Ting, flanked by Teo (left) and Zins, shares his insights during the roundtable discussion.
MIRI (March 20): One of the biggest challenges facing the hospitality industry is the skilled labour shortage post Covid-19, said Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting.
“Tourism is one of the major economic sectors in the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and initiatives have been and are currently undertaken to address this issue towards a resilient tourism economy,” he said.
These initiatives, he said, include policies and financial incentives by Sarawak government to local tourism industry players such as the disbursement of Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) 1.0 to 9.0, with a total expenditure of RM6.7 billion.
The policies and incentives incorporated the reskilling and upskilling programmes for tourism players, increasing flight frequency, providing discounts on tour and hotel offered with ‘Sia Sitok’ campaigns, as well as reinforcing capacity building through Online Ecosystem Fund.
“Considering the increase of visitor arrivals at over 320 per cent this year compared to the same period in 2022, the prospect of tourism recovery is possible and therefore, stakeholders and the young people in Sarawak must have faith in our tourism industry,” he urged.
Sharing his thoughts as one of the panellists at the Borneo Sustainable Development Goal (BSDG) Summit, Ting felt that it is time for all relevant agencies and stakeholders to work together to create values to the tourism industry to attract foreign investors’ confidence, and also to give the locals employment opportunities.
The roundtable discussion held at Coco Cabana here on Saturday was facilitated by Prof Andreas H. Zins, the Dean of Faculty of Business of Curtin University Malaysia.
The Malaysia Association of Hotels Sarawak Chapter president John Teo, who was also one of the panellists, spoke on the labour shortage crisis in the local scenario of the tourism industry.
Teo remarked that local workers are seemed to be flocking to Kalimantan, the Indonesia’s new capital, due to attractive salaries which are said to be twice or three times higher than what have been offered in Sarawak.
This, he said, acts as a reminder for the government, stakeholders and industry players to stay competitive to mediate the labour shortage issue.
He opined that businesses and employers must add values at work by providing flexibility to employees, to listen to their needs, as well as to incorporate a fun work environment, job rotations and training opportunities.
“For example, the Accor Group had launched its ‘Work Your Way’ programme in November 2021 to lure talent for hotel jobs in Australia and New Zealand to be prepared for the post-Covid-19 recovery period,” he cited.