This comes after key players from the industry had voiced out their disappointment over the provisions for tourism-related businesses in the 2021 budget that was tabled by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz on Nov 6.
Besides the initiatives tabled by Tengku Zafrul, Nancy said the government had also allocated RM200 million for a stimulus package under the Tourism Recovery Plan for 2021.
“This allocation was not announced in detail during the budget tabling, causing industry players to feel that they were not included but this is not true.
“I would also like to emphasise that this RM200 million stimulus package is not an additional package. It is included in the RM1.14 billion allocation received by the ministry,” she said during a press conference on the 2021 budget.
She said she had also explained the allocation to the tourism industry stakeholders in a separate meeting.
According to Nancy, the stimulus package will provide assistance in the form of rebates, discounts or subsidies on travel packages through online platforms as well as collaborations with local tourism associations, theme parks, homestay associations, craftsmen and shopping centres in order for them to offer attractive travel packages to the people.
Asked if the tourism stimulus package would be enough to revive the industry, she said the ministry still has unspent funds from the 2020 budget that could be used to boost the recovery.
“We received RM30 million of stimulus package from the 2020 budget and so far, only one-third of the amount has been used. There is no issue of the RM200 million package being too small to revive the sector.”
On the matter of a proposal put forward by the ministry to allow interstate travel between green zones in states under the conditional movement control order, she said the government is likely to greenlight the proposal once the SOPs are refined.
Asked about the travel bubble with neighbouring countries, such as Brunei and Singapore, she said the ministry is ever-ready and prepared with SOPs and travel packages for such an initiative being approved.
“We are ever-ready with the travel bubble but we’re not in control of the borders and it is not under the ministry’s jurisdiction. We need to wait for the government’s approval,” she added.