Jointly organised by the Ministry of Finance, Terengganu State Government and the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC), the Budget 2021: Focus Group Session with Industries, sought feedback and ideas from tourism and OGP players to further boost domestic tourism and attract new investments which will aid the country's economic recovery post Covid-19.
''The feedback and input from the industry players will be invaluable towards the formulation of Budget 2021.
''It will certainly be relevant for the development and growth of these sectors in Terengganu and the East Coast Economic Region (ECER),'' Zafrul said in a statement.
ECER said it is vital to engage with key players in the tourism industry in the ECER as tourism has been identified as one of key sectors that was severely affected during the onset of the pandemic.
During the focus group session with tourism industry players, the government and industry representatives shared ideas, explored strategies and discussed the provision of incentives to local businesses as well as infrastructure development required to ensure the sustainability of the islands and push forward, Arts, Culture and Heritage tourism in Terengganu.
The session was aptly held at Kampung Budaya, Muzium Negeri Terengganu, befitting the topic of the day.
It was attended by representatives from agencies, associations, hotels, universities and nongovernmental organisations such as Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) Terengganu Office, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH Terengganu Chapter), Terengganu Tourism
Association (PPNT), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin and Berjaya Redang
Resort.
Tourism is one the most important economic drivers in ECER, attracting RM21.5 billion in private investment from 2007 to 2019.
In order to grow the sector in a strategic and sustainable manner, ECERDC has created destinations to increase tourist arrivals and open more opportunities for locals to be involved in tourism industry via creation of entrepreneurship and job opportunities.
To further promote the development of island tourism in ECER, various strategic infrastructure projects have been undertaken to improve connectivity and accessibility, but at the same time, to preserve the natural assets of the island.
''Islands are facing infrastructure challenges and threats to marine biodiversity. Therefore, the development and enhancement of supporting infrastructure such as jetties, walkways, public amenities and solid waste management will help to preserve the islands' natural assets and further catalyse the tourism industry in the islands.
''This is timely as there is an expected increase of local tourists to these islands in the post-COVID-19 era. Therefore, other measures including further upgrades to tourist facilities and incentives to local businesses need to be seriously considered and implemented to attract
more tourists,'' ECERDC chief executive officer Baidzawi Che Mat said.
Under the ECER Master Plan 2.0, besides emphasising on development of infrastructure at popular island destinations such as Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Redang, Pulau Kapas, Pulau Lang Tengah and Pulau Tenggol, ECERDC has concurrently developed coastal tourism and urban
tourism such as Terengganu's iconic landmark, the Kuala Terengganu City Centre (KTCC) drawbridge, and ecotourism sites in Kenyir and Setiu Wetlands to draw crowds away from the islands to ensure the sustainability of island tourism.
Zafrul also had a separate session with key players in the OGP industry at Institut Teknologi Petroleum Petronas (INSTEP).
Among them were Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas), Arkema Thiochemicals Sdn Bhd, Terengganu Oil and Gas Council (TOGC), and Kemaman Bitumen Sdn Bhd, among others.
OGP is an important sector which contributes 34.3 per cent or RM12.3 billion to Terengganu's gross domestic product (GDP).
The OGP ecosystem in ECER is centered around the Kertih Integrated Petrochemical Complex (KIPC), an integrated petrochemical complex comprising nine petrochemical plants.
Eight are fully owned by Petronas and one is jointly operated by Petronas and a foreign multinational company (MNC).
The ecosystem is also supported by Kertih Biopolymer Park (KBP), a flagship ECER project that has placed Terengganu as a world-class hub for bio-based and petrochemical products.
The surrounding infrastructure such as the Kertih Port, Kemaman Port and Kemaman Supply Base offer excellent connectivity and supply base to support the needs of existing and potential investors in the OGP sector.
''The OGP industry in Terengganu is maturing and for the industry to go to the next level, ECERDC is proposing new initiatives for consideration.
''Among them are including the upstream sector as part of ECER promoted activities for incentives, as well as enhancing and increasing participation from local companies in vendor programmes.
''ECERDC is also proposing new focus areas, especially on specialty chemicals to drive growth and attract high value-added downstream investments,'' Baidzawi said.
