IT took a pandemic of global proportion to make the Malaysian Government realise how that the Tourism Industry Act 1992 is outdated.
“The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) welcomes the timely and constructive inputs made by the Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab.
“COVID-19 has exposed fundamental cracks in the outdated Tourism Industry Act 1992 which needs urgent modernisation,” said Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang, in a statement.
Recalling an incident from the past, Tan said that many in the industry knew that while the tourism industry was booming across Asean before the pandemic, international arrivals to Malaysia has been declining since 2014.
“Yet past presidents of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) and Matta were ‘kicked out’ from the Tourism Malaysia Board for voicing out the industry’s opinion before the implementation of the Tourism Tax in 2017.
“Both the national associations have had no representation in Tourism Malaysia since then,” he said.
The ball is in your court now, Government
Despite the unsavoury incidents in the past, Tan said that policy makers still have the “Government knows best” mindset, which can be seen from the National Tourism Policy (2020 to 2030) launched on Dec 23 last year.
“The 143-page policy did not address travel challenges under the new norm or provide any roadmap or even a framework for the next three years on how to revitalise the tourism industry post COVID-19.
“Domestic travel was also not mentioned in the policy, which is crucial for tourism industry’s recovery. There was no formal and exhaustive consultation with key industry leaders like Matta in the creation of the policy,” he added.
Offering solutions, Tan urged the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) to focus on its core functions alone, which is licensing, enforcement and policy matters.
“The ministry should never meddle with Tourism Malaysia’s job scope, which is mainly focused on highlighting destination promotions and marketing.
“From Matta’s end, we’re ready to assist the Government’s tourism recovery efforts and advise on structural changes needed both in the public and private sector using our vast international network – but the impetus of change lies in the hands of the Government,” Tan concluded. – Jan 30, 2021.
