The Federal Government has been urged to prioritise workers in the tourism sector in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine.

The call was made by Penang State Exco of Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin who added that industry players have voiced such requests.

He added that the rollout of Covid-19 vaccines would be critical in driving for the recovery of the tourism sector which has proven to be a significant sector due to its role in spurring the economic growth of a country. 

He also said the prioritisation of tourism workers, such as the hotel industry and hospitality sector related, will serve to reinstate the confidence of visitors towards the country as a desirable destination during such times when the global tourism is badly affected by international travel restrictions. 

“This move would be testament to Government’s commitment to restore and rejuvenate the country’s tourism activities, which has been halted and continuously suffers from the impact of the pandemic since last year. 

“The tourism industry is in dire straits, with many facing financial crisis and difficulties in retaining employees. Singapore has rolled out vaccinations to workers in the hotel industry, showing the commitment towards the tourism industry as a ‘critical pillar’ of the economy and the recognition of its workers as frontliners. 

“This vaccination is necessary to prepare the industry towards overcoming the Covid-19 crisis, and protect our people and gives them the confidence towards rebuilding the industry once more.” he added.

Yeoh added that more needs to be done to recognise the importance of the tourism stakeholders towards the recovery process which is expected to take years before tourism could resume as before Covid-19. 

He hoped that the Federal Government would put forth a blueprint for the vaccination program to accelerate recovery for the key economic sectors especially tourism, which is the backbone to the service industries. 

“Malaysia must be ready for recovery and maintain our tourism capacity as well as competitiveness in the region. 

“This is a not a process which could be done without the effort of the both the Government and the stakeholders, and we need to unite to ensure that we are not left behind in the effort towards rebuilding tourism and the country. 

“If Malaysia doesn’t roll out vaccines quickly and effectively, and bring the pandemic under control, the country won’t be seen as an attractive tourism destination,” he said in a press statement today.