Bukit Bintang ceases to shine

Seth Akmal Seth Akmal Updated 4 years ago · Published on 14 Aug 2021 7:34AM · 1 Comments

BUKIT BINTANG, the once bustling city centre of the capital, is a dim shadow of its former, lustrous self.

Tourism was what gave the shopping and entertainment district its buzz but the last tourist departed more than a year ago when the borders were shut at the onset of the pandemic.

Many hotels have gone out of business while the night clubs and bars are closed. Hawkers no longer peddle their wares as people are confined to their homes.

Restaurants are open but only for take-away and delivery.

“To Let” signs can be seen on many vacant shops. 

Yet the heart of Kuala Lumpur continues to beat, albeit weakly, as it waits for the roar of traffic – both vehicular and human – to return once more. – August 14, 2021.

A monorail train glides past the empty streets of Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A woman sweeps the floor in front of closed shops in Jalan Alor, in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
Vandals have been at work at an abandoned hotel in Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A hotel is locked up during lockdown in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
Health workers come for a patient in Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
The back alley is as lonely as the front Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
All is quiet on the shopping front at Pavilion KL in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
Restaurants advertise special deals, near Pavilion KL in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
E-hailing riders wait for orders in Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A masked pedestrian has the walkway all to himself, in Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A security personnel goes out for groceries, passing through a back alley gaily painted with colourful murals, in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A lone motorcyclist passes by a deserted convenience store at Jalan Alor in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.
A digital screen displays a number of Covid-19 daily cases, in Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Seth Akmal, August 14, 2021.

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Comments

  • Thanks for telling this story. Most of us have not ventured out into Bukit Bintang for many months. It sure is dead.

    Posted 4 years ago by Joe Blog · Reply