It has been a long wait since 18 March 2020, but travel industry players in Malaysia are elated that the country will soon reopen on 1 April.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced 8 March that Malaysia will begin its transition to the Covid-19 endemic phase on 1 April. The land route at the Johor Causeway and the Second Link are expected to be opened together with the border reopening.
With a firm reopening date, the tourism industry can now begin its marketing and promotions activities and recall workers back in stages.– Tan Kok Liang, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents
For Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Tan Kok Liang, these reopening announcements mark a crucial moment in the recovery of the Covid-battered travel sector.
“With a firm reopening date, the tourism industry can now begin its marketing and promotions activities and recall workers back in stages. The multiplier effect of tourist spending will invariably boost local economies and many sub-sectors of the tourism industry,” he added.
Local tourism players have already made preparations to welcome international tourists. Penang, for example, has rolled out a 300-page SOP booklet approved by the federal authorities, said Ashwin Gunasekeran CEO of Penang Conference & Exhibition Bureau.
Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin said that although the reopening may not lead to an instant V-curve recovery to the tourism economy, enhancing health and safety measures as well gaining the trust of travellers are the fundamental pillars in strengthening the travel market in the long run.
But with more Malaysians likely to travel out of the country once borders reopen, Malaysian Association of Hotels president N. Subramaniam urged travel players to intensify their domestic marketing and promotions while restarting international tourism marketing to attract arrivals, including incentives for airlines to bring more passengers into the country.
Meanwhile, domestic airlines have responded with plans to step up flights and put back capacity.
The Malaysia Aviation Group, which operates Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and MASwings, will be working to reinstate flights while increasing frequency to key markets. Group CEO Izham Ismail expressed his hopes of achieving approximately 70% of their pre-Covid capacity by the end of 2022.
Similarly, AirAsia Malaysia will also boost capacity in many of its core international markets. The budget carrier will announce new services in due course as the world continues to gradually reopen.
In preparation of increased arrival numbers, Malaysia Airports will deploy more service staff as well as installing more signages and seats across the terminals, said managing director Iskandar Mizal Mahmood.
/Malaysia-airport/Domestic-airlines-are-stepping-up-flights-and-putt.jpg?tr=w-600%2Ch-340%2Cfo-auto "Domestic airlines are stepping up flights and putting back capacity in anticipation of Malaysia's 1 April reopening.")
Domestic airlines are stepping up flights and putting back capacity in anticipation of Malaysia's 1 April reopening. Photo Credit: Getty Images/Suraya Bahrin
Malaysia's reopening: What travellers need to know
From 1 April, fully vaccinated (with boosters) Malaysian travellers need not quarantine and would only need valid travel documents (passports and for certain foreign nationals’ appropriate visas). Masking and other SOPs will remain until further notice.
"At the same time, foreign nationals with valid travel documents can enter and exit Malaysia without having to apply for the MyTravelPass, which will be abolished next month. Instead, all you need to do is download and activate the MySejahtera application and fill out the form before leaving the country through the Travellers feature in MySejahtera," Ismail Sabri explained.
Fully-vaccinated visitors will still need to undergo Covid-19 RT-PCR test two days prior to their departure to Malaysia and the RTK Ag test (professional) within 24 hours of their arrival to the country.
Partially vaccinated or unvaccinated travellers will still need to quarantine for five days and would do an additional RTK-Ag test on the fifth day. Children and adolescents 17 and below, no matter the vaccination status, will follow the SOP for the fully-vaccinated.
Travellers who enter Malaysia in the last week of March will be released from quarantine on April 1.
Countries that have yet to reopen their borders like Singapore can still utilise the vaccinated travel lane (VTL) to enter Malaysia. Malaysia is currently in the process of implementing VTLs with Thailand and Cambodia, while VTL planning are in the works for Brunei and Indonesia.