PETALING JAYA: About 30% of tour groups from China have cancelled their trips to Malaysia, says Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) president Mint Leong.

They are worried about the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia, she says.

MITA wrote an urgent letter to Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture for immediate remedies, she added.

The trip cancellation was due to a hasty announcement made by Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad on Covid-19 updates.

His statement has been misinterpreted by foreign media that Malaysia is about to announce quarantine measures.

“Tourists are worried by the infection statistics released by the Ministry of Health,” she said.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Leong said the announcement by the Ministry of Health for those infected with Covid-19 to undergo self-quarantine for a period of five days had been misinterpreted by foreign media that Malaysia relaunched quarantine measures for inbound tourists.

“The announcement has affected tourist groups from China with 30% having cancelled their trips,” she said.

Minister of Tourism Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said he had been receiving messages and feedback from tourists, tour operators and others about their concerns of Covid-19.

Tiong suggested on Facebook that the Ministry of Health should increase public awareness on preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

At the same time, the Ministry of Health should also exercise caution when releasing information which could cause unnecessary harm to the tourism industry.

While the Covid-19 outbreak may be a major issue affecting Malaysians, the matter should not be amplified leading to the misinterpretation that the outbreak is beyond control.

Tiong is of the view that many parts of the world are affected by the outbreak due to the increasing number of infections, and this has led to the misunderstanding that the situation in Malaysia is extremely serious.

Tiong says the current outbreak is different from the earlier one, and the preventive measures adopted are different too.

So, the release of infection numbers on a daily basis may be unnecessary, he said, as such data could indirectly lead to fear.

While one should step up preventive measures, Tiong said overreaction may instil fear in the market.

He urged the Minister of Health to take into consideration the impact on national economy, especially when the number of tourists is just starting to pick up.

Tiong said the Ministry of Health in Indonesia made similar announcement almost at the same time, but it highlighted the Christmas and New Year holidays that the outbreak would not be overwhelming while the announcement made by the Minister of Health here has caused market to panic.

The announcements may create the perception that the situation in Malaysia is more severe than in Indonesia. As a result, tourists may skip Malaysia and visit Indonesia instead.

Tiong said he would raise the matter at the cabinet meeting to find a win-win solution so that while ensuring the Covid-19 outbreak is within control, it will not cast negative impact on the tourism industry.