She said the estimate was made after the third wave of Covid-19 infections that is now gripping the tourism industry. “We’ve already lost RM45 billion earlier this year, from January to June,” she said.

According to her, the government’s decision to approve the domestic travel bubble for green states can potentially breathe life into the industry.

She also announced several initiatives set to be mobilised to improve the tourism sector in accordance with new norms, including collaborations with Tourism Malaysia, Malaysian Association of Hotels, and Malaysian Budget Hotel Association.

This includes a project offering rebate vouchers of RM100 and RM50 for 3-day 2-night hotel stays, depending on the hotel category, and e-cash claims worth RM20 through “Jom Nginap” and “Malaysia Welcomes You” campaigns at selected budget hotels.

There will also be a “Cuti-Cuti Malaysia” campaign with airlines such as Malaysia Airlines Bhd, AirAsia, Firefly and Malindo Air to increase connectivity to holiday destinations in the country.

“There will be a promotional campaign targeted to Malaysians offering a RM50 discount for one-way flights. For example, Malaysia Airlines and Firefly will offer a discount of RM50 or RM100 for economy and business class flights, to and fro.

“This campaign for Malaysia Airlines will be from Nov 24 to Dec 3, for travel dates between November 2020 to June 2021. Meanwhile, the booking period for Firefly is from Nov 24 until Dec 3, for travel dates between November 2020 to October 2021.”

She called on Malaysians living in green zones to travel safely and in accordance with the new norms, in order to rebuild the tourism sector which has been hard-hit by the pandemic.