Malaysia should follow the example of Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam or we will lose out on tourism opportunities with stringent travel requirements imposed on arrivals as compared to regional competitors.
The above countries have axed tedious travel requirements to lure international travellers and match surging tourism demands, such as introducing friendlier schemes and scrapping the pre-departure test.
“Malaysia was amongst the last to reopen our borders. We will lose out of on plenty of economic opportunities if we continue to impose exhaustive arrival conditions,”
“Speaking from a traveller’s perspective, the current cost to travel to Malaysia is relatively high. This will definitely drive them away to other nations whose requirements seem more welcoming than ours,” said Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Yeoh Soon Hin in a press statement.
Yeoh emphasized that it is crunch time for Malaysia to drop stringent restrictions and instead, introduce eased requirements for the fully vaccinated, especially with the imminent Middle Eastern holiday season.
“Middle Eastern travellers are already starting to make plans for their summer holidays which typically take place from June to August. Eased restrictions will make Malaysia their destination of choice,” he said.
Yeoh stressed that Malaysia needs to be progressive in its strategies and launch policies which are in tandem with the nation’s goal to transition into an endemic.
“Our exit strategy from Covid-19 needs to be comprehensive. The Federal Government needs to relook into the tourism aspect to keep our competitiveness against other regional tourism powerhouses, and in the long run inject vitality into our beleaguered economy,” he ended.