PERHAPS most countries are busy resetting or rebuilding their economies, which have been badly impacted by the recent Covid-19 pandemic.

They are sparing no effort in bringing the economy to normalcy and earning as much export revenue as possible.

However, the recovery situation is different between countries. Therefore, the pace is uneven.

Malaysia opened its borders on May 1 and entry from Singapore was without restrictions from that day itself.  

So it would be good if the World Bank office in Kuala Lumpur documents the full impact of the pandemic on countries, as well as the policy instruments they deployed to overcome the crisis and put the economy on an even keel again.

Malaysians are already criss-crossing the state boundaries, largely due to the festive holidays. It's a form of pent-up demand.

It equally means that domestic tourism can assume a strong role in the recovery with the potential to strengthen even more in the coming months.

Tourism has been identified as a low-lying fruit to be tapped into to support the recovery.

We anticipate a larger inflow of foreign tourists once recovery from the pandemic is more widespread in other tourist markets.

At one point before the pandemic, the country's tourism earnings were about RM85 billion, suggesting that the industry has the potential to earn more and remain a significant source of foreign exchange and a provider of employment.

Tourists from China have yet to come in big numbers because it has not opened its borders.

Singapore is already a captive market, and India may also provide us with another opportunity.

A recent National Recovery Council meeting underscored the importance of the tourism industry and the need for joint action by operators and regulators to ensure that the system is ready once a bigger number of tourists arrive.

The planning concerns of those in the industry are largely related to tourist markets and also tourism products.

We have to enhance our markets or increase the sources of inbound tourists while improving the attractiveness and quality, as well as the diversity of our tourism products.

We have many products that can be improved to accord with global standards.

It is also suggested that tourism executives in the government and private sector meet to discuss the industry's preparedness to ensure that tourists benefit from their travels to Malaysia.

It is not surprising that the inflow of foreign tourists may increase tremendously when all countries completely open up their borders. Our role is to be prepared for this.

Demand for travels and tours from many parts of the world has been suppressed the past two years. The pick-up is, therefore, natural.

Malaysia has many products to offer — the islands, tropical jungle and rainforest, culture and food and history. Products like health tourism, yachting
and cruises may be developed even more in the immediate future.

Our shoreline in Sabah is naturally pristine, and the ethnic traditions in Sarawak are fascinating to those in search of anything "ethnic".

We can further develop specific products like Langkawi, Tioman and Sipadan in Sabah.

We are, nevertheless, faced with a shortage of labour. The industry is relatively more labour-intensive, especially in subsectors such as hotels and restaurants.

In this regard, regulators have to expedite the approval of intakes of foreign workers.

In fact, the cabinet has requested that this matter be dealt with as soon as possible.

Let us take serious action on this. It will grow a wide cluster of related tourism services and help workers earn the needed income.

Who knows, the industry may respond well. It is really not a low-lying fruit as thought before; in fact, it is an industry of immense potential.

The writer is chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research

https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2022/05/798542/expedite-approval-intakes-foreign-workers-boost-tourism