JONKER Walk in Malacca is regaining its former vibrancy now that the government has allowed interstate travel, the heritage area’s management committee said.

Up to 30,000 visitors come on the weekends (Friday to Sunday) for walking tours, food and shopping, said committee representative Roger Tan.

“We’re seeing a lot of locals and visitors from other states flocking to the area.

“We are experiencing a high number of visitors, especially on the weekends, compared to during the various lockdowns,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“We are expecting a bigger crowd towards the end of the year when more families and people tend to travel.

“We expect the numbers to keep increasing this month and in December, and are hoping to target up to 50,000 visitors on the weekends.”

Last month, The Malaysian Insight had reported that traders had suspended their businesses due to the various lockdowns.

Jonker Walk, in the heart of Malacca city, is well-known for its heritage sites and buildings as well as for shopping and entertainment.

There are about 200 traders on Jonker Walk and its surrounding areas, but nearly 60% of the shops here had closed during the prolonged Covid-19 lockdowns.

The Malacca government had allowed traders at Jonker Walk to reopen early last month, provided the employers and staff were fully vaccinated.

Inter-state travel, meanwhile, was allowed to resume on October 11.

Tan said more shops reopened for business two weeks ago when the Jonker Walk night market was allowed to operate again.

“Now we can see that 60% to 70% of shops have opened for business. But the rest are facing some minor problems, such as manpower shortages and other issues.

“I think that, over time, we will come to our full capacity, like it was before the pandemic. Hopefully. We are targeting next year.”

The night market used to have around 500 stalls selling a variety of items and food.

To date, more than 400 have reopened and operate from 6pm to midnight from Friday to Sunday.

Tan said traders had been unsure about the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) for reopening. Many also lacked the finances to cover the extra costs needed to comply with the SOP.

“After going through the SOP and with advice from the authorities, we re-opened the night market two weeks ago.”

He said before the pandemic, 17 million people had visited the Unesco World Heritage site.

Tan also said the committee was looking forward to receiving foreign tourists once the country’s borders reopen to international travellers, currently targeted for January 1, according to the National Recovery Council. – November 14, 2021.