DOMESTIC tourists from all over the country, with the exception of those residing in areas placed under the enhanced movement-control order (EMCO), are allowed to visit Langkawi from September 16, said Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri.

She said the visit to Langkawi is also open to people from states under Phase One of the National Recovery Plan.

However, Nancy said visitors would have to apply for police permits before their departure and show the necessary documents such as flight tickets, ferry tickets or hotel reservation receipts as proof.

She said those travelling by road would need to use the services of a travel agency, at least for transport from the starting destination to the ferry jetty to Langkawi.

“Meanwhile, tourists who start off their journey from Kedah and Perlis, as well as those travelling by air, are not required to engage the services of a travel agency,” she told a press conference at Malaysia Tourism Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.

Nancy said other standard operating procedure set for the travel to Langkawi, which was selected as the first destination to go under the tourism bubble programme, was that the visitors must be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

No age limit has been set and insurance coverage and Covid-19 screening are also not mandatory, she added.

The number of passengers allowed in a vehicle is subject to the capacity of the vehicle and visitors who need to adjust to the ferry service hours to get to the resort island are allowed to spend the night at registered accommodation premises in Kedah or Perlis.

In addition, she said, the types of holidays allowed were day trips, overnight stays with bookings and holiday package tours made through licenced travel companies and registered with the ministry.

Langkawi tourism bubble activities that are allowed include hotel accommodation or homestays, beach activities, water sports, snorkelling, scuba diving, special interest tourism activities, eco-geo-travel activities, art, cultural and heritage premises, theme parks and family entertainment centres and tours of an academic nature.

Nancy said MOTAC would monitor the implementation of the Langkawi tourism bubble and would get feedback on the programme from the community within two weeks.

She said the ministry was targeting 420,000 visitors from September to December this year. – Bernama, September 9, 2021.