The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) is studying strategies to deal with the arrival of tourists from countries categorised as Covid-19 green zones if Malaysia reopens its doors.

Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said the previous practice of only permitting tourists from green zone countries was deemed impractical as some of the countries are now facing the third wave of the pandemic.

“Right now, MOTAC is looking into new strategies through ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“However, this matter (international tourism) is also subject to whether the countries involved will open their doors to Malaysian tourists,” she said during the Ministers’ Question Time.

She was replying to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan (BN-Pontian) about the ministry’s plan to accept the arrival of foreign tourists from countries categorised as Covid-19 green zones.

Nancy also informed Dewan Rakyat that MOTAC is offering several tourism-related programmes to help tourism industry players affected by Covid-19.

For example, tourist guides could obtain or renew their licence for free beginning from May until November via nine programmes.

“Previously, one programme would cost them RM50,” she added in response to a supplementary question from Khoo Poay Tiong (PH-Kota Melaka) about how industry players could benefit from the programmes organised by the ministry to lessen the impact of Covid-19.