PETALING JAYA: The government’s proposal to reopen interstate travel and the country’s international borders will revive the tourism sector, say tourism industry players.

       The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said this was a positive step to speed up the recovery of national tourism.

       “Fully vaccinated people should have this travel privilege,” he said, adding that this was the practice now in most countries.

       On Monday, National Recovery Council (NRC) chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that interstate travel would most likely be allowed in early October or at the very latest, the middle of the month.

       He also said the NRC was considering reopening the country’s borders to tourists and business travellers as well as allowing fully vaccinated Malaysians to travel abroad.

       Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) president Uzaidi Udanis said allowing interstate travel was good news as their businesses rely on people travelling from one place to another.

       “We are supporting and looking forward to this implementation nationwide.

       “But I know we still have to be responsible in ensuring that the tourists are protected and the places they visit are safe,” he said.

       Uzaidi said that people would have to just “live with the virus”.

       “We will just have to take the necessary precautions because we cannot allow the economy to be at a standstill anymore as this will create a pandemic economy. We must have a balance,” he added.

       As for the reopening of international borders, Uzaidi said Malaysia was considered one of the preferred holiday destinations in the Asean region.

       “We receive 75% of our tourists from the Asean region. This shows that a lot of Asean residents love to go for a holiday here in Malaysia.

       “So, having our international borders reopened will create more opportunities and income that will revive the hotel industry and other tourism players,” he said.

       Uzaidi said the industry had not been able to operate for 20 months.

       “We hope to recover a little bit this year and hope for a full recovery next year.

       “In the next two years, we should be able to reach our optimal level to move forward,” he said.

       Meanwhile, Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) deputy president Dr Sri Ganesh Michiel believed that the hotel industry would still take time to recover as the government needs to tackle and eliminate all industry threats.

       Sri Ganesh said they were having issues with short-term rental accommodation, illegal homestays and online travel agencies.

       “Allowing international borders to reopen will bring in tourists, but the percentage that would choose hotels will be low.

       “We urge the government to allow interstate and international travel with strict standard operating procedures.

       “It must take action to protect the hotel industry from unwanted threats that are contributing towards the failure of the recovery of the industry,” he said.