This archive report was first published on 11 June 2020.
On June 11, 2020, the government announced a temporary lifting of the ban on meetings in private hotels, a move aimed at reviving the struggling tourism sector.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yatani attributed the decision to the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality industry.
According to Dr. Yatani, the tourism sector has been severely affected, with massive cancellations of hotel bookings resulting in job and income losses.
"Tourism is one of the hard-hit sectors in the economy," Dr. Yatani said, emphasizing the need for urgent measures to support the critical sector.
As part of these measures, the government has also waived landing and parking fees at airports to facilitate cargo movement.
Dr. Yatani further stated that the government will scale up tourism efforts by promoting aggressive post-Covid-19 marketing and providing support for hotel refurbishment through soft loans.
