewise with the creation of jobs when the tourism and hospitality sector is on the rebound.
“Our local folk are surely looking forward to serving foreign tourists who are eager to spend their tourism dollars after years of not being able to enjoy travelling and vacationing in holiday destinations such as Sarawak and Malaysia,” he added.
At the same time, he pointed out that Sarawak’s medical tourism industry is set to benefit from the reopening of borders as previously the promising revenue stream from the sector had encouraged the establishment of private medical institutions and hospitals in Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu.
“It is interesting to note that the Association of Private Hospital Malaysia (APHM) had recently mentioned that medical tourism in our country had contributed RM1.7 billion to the economy back in 2019 before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020,” he said.
To facilitate the reopening of borders, he said it is important to educate and instil awareness among potential visitors on the need to strictly adhere to all standard operating procedures (SOP) set by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) before any entry application is accepted.
“There must be concerted efforts by the industry players concerned to ensure there are only fully vaccinated tourists and visitors with the booster dose. This will ensure the risks of Covid-19 infections are mitigated and avoided,” he explained.
