More needs to be done for the tourist guide community that has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Filepic
With borders closed to international travellers since March last year, many tourist guides in the country have been grappling with bread-and-butter issues.
The lack of travellers in a pandemic world means that their vocation has practically come to a grinding halt.
Some respite came recently when Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced a new assistance package – the Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia or Permai – worth RM15bil.
In a special address, Muhyiddin said a one-off financial assistance of RM500 will be given to 14,000 tourist guides in the country.
More needs to be done for the tourist guide community that has been severely impacted by the pandemic. - Filepic With borders still closed to international travellers, the government needs to provide more assistance to help tourist guides in the country sustain their livelihoods.
Malaysian Tourist Guides Council president Jimmy Leong said more needs to be done for the tourist guide community that has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Any gesture initiated by the government is appreciated but a one-off assistance of RM500 is certainly not enough to sustain even the basic need of any family, he told
The Star.