TO help revive the services sector, which has been badly hit by the pandemic, the government is working on giving domestic tourism a boost, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economic) Arthur Joseph Kurup.
He said the tourism industry in the country and internationally is expected to improve once countries gain access to Covid-19 vaccines.
“For now, the government is working on encouraging local tourism as the pick-up of the industry will be dependent on other countries, including the opening up of our borders.
“The domestic travel bubble was introduced to support the local tourism industry and airlines to dampen the effects brought on by the pandemic,” he said when replying to a question by Rubiah Wang (GPS-Kota Samarahan).
She had asked about the government’s plans to ensure that the tourism industry would not be paralysed due to the pandemic and unemployment.
Arthur said the unemployment rate in the country had dropped to 4.6%. “In May, it stood at 5.3%.”
The government has introduced several measures such as the Wage Subsidy Programme to curb unemployment, he added.
