Penang kickstarts Covid-19 safety accreditation programme for tourism industry

Penang has initiated a Covid-19 safety accreditation programme to emhance compliance of the tourism industry.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has initiated a Covid-19 safety accreditation programme to emhance compliance of the tourism industry.

Taking a step ahead during this recovery period, the state government is the first in the country to start this initiative involving hotels, attractions and shopping malls.

State Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the objective of the accreditation programme was to emphasise the importance of safety and hygiene, two important elements to regain traveller's confidence in the long-term.

"As the tourism industry moves towards the new norm, these preparations and practices will be key to accelerate the tourism economy recovery efforts.

"At the same time, we need to educate the public. This initiative is aligned with the state's direction to promote responsible tourism among the players and visitors.

"This is important to ensure Penang is in a position to capture growth and rebound at the right opportunity," he said today.

The accreditation, Yeoh said, would be issued to tourism industry establishments that meet and adhere to strict hygiene and safety standards set by the local authorities, namely the state Health Department, Penang Island and Seberang Prai City Councils, Penang state Exco Office for Tourism, Arts Culture and Heritage (PETACH) and the Penang Global Tourism (PGT).

"These authorities will firstly carry out a thorough audit to ensure all standards are fulfilled before validating them to receive the Covid-19 safety accreditation from PETACH," he said.

Those that fulfil the Covid-19 safety accreditation standard will be given the official certification mark or logo to be displayed at their premises and for use in advertising and promotional materials.

Yeoh said the authorities would carry out continuous checks on those that received the accreditation to ensure the standards are met and maintained.

All relevant documents including application forms can be downloaded from https://penanglawancovid19.com/accreditation

Those interested to participate can submit their application through email to covid19accreditation@penangglobaltourism.com for approval.

Despite the fluctuating numbers of Covid-19 cases in the country, there has been no positive cases for the past 70 days in Penang and it has been successfully maintaining its green zone status thus far.

Furthermore, Penang has also achieved a 98 per cent compliance rate since the Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation by the Federal Government.

-nst online.