TOURISM, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri hopes that Malaysia can fully reopen its borders soon to foreign tourists.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Nancy said the government would observe how the situation in Langkawi pans out before reopening other parts of the country to foreign tourists.

The island has been chosen to be part of the pilot project for the international tourism bubble and will start receiving foreign tourists from mid-November.

“We put the target at three months but I don’t think it will take three months. I think we may be able to reopen earlier than that,” she said during question time.

“Let’s pray it can happen soon. Perhaps after November 16 or in early December.”

“It is not a promise but we will try,” she added.

The Batang Sadong MP was responding to a supplementary question from M. Karupaiya (Padang Serai-PH) on the plans to reopen the country to foreign tourists.

Nancy also added that there was no need to create other domestic tourism bubbles apart from Langkawi as interstate travel curbs have been lifted, now that more than 90% of the country’s adults have been vaccinated.

She said this in response to Yusuf Abd. Wahab’s (Tanjong Manis-GPS) question on the plan to introduce a travel bubble for Sarawak as it was done with Langkawi. – October 27, 2021.