KUALA LUMPUR, 21 October 2020: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ head office remains closed until 27 October following a new round of Covid-19 lockdown measures.
The Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) that came into effect last week for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya followed a spike in Covid-19 cases that forced companies and organisations to close or limit office hours.
MATTA’s chief executive officer, Phua Tai Neng, said head office staff would work from home while member companies should make contact via email or through the association’s Facebook page @MATTAHQ.
Meanwhile, in a report filed by Free Malaysia Today, MATTA secretary-general, Nigel Wong, noted that tourism stakeholders, in general, agreed with proposals to modify work weekends and school holiday terms to boost domestic tourism during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the government needed to do more than allow for more time off or staggered holidays to encourage holiday bookings.
“There must also be targeted incentives…such as tax incentives or travel allowances that can be redeemed only through licensed tourism industry stakeholders.
“The main challenges are the fear of travelling, especially since there has been a rise in cases recently – as well as the logistical problems that may arise from, for example, staggered school holidays,” he concluded.
