KOTA BARU: Kelantan's tourism sector lost RM2.6bil last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the state assembly heard on Wednesday (Aug 25).

       State community unity, culture, heritage and tourism committee chairman Major (Rtd) Datuk Md Anizam Ab Rahman (pic) said the pandemic saw a drop of 2.5 million tourists entering Kelantan last year.

       The state government had allocated RM724,750 to help affected industry players such as hotels, home stay owners, tourist guides and others, he added during the sitting's question-and-answer session at the Kota Darulnaim Complex here.

       Mohd Syahbuddin Hashim (BN-Galas) had asked about the status and estimated losses of the state's tourism sector due to the implementation of movement controls to curb the spread of Covid-19.

       "Among the help we provided included assistance to hotels registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and a RM1,000 cash provision each to travel agencies, art enthusiasts, rickshaw drivers and others.

       "Apart from the state government's contribution, we also received assistance from the Federal Government which helped to ease the burden of industry players," he said.

       He added that using the tourism bubble approach, the state government held various promotions, including virtual efforts, to revive the local tourism sector. – Bernama