No MCO for now: Melaka tourism industry players can heave sigh of relief

MELAKA: Tourism industry players in Melaka can now heave a sigh of relief with the announcement by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin that the government has no plan to reintroduce the Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide despite Covid-19 cases hiStting three figures in recent days.

A tour guide, Zamzam Kasim, 70, who has been working in the tourism sector for 40 years, said that if the MCO was reintroduced, it is feared the tourism sector, especially in Melaka, will continue to be affected, causing many operators or players in the tourism industry to go bankrupt.

Zamzan, who was once the Melaka Tourist Guides Association chairman for 10 years, said that the tourism industry was among the first adversely affected by the pandemic and until now, the Melaka tourism industry is still struggling to get back on its feet during the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO).

“During the RMCO, the demand for the services of tour guides is very low because most of them (tourists) are travelling with their families using their own vehicles and many groups who use tour buses have cancelled their trips at the last minute, following the spike in positive Covid-19 cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Azwan Jajendran of Ad Nazwajaya Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd, which offers bus tours and packages, said that the previous implementation of MCO still affected the business which he founded in Taman Bayan Baru, Durian Tunggal, here, since 2004.

He said that he had sought assistance from banks and credit lending companies to extend the moratorium on business assets such as tour buses and vans as the income is still adversely affected due to the low demand.

“Now I am focusing on local tourists but the cancellation of booking tickets for tourist destinations and buses is still happening at the last minute, especially involving trips to Langkawi, Kedah,” said Muhamad Azwan, 53, whose company has 15 tour buses and vans.

Meanwhile, the Melaka Malaysian Association of Tours and Travel Agents (MATTA) chairperson Goh Hock Gin, 59, said that he hoped the decision not to reintroduced MCO will stay to give space and time for the Melaka tourism sector to rise again.

“Although Melaka is not classified as a red zone right now, it is still very much affected by the increase in positive cases in other states. If the MCO is being reintroduced, Melaka and the tourism sector will be further severely affected,” he said.

On Oct 6, Muhyiddin in a special message on the current situation of Covid-19 was reported to have said that the government has no plan to implement the Movement Control Order (MCO) nationwide again as it could lead to the collapse of the country’s economy.

The government, instead, will implement the Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) in areas identified as having high Covid-19 cases.-Bernama