LANGKAWI – In efforts to turn Langkawi into a travel bubble pilot project for foreign tourists, the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) has submitted several standard operating procedure (SOP) proposals, said its chief executive officer Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib.
He said the Health Ministry and the National Security Council (NSC) will go through the SOPs before the matter is finalised.
“Among the proposals that were submitted to the government is foreign tourists must undergo the RT-PCR test 72 hours before their flights and upon their arrival in Langkawi, they will be taken directly to their hotels where another RT-PCR test will be conducted. This is to avoid congestion at the airport and if they test positive, they will have to be quarantined at the hotel.
“Besides that, if they (foreign tourists) have stayed for over three days, they are allowed to visit other destinations in the country,” he told reporters when met at a media tour programme organised by the Education Ministry and the Information Department here yesterday.
Recently, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri during a question and answer session at the Dewan Negara said that the ministry has proposed to NSC to open Langkawi to tourists from several selected countries under the ongoing tourism bubble pilot project to enable Malaysia to revive its economy, which has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nasaruddin said LADA welcomes the government’s proposal and is ready to open Langkawi to international tourists under the tourism bubble pilot project, but everyone must adhere to all SOPs and be disciplined to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Commenting on local tourist arrivals after interstate travel restrictions were lifted beginning on Monday, Nasaruddin said he foresees some 100,000 visitors travelling to Langkawi this month.
He said since the Langkawi travel bubble kicked off on September 16, the first two weeks saw 38,784 visitors exceeding the target of 30,000.
Meanwhile for this month, the target is 60,000 visitors but by mid-October, 51,400 arrivals were recorded.
“The number will continue to increase until the end of October. Ferry services have also increased when the government announced that interstate travel restrictions have been lifted.
“The success of the programme is not in the number of tourist arrivals to Langkawi.
"What matters most is that there is no surge in Covid-19 infections among locals and visitors following the opening,” he said. – Bernama, October 16, 2021
