As part of an initiative to revitalise the tourism and the hospitality industry, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin made an announcement of a number of measures called 'Pemerkasa.'

Key announcements include the continued exemption of tourism tax and service charges for hotel stays until 31 December.

Muhyiddin said tourism companies and certain industries such as the cinemas and the spas could postpone taxes.

There will also be a one-off payment for more than 5000 travel agencies that are registered with the ministry of tourism, arts, and culture.

In addition, Muhyiddin announced an extra RM600 payment for homestays owners

He added that the 10% discount on the bill of electricity should also be extended for a further three months to 30 July to reduce business costs in the hospitality sector.

“Once more of us have been vaccinated, the government will allow interstate travel in stages through special green lanes for cross-border travel involving airlines,” he said.

The Prime Minister also asked the people to understand better about the restrictions, since before making decisions the government is first looking at the risks of interstate travel.

There have been various calls for the government to assist the tourism sector’s recovery, with former finance minister Daim Zainuddin being the latest to call for more out-of-the-box strategies to save the industry.

He also requested new tax laws to recover losses for companies, adding that tax refunds would help their cash flow.