GEORGE TOWN – International airports worldwide and foreign airlines apparently remain in the dark regarding travel to Langkawi despite it having been two weeks since the island’s international travel bubble was launched.
To date, only 10 international tourists have landed on the island due to the lack of marketing and promotion, and many foreigners have been barred from boarding the plane to Langkawi.
Ceritera Travel Sdn Bhd director, Eva Azlin, told The Vibes that tourists were still experiencing difficulties trying to enter Langkawi from their countries of origin – 10 days after the Langkawi travel bubble was launched.
Many airports and airlines were not informed about the travel bubble and refused to board passengers heading to Langkawi. Authorities are insisting on the MyTravelPass requirement despite tourists being in possession of complete documents from their respective travel agents.
Many of my travel agent friends have given up after their first clients because their clients were stuck, and they were so angry.
“I had a client who was stuck at the Bangkok airport because Malaysia Airlines wouldn’t allow him to board.
“I was surprised that MAS didn’t know. Another client of mine from Abu Dhabi told me that the Malaysian embassy there was not informed about the travel bubble either.
“I was approached by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) four days ago and I told them that airlines and airports around the world and the Malaysian embassies need to know about the Langkawi travel bubble.
“Motac told me to give it two weeks,” she told The Vibes.
Eva was surprised to find that such an announcement was not made public to the relevant players in the global travel industry.
Various media have reported on the muted response to the Langkawi travel bubble, with Eva being convinced that it is due to the lack of promotion and detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs), which she claims were published too late.
Under the travel bubble, all international tourists must employ travel agents to visit the island.
Though the initiative was announced in October, regulations were only spelled out by the authorities on the day the travel bubble began.
Yesterday, the government issued a restriction on travellers from 24 countries, barring them from participating in the Langkawi international travel bubble programme due to the emergence of the Omicron (B.1.1.259) Covid-19 variant.
Among the 24 countries are the Russia, Georgia, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Guernsey, Croatia, French Guiana, Libya, Jordan, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
Also included are Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
I am not asking for money; I am just asking for the authorities to inform us and support us so we can do our service well.
“For the past few days, we have had to manage airlines, debating with them to let our clients on the plane get here.
“We are still fighting because the Langkawi international travel bubble is not yet in their system.
“All my travel agent friends are excited to earn some income, especially after one-and-a-half years without business, but when we are met with these issues, they are disheartened.”
With a lockdown imminent due to the new Covid-19 Omicron variant, Eva hopes that the government will give travel agents a heads up before suddenly declaring a lockdown.
She said the travel industry is eager to do what is needed to stop the spread, and informing industry players early about the possible lockdown will enable them to make the necessary arrangements for their clients. – The Vibes, December 3, 2021
