On 15 November 2021, Taylor's School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events (SHTE) and PATA Malaysia Taylor’s Student Chapter (MTSC) organized a forum on Budget 2022 and the Revival of Tourism Sector. The objective of the forum was to provide a platform for industry players to share their views on Budget 2022, particularly relating to its relevance to the tourism industry.
The forum was commenced with the Opening Address by Prof. Dr. Neethiahnanthan Ari Ragavan, Executive Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences & Leisure Management followed by the forum session. SHTE was honoured to have Adjunct Prof. Anthony Wong, Group Managing Director, Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel Sdn. Bhd as the Moderator for the session. Insightful discussions took place with a well-represented panel speakers from hospitality, tourism, events and tax consulting.
The invited Panel Speakers were:
Mr. Francis Teo, President, Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS); Head of Convention Centres, Setia City Convention Centres; Industry Advisory Panel, Taylor's University
Mr. Mohamad Halim Merican, Chief Executive Officer, UniQ Hospitality Services
Mr. Nigel Wong, Honorary Treasurer, Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA); Industry Advisory Panel, Taylor's University
Mr. Asaithamby Perumal, Partner – Tax, Ernst & Young Tax Consultants Sdn. Bhd.
More than 160 people attended the forum via Zoom platform and actively participated in providing the views and directing questions to the panel. During the forum session, amongst some of the questions asked by the moderator such as “How does the budget help or doesn’t in your segment of the industry?”; “What is not clear about the budget?”; “What are the weakness you see in the budget and suggestion of improvement?” and “What is the wish list of the industry?”.
The discussion became more interesting when one of the panel speakers highlighted that less than 5% of Budget 2022 was allocated to the Tourism Industry when it contributes almost 14% in GDP. All the panel speakers commented that allocation of Budget 2022 was insufficient for the recovery and revival of the tourism industry. More support should be provided to assist the recovery of the tourism industry.
The forum went on successfully and were requested to have follow up sessions. SHTE and PATA MTSC will continue to bring more events that discusses current issues of the industry.
