MATTA lauds removal of GST for benefit of local tourism
The domestic air fare between the Peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak will be more affordable with the doing away of the Good and Services Tax (GST) and will augur well for domestic tourism, said the president of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA)Datuk Tan Kok Lian, during an interview recently.
Thus he lauded the federal Government’s decision to have the GST abolish effective June 1.
“The 0{3ab9abdb116d77e110cf6766d5c5f310d2d72e0dd55573fcd30062e2b31ea297} GST is bound to promote spending by both locals and tourists, especially in terms of shopping as well as food and beverage, thus potentially increasing the price appeal of Malaysia as a travel destination,” Datuk Tan explained.
Domestic travelling is a huge part of Sarawak’s tourism industry, as Sarawak received 2,217,366 domestic visitors last year alone, which translates to a 45.7 percent of Sarawak’s total arrivals.