By Zareef Muzammi
SHAH ALAM, June 29 — Tourism players in the country should be given a priority to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in ensuring the sector would be able to recover safely soon.
In reviving the industry, the Selangor Association of Tour and Travel Agencies (Saffta) had also proposed that individuals who have completed their Covid-19 vaccination should be able to be allowed to travel domestically.
Its president Dr Fathir Badri Alhadad said the move would be able to help tour operators boost their businesses as they have not been able to fully operate for almost two years.
“The state government is actively carrying out vaccination programme focusing on industrial workers and we hope that this initiative would be extended to those in the tourism industry as well,” he told SelangorKini.
Meanwhile, Selangor Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) vice president Mohd Nazri Ahmad had also supported a similar view and said tourism players are also in the front line as they have to regularly interact physically with the people.
“When the tourism players are vaccinated, it will build up the people’s confidence to visit hotels or tourism destinations once the sector is reopened,” he said.
On June 25, state executive councillor for tourism Hee Loy Sian said 2,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will be allocated for 1,000 tourism industry operators in the state.
The tour operators in Selangor is also offered cash assistance up to RM20,000 to allow them to continue their operations after being badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
