A personal take on surviving in the tourism industry

With travel restrictions eased domestically since August, Malaysian travel industry operators must innovate social media initiatives and fresh ideas for local travel to survive. — AFP

Well before Malaysia’s movement control order (MCO) began in March, between Jan 24 and March 17, China was the first country to initiate an extensive internal lockdown to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, later sealing its borders as well. Many other countries soon followed, marking the start of the war against the virus for the travel fraternity worldwide.

Inbound travel operators (Malaysian companies catering to tourists coming into the country), tour bus companies, hotels, souvenir shops, restaurants, private theme parks, etc, were the first to take the blows. Office staff, tour guides and drivers were laid off and some companies simply shuttered their doors to stop haemorrhaging money. The three- to six-month unemployment assistance provided by the government came as a relief – but what about the hefty debts companies have on their shoulders?