Domestic tourism to recover earlier than expected, says minister

Domestic tourism to recover earlier than expected, says minister

Nancy Shukri says compliance with SOPs gives people confidence to travel.

A popular stop in Cameron Highlands. Tourism minister Nancy Shukri says hotel occupancy in leading destinations is about 75% but the national average is 20% to 30%.
KUALA LUMPUR:
The domestic tourism sector, which is badly affected by the movement control order (MCO) following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, will recover earlier than expected, the tourism, arts and culture minister said.

Nancy Shukri said this is due to the high level of compliance with the SOPs.

This gives the people confidence that it is safe to travel, she told reporters after visiting several tourist spots in the city, including Dataran Merdeka, the Eco-Forest Park and the Royal Museum.

In the Dewan Rakyat two days ago, Nancy said Malaysia’s tourism sector is estimated to suffer losses amounting to RM45 billion this year as a result of the closure of borders due to the pandemic.

Of the total, she said, the international tourism segment is projected to suffer losses of more than RM31 billion while the rest is from the domestic segment.

Nancy, who is the Batang Sadong MP, also clarified that the 75% hotel occupancy rate she mentioned was for popular hotels like those at resorts and tourist destinations such as Langkawi.

“However, the average occupancy rate of hotels nationwide is 21% to 30%,” she said.

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