IPOH: Tourist attractions in Perak should have Covid-19 guideline "compliance certificates" to boost visitor comfort and confidence, says state Tourism Association president Datuk Mohd Odzman Abd Kadir.

       He added that the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) and Tourism Perak should place these certificates next to their respective MySejahtera QR codes for visitors to view.

       "Compliance ratings should be introduced here by the local authorities as it is important for operators to strictly conform to guidelines.

       "Such a certificate will denote that the operator is certified safe to visit and tourists will also know to look out for it," he said in a statement on Wednesday (sept 1).

       Mohd Odzman said even when travel restrictions are lifted, a stumbling block will be the fear of Covid-19 infection that prevents most Malaysians from going on holiday.

       "Visitors to Perak will applaud the state for taking safety seriously.

       "Operators who take things easy and allow visitors to enter without complying should be blacklisted for a period and will not have a certificate to show," he said.

       "All it takes is for one operator to default and the whole district or even the state's domestic tourism can be affected badly by the ripple effect," he added.

       Mohd Odzman said the state Motac branch and Tourism Perak must work with tourism-related NGOs to create a single campaign message that the state is a safe destination for visitors.

       He said the messages would also need to be placed strategically and in clearly visible positions.

       "Perak has to be the trendsetter in the revival of domestic tourism in Malaysia and it can be done through this campaign," he added.