The tourism and hotel industries are prepared to receive guests under the new norm, with various health and safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) already in place amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang said preparations were made prior to the announcement on the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said preparation such as implementing physical distancing as well as sanitization and disinfection of vehicles have been in place for several weeks now.

These, he said, include training tour guides to ensure compliance with the SOPs and safeguard tourists from possible infection.

"This is to boost the confidence of travelers who may still be reserved because of the virus. I don't think Malaysians will hold back about going on domestic travels or interstate crossing because as we can see, they are strictly adhering to the SOPs when they are out in town and at restaurants," said Tan.

Tan lauded the government's move to relax the restrictions on domestic travel as it can help the industry's revival following the Movement Control Order's enforcement on May 18.

He also hoped that the Sabah government would follow the federal government's stance by doing away with the requirement of having visitors undergo Covid-19 tests at least three days before entering the state.

"We also urge the prime minister to reconsider the decision to have the country's borders closed until Aug 31. Three months is a long wait for tourism and hotel players and the aviation sector.

"There should be a balance between the external and internal tourism sectors. Malaysia's revenue is highly dependent on external tourism as the domestic purchasing power is not strong," said Tan.

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) chief executive officer Yap Lip Seng said the announcement was significant as it marked the beginning of the recovery of domestic tourism industry.

He said tourism stakeholders had been preparing after the hotel industry had, on May 1 this year, published base guidelines to guide its players into the new norm benchmarked against the Health Ministry's requirements.

It also followed best practices from other countries and major hotel chains around the world.

"In a recent survey by MAH, out of 402 hotel respondents, we recorded 96 percent adoption of SOPs in reference to safety, health and hygiene practices for Covid-19, with the balance minority awaiting reopening of operations," said Yap.

Yap said MAH's survey showed a slow but consistent pickup of onward demand or hotel bookings for the next few months.

He said steady demand is expected in 2021, signaling confidence in the recovery and the new norm as part of travel.

Yap said the industry is expecting a pickup in not only leisure travel but also business travelers.

"Although in general hotels are investing and spending more in SOP compliance, the public will not be expecting an increased cost in hotel stays with many offering attractive packages and promotions for bookings made directly from the hotels' websites.

"With the industry moving into the first stage of the domestic tourism recovery, we need to plan ahead for the next, and that is the international inbound market when the borders are opened and eased.

"This will involve a concerted effort to market and promote Malaysia by both the private sector and the government," Yap added.