KUCHING: The implementation of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) with Brunei will be able to revive the tourism industry in Sarawak and boost the economy especially in Miri, Limbang, and Lawas which border Brunei.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob pointed out that the government was actively carrying out various initiatives to assist sectors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic including the tourism industry.
“Among the efforts currently being carried out is allowing cross-border movement through air, land, and sea VTL.
“Apart from Singapore and Indonesia, Brunei in principle has also agreed with the proposed implementation of VTL as a result of discussions with the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, during my recent visit to Brunei.
“I have also just returned from an official visit to Thailand and the government plans to implement the same thing with our neighbour,” he said when officiating at Citrawarna Keluarga Malaysia 2022 at Kuching Waterfront here on Saturday night (Feb 26).
In addition, he said the government had implemented the Langkawi International Tourism Bubble (LITB) in November last year, a pilot test for the preparedness of the tourism sector including industry players and government agencies towards the new normal.
“Even though it has only been three months, a total of 5,686 foreign tourists have benefitted from LITB and the project has generated more than RM28 million in revenue for the economy of Langkawi Island,” he said.
Ismail Sabri said since the initiative was implemented, no infection clusters had arisen from LITB tourists and only one per cent was found to be positive for COVID-19 under Categories 1 and 2 during screening at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and Langkawi.
He said the feedback received from the parties involved in the implementation of LITB had been positive and this gave confidence to the government to continue the initiative until the country’s borders are fully opened later on.
He also noted that under the 2022 Budget, the government had announced special assistance of RM85 million for over 20,000 tour operators registered under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
“It is hoped that all these initiatives and measures by the government will revitalise the tourism sector and boost Malaysia’s name as a destination of choice for global tourism,” he said.
