KOTA KINABALU – A fee of not more than RM60 for Covid-19 RTK-Ag tests will be imposed on all domestic and international travellers arriving here by air.
This is lower than the initial screening fee of RM100 and RM160 charged on Malaysians and foreigners.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Md Noor said the state has decided to impose its own fee, saying this is the most sensible move as a lower fee for Covid-19 screening will boost local tourism.
“This will be beneficial for tourists and our tourism industry, which had dealt a serious blow from the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years.
“Sabah’s borders will be open tomorrow (April 1) and we want more tourists to come to Sabah,” he told reporters after launching the Travel Safe Alliance here.
Earlier, Hajiji said the state via Sabah Tourism Board is aggressively pursuing the resumption of more than 200 direct international flights to Sabah as the country reopens its borders tomorrow onwards.
A check with Malaysian Airports Bhd revealed that there are no international flights into Sabah; a company spokesman told The Vibes that international arrivals will come “at a later date”.
Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Datuk Tan Kok Liang, who was at the same event, welcomed the lower fee, saying it is a good move to restart the state’s tourism industry.
Before the pandemic, the international airport managed 236 direct international flights from 22 cities. – The Vibes, March 31, 2022
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