KUALA LUMPUR, 21 January 2021: The Bumiputera Tourism Operators Association of Malaysia (Bumitra Malaysia) has appealed to the government to assist the tourism industry, claiming businesses have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
On behalf of almost 600 Bumiputera tourism companies (Malay owned), the association’s plea follows the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ call to extend the government’s financial rescue package.
According to a Bernama report, Bumiputra Malaysia’s president, Harun Kc Ahmmu, said requests included extending the wage subsidy programme and the loan repayment moratorium until December 2021.
He also urged the government to provide special interest-free loans with a repayment period of five years from the time the Covid-19 pandemic is declared ended, as well as fee exemptions for tourism-related licences for 2021.
“We are also hoping for rental exemptions until June for premises owned by the federal government, state governments, as well as government subsidiaries such as Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara),” he said in the statement released Tuesday.
Apart from that, he said compulsory courses for tourism agencies such as the licence renewal course should also be cancelled for the time being, while permit renewals for tourism buses or vans should be exempted until the sector could resume operations.
“Hopefully the government can pay special attention to assist all tourism industry players who have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
(Source: Bernama)
