Tourism Ministry Wants To Spread Out School Holidays To Ease Tourism Congestion
A proposal for more public holidays on Mondays is also in the works.
By Alyssa J. Oon — 10 Oct 2018, 01:03 PM
The Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry is drawing up a proposal to schedule different school holiday seasons across the country
Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik said the proposal was discussed internally and a paper is now being drawn up to be presented to the Education Ministry and other stakeholders.
Tourism, Culture, and Arts Deputy Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik.
Image via Sayuti Zainudin/Malay Mail"We believe this can help address overcrowding in tourism hotspots, as in the case of Cameron Highlands and Melaka, and help spur domestic tourism growth in the country," he explained, reported New Straits Times.
The proposal will only affect mid-term school holidays in the months of March, June, and September
The year-end holiday will not be included in the proposal.
The Star reported that instead of a week-long school holiday for the whole nation, the holiday season can instead be spread over three weeks.
"We propose having different school holiday seasons for the northern, southern, and east coast regions," Muhammad said.
He added that staggered breaks were already happening as people in Kedah, Johor, Kelantan, and Terengganu enjoyed their weekend breaks on Fridays and Saturdays.
Additionally, the Ministry is looking into setting more public holidays on Mondays so that the rakyat can enjoy long weekends
"Labour Day is celebrated on 1 May, but if we celebrate it on the first Monday of each May, it will be a good break for everyone and tourism players will enjoy better business," Muhammad told The Star.