KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has urged the government to consider introducing temporary fuel subsidies for tourism transport operators following the recent fuel price increase.
MATTA president Nigel Wong, in a statement yesterday, said the increase in fuel prices will impact the sector.
Tourism transport operators across Malaysia play a crucial role in supporting both inbound and domestic tourism. Many of these operators entered into contractual agreements with local and overseas travel agencies months ago to provide their services.
“The prices quoted and agreed upon were based on the prevailing fuel prices at the time the contracts were signed. With the recent fuel price hike, operators are now facing substantially higher operating costs,” he said.
Wong said the situation warranted timely intervention to ensure tourism transport operators could continue operating sustainably and support the broader tourism ecosystem.
The sudden increase in fuel costs means they are now absorbing these additional expenses, which could lead to significant financial strain,” he was quoted by Bernama.
He said temporary assistance would help cushion the impact and sustain the tourism supply chain.
Wong said ensuring the sustainability of tourism transport services was critical as Malaysia prepared to welcome more international and domestic visitors in the lead-up to Visit Malaysia 2026.
“Timely support in this sector will help preserve service quality, maintain industry stability and enhance Malaysia’s competitiveness as a preferred tourism destination,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) has also urged the government to provide immediate assistance to address the rising operational costs faced by tourism vehicle operators due to global fuel price hikes.
Mita’s vice president for transport, Logeswaran K. Sukumar, said in a statement that the situation had placed significant pressure on operators who were still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. He proposed that the government consider several support measures to ensure the industry’s sustainability, including special fuel subsidies for registered tourism vehicle operators.
Logeswaran suggested other forms of assistance, such as special grants to cover operational losses due to higher fuel costs and incentives for vehicle spare parts to reduce maintenance expenses.
“We believe that with government support and intervention, the tourism transport industry can contribute to the growth of the national tourism sector and Malaysia’s economy as a whole, especially with Visit Malaysia 2026 just getting underway,” he said.
