Govt considering opening borders to boost tourism - minister

 

The government is considering opening the country's borders to help boost the tourism sector, Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri said.

“We are now working at negotiating with countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand, which have been identified as Green Zones," she said at a press conference after visiting the Centre of Technical Excellence Sarawak yesterday.

Nancy said she received many requests from local tourism industry players to consider the matter in order to keep their businesses afloat.

“However, this matter has to be discussed further with other ministries as well, such as the Health Ministry, to ensure that we are allowed to do so to boost our tourism sector,” she said.

Asked whether the green travel bubble did help in boosting the tourism sector, Nancy said, “Yes, even some of the hotels such as in Langkawi are fully booked. So, it has been a good initiative."

Meanwhile, Nancy also urged visitors from green zones travelling to other places for holidays to fully practise the standard operating procedure, especially maintaining physical distancing during their travels.

“We do not want the number of Covid-19 cases getting high after the government has approved the green travel bubble because, at the end of the day, it will affect the economy, especially our tourism sector," she added.

- Bernama