TOURISM players want the government to reopen other island destinations under the travel bubble initiative after it was introduced in Langkawi earlier this week.
 
Langkawi witnessed the pilot run of the travel bubble project, receiving its first batch of tourists on September 16 under strict health protocols.
 
Following that, industry players said the government should now reopen the popular holiday destination islands of Pangkor, Tioman and Redang.
 
The reopening of these popular islands would also prevent tourists from flocking to Langkawi which would increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission, they added.
 
Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) president Uzaidi Udanis said tour operators had given their suggestions to director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah during a meeting on September 15.
 
He said Noor Hisham provided them with some updates on the status of the epidemic and had urged tour operators to ensure tourists always complied with standard operating procedure (SOP).
 
Uzaidi added that Noor Hisham noted that a large number of people had visited beaches, waterfalls and other recreational places in Selangor as soon as the state moved  to phase 2 of the national recovery plan.
 
Noor Hisham was also concerned that many had taken off their face masks while having picnics by the waterfall, he said.
 
“Malaysia is different from Europe and the United States. The US and European countries are moving towards endemicity, while Malaysia wants to break the chain of transmission,” said Uzaidi.
 
“To strike a balance, the industry is suggesting that the islands on the east coast be opened up,” he said.
 
However, due to the upcoming monsoon season, the islands in the East coast may not be suitable for immediate re-opening.
 
Therefore, he suggested that islands such as Redang be open for a month. Langkawi, meanwhile, can be visited all year round.
 
“The tourism industry was told that the government’s consideration was to use Langkawi as a pilot project. If the opening of tourism does not cause an outbreak, more island tours can be opened.

“We believe that the east coast islands can be opened. There is only one month left before the monsoon season starts. It should be opened for that one month to allow the islanders to earn a living. Many of them rely on tourism for their livelihood and have had no income at all for the past 20 months,” he said.

Uzaidi told The Malaysian Insight that after the relaxation of restrictions in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, many people have grabbed the opportunity to travel and most tourists at Langkawi are from the Klang Valley.
 
“Hotels and air tickets are fully booked. Tourists can only choose Langkawi. Opening up more attractions will ease tourist concentration and help the economies of other regions,” he said.
 
He also said that each island has sufficient human resources to control the flow of people and ensure that they strictly abide by the SOP.
 
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association president Albert Tan said the Langkawi ground tour packages via travel agencies have been fully booked up to the end of December.
 
“We are encouraging tourists to book local pick-up trips through travel agencies, which can control the number of tourists and reduce the risk of transmission,” Tan said.
 
“It can be small tourist groups of 10 to 20 people. Travel agencies can apply for police permits for inter-state travel. The tourism industry has a new normal travel operation, which can effectively control crowding and provide convenience to customers.”
 
Tan reiterated that the government’s intention was to use Langkawi as a pilot project, and to slowly open up other tourist attractions.
 
“We still hope that the government will open up the other islands as soon as possible. For inter-state tourism, you can rely on travel agencies to control the flow of people.
 
“Otherwise, people will be driving across states which will inevitably create risks,” he said.
 
Cross-border travel bubble
 
Tan also urged the government to coordinate with neighbouring Singapore and Thailand for cross-border travel bubbles.
 
He said Thailand’s Phuket island has been opened to foreign tourists, while Singapore has gradually eased border controls though mainly for those from Germany.
 
“We hope that the government can actively coordinate with Singapore and Thailand to allow travel bubbles before slowly opening up to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
 
“Malaysians do not need visas to travel to these countries and regions,” he added.
 
Malaysia borders have remained closed since last year due to the epidemic. Local tourism also suffered immensely after the government barred inter-state travel and closed down business operations under the various lockdowns.
 
Under the Langkawi travel bubble initiative, travellers to Langkawi must undergo mandatory Covid-19 screening 48 hours before departure.
 
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently said travellers can either show a PCR/antigen test result taken within 48 hours of travel or they can purchase a saliva self-test kit and bring it to the airport or ferry terminal to take the test at the screening point.
  
The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture is aiming to attract about 200,000 tourists to Langkawi by the end of this year with the travel bubble programme.
 
Its minister, Nancy Shukri, said she expected 30,000 tourists to visit Langkawi this month alone.
 
So far, 15 travellers have been barred from travelling into Langkawi after testing positive for the virus. – September 20, 2021.