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Tourism minister: Malaysia’s international arrivals set to plunge 75pc from 2019
KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) revealed today its forecast of a 75-per cent decline in foreign tourist arrivals for 2020, compared to the previous year, due to strict border controls following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri (BN-Batang Sadong) also disclosed that the amount of losses faced by the tourism and hospitality sector stood around RM44 billion — RM31 billion from international arrivals and RM13 billion from domestic tourism — as of June 2020.
She was responding to Datuk Ahmad Nazlan Idris (BN-Jerantut) who asked during Question Time in Parliament for the total loss of income in the tourism industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to statistics obtained by Motac, foreign tourist spending in the first quarter fell 41.5 per cent year-on-year, going from RM21.4 billion in 2019 to RM12.5 billion in 2020.
The losses were attributed to retrenchments, loss of revenue following mandatory business shutdowns, salary cuts, and cancellation of tourism package bookings.
Source: https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/07/15/tourism-minister-malaysias-international-arrivals-set-to-plunge-75pc-from-2/1884685