KUALA LUMPUR: The Tourism, Arts and Cultural Ministry will focus on efforts to encourage mobility to boost domestic tourism and economic activities, following the reopening of state borders from Monday.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri in a parliamentary reply said the ministry is also planning and making preparations while exploring potentials for the opening of international tourism bubbles.
The tourism bubble, she said, would involve foreign destinations and Malaysia's preparedness for tourism arrivals after international borders for tourism were closed for almost two years.
"With the latest development, Motac is confident domestic tourism will be revitalised following the reopening of state borders from Monday, as announced by the prime minister, and become a catalyst to help revive the industry," she said in a reply to a question from Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik (PH-Balik Pulau) yesterday.
He had asked if the government would consider carrying out 'Visit, Vaccinate & Vacation' (3V) campaigns to revitalise Malaysian tourism, as implemented in Maldives, Alaska and New York.
Nancy said the ministry has been engaging with its counterparts in other countries and those in the airline industry to explore tourism potentials.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had on Sunday announced the reopening of state borders, which allows the resumption of interstate travels, as the country reached the 90 per cent target of Covid-19 vaccination for its adult population.
The country's borders, however, are still closed to foreign tourists.
The tourism industry in Malaysia reported an estimated RM100 billion in losses last year and another RM45 billion for the first half of this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.