A PEEVED Sarawak tourism, arts and culture minister last night told the state’s industry players “to get out of the industry” if they are unhappy with the state government’s post Covid-19 fiscal incentives to haul them out of the economic rut.

“If you’re not happy, you get out of this industry. My advice is look for some other businesses, look for other industries,” said Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at a networking dinner he hosted for his federal counterpart, Nancy Shukri, in Kuching.

“When we unveil the incentives (you already started shouting) ‘not enough, not enough’.

“Of course the industry will be asking for more but we have to be considerate because there are many players in the industry and (we) have to look at (the bigger picture).

“If they are asking for much more than what we can give, what is enough?

“You tell me how much is enough?”

Karim said the state government’s hands are full in trying to revive the Covid-19 battered economy and its finances are stretched.

He said the tourism industry is not the only industry that needs assistance.

“There are so many other industries. We are trying our best to help.

“Local tourism players should be thankful with the incentives.”

On Monday, Karim rolled out the RM1 million Visitors Incentive Package (VIP), a RM250,000 Sarawak Tourism Online Ecosystem Fund and the RM1 million Business Event, Promotion Incentivised Package (BEPIP) to support the business event planners at the “Post Covid-19 Tourism Sectors Dialogue Session – Sarawak Reopens for Tourism”.

For the VIP package, travel agencies will receive financial incentives for tour packages sold that have a minimum of four persons and a maximum of 15 at any one time, excluding children under the age of two.

One hotelier, who spoke on anonymity, said the incentives were not only insufficient, “they’re pathetic”.

“We are not looking or asking for bail-outs. We are simply asking for a lifeline to assist us in surviving this crucial period,” the hotelier said.

A report which the industry submitted to Karim at the dialogue, and sighted by The Malaysian Insight, stated the industry “is on the brink of failure”.

The report stated the industry needs 12 months of “solid plans” to weather the uncertainty brought by movement-control order, travel restrictions and social distancing measures.

For the moment, the outlook is grim.

The report stated that 40% of respondents who had participated in their “health check survey” have forecasted the closure of their businesses if current situation does not improve in six months – from the start of the restrictions of movement and border closures in March. – June 26, 2020.