KUALA LUMPUR: The government's new and robust commitments and incentives as part of the 2023 Budget will contribute to building a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable tourism and property sectors in this critical time of recovery.
Airbnb, which has over four million hosts who have welcomed more than one billion guest arrivals across over 220 countries. commended the provision of RM1.5 billion for tourism financing and a further RM200 million to tourism rejuvenation efforts.
"In particular, we believe that the allocations of RM90 million to promote tourism programmes and RM25 million in discounts, vouchers and rebates of up to RM100 will encourage domestic tourism spending and further drive tourism recovery, said Airbnb head of public policy for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong and Taiwan Mich Goh.
"We continue to urge the government to extend these ongoing initiatives and new incentives to the short-term rental accommodation (STRA) industry, which is a key contributor to the tourism economy," she said.
PropertyGuru Malaysia country manager Sheldon Fernandez said with the government putting forward RM55 billion for subsidies and incentives, the government had recognised the need to address affordability issues among the rakyat.
"Specifically, we applaud the government for announcing the initiative to allow first-time homeowners to be given up to 75 per cent stamp duty discounts for properties worth RM500,000 to RM1 million until the end of 2023.
"This will hopefully encourage homeownership among first-time homebuyers and further spur the property market, as we have seen a dampened sentiment in the past two years," he said.
Fernandez said PropertyGuru's Consumer Sentiment Study (CSS) second half (H2) 2022 revealed that this year, 51 per cent of the respondents feel that they are unable to purchase a home without government assistance, while 69 per cent of the respondents had indicated plans to buy a home if the Home Ownership Campaign (HOC) was revived.
Meanwhile, Aurelius Healthcare Sdn Bhd group managing director and chairman Datuk Amir Firdaus Abdullah said the government's effort in allocating RM36.1 billion for the healthcare sector indicated a focus on its agenda to nurture the well-being of the rakyat and strengthen the resilience of the healthcare industry.
This was the second highest allocation after the education sector.
"In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness this October, we applaud the government's timely allocation of RM11 million to subsidise mammograms and cervical cancer tests for women.
"This aligns with our ongoing efforts at Aurelius to encourage all women to get regular screenings, as early detection is key to survival," he said.
"The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council's allocation of RM20 million will strengthen our nation's position as a destination for medical tourists who are seeking to undergo treatment in Malaysia—another welcome initiative," he said.