Frontliners and high-risk groups will be the first to be immunised, starting later this month.

Placing them in Phase 2, slated to begin in April, will allow the industry to prepare for the reopening of international borders, and assure travellers that Malaysia is ready to receive them, MAH said.

In a statement, the association said this was part of a 19-point proposal of immediate assistance, which it presented to the tourism, arts and culture ministry yesterday.

MAH said immediate help was needed to keep hotels afloat, and noted that while some of their proposals had been made before, there is more urgency now considering the worsening situation.

“We must be ready for recovery and maintain our tourism capacity as well as competitiveness in the region,” said MAH president N Subramaniam.

MAH said that the second movement control order which was implemented in January had “robbed the industry of any hopes of recovery this year” and would result in an estimated RM300 million in fortnightly losses, which adds to the roughly RM6.5 billion the sector lost last year.

They also estimate that more than 100 hotels had shut down since the beginning of 2020, directly affecting around 7,000 employees and impacting businesses reliant on tourism to survive.

“The tourism and hotel industry employs 3.6 million people and is one of the main contributors to the country’s economy. It must not be allowed to collapse,” said Subramaniam.

MAH said that it had earlier presented a detailed white paper to the Tourism Board with recommendations on ways the government can assist the industry and a six-phase reopening plan to allow the staggered return of international tourists.