Previously announced by Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, it was said that domestic tourism will soon be allowed again, tentatively on Oct 1, at three destinations — Melaka, Pulau Tioman, and Genting Highlands.
However, in the last week, Melaka chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali said Melaka will not open its doors to domestic tourists on October 1. Instead, he said the state will only do so after 90% of the country’s adult population has been fully vaccinated.
Additionally, just yesterday it was announced that the other two locations — Pulau Tioman and Genting Highlands tourism travel bubble scheduled to begin on Oct 1 will be suspended indefinitely, said Tourism Pahang general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim.
The delay follows intervention from Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who declared on Tuesday that tourism destinations would only be allowed to reopen once 90% of the country’s adult population is fully vaccinated.
“Following this, only Pahang residents are allowed to travel to tourist destinations in the state while adhering to the strict standard operating procedures (SOPs). For out-of-state tourists who have already made reservations, we ask that they contact the tourism operators for advice, either to postpone their trip or otherwise,” he said.
As of now, only Langkawi is open for fully vaccinated tourists and they have to undergo certain SOPs and procedures before embarking on their journey. A total of 20,257 tourists have visited the resort island since the tourism travel bubble pilot project from September 16 to last Saturday.
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