PETALING JAYA: Although the country will reopen its doors tomorrow, travel operators believe that Malaysians will not rush to travel overseas now while foreign tourists are not expected to flock into the country right away.

They believe “retaliatory” travel season will only arrive around August or September.

With additional expenses on mandatory travel insurances and COVID-19 tests, and with air tickets and hotel rooms still significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels, travel expenses are expected to be 20% to 30% higher.

Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) deputy president Datuk Seri Koh Yock Heng said Malaysians are only expected to travel out of the country in droves around September this year.

The group managing director of Apple Vacations told Sin Chew Daily only a handful of Asian countries are open to Malaysians from April 1, namely Thailand, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Australia and South Korea.

He estimated travel expenses to be 20% to 30% higher given the disruption in travel industry supply chain and uncertainties over the coronavirus pandemic.

20-30% more expensive

“This is due to the reduction in the capacities of airline seats and hotel accommodation, besides COVID-19 medical insurances and the standard operating procedures enforced, among other things.”

Koh highlighted three situations that might affect travelling in future:

1. Varying definitions of full vaccination by governments, as well as differential acceptance of vaccine brands and manufacturing countries.
2. Mandatory COVID-19 insurances in the place of travel insurances.
3. Varying Covid test requirements.

Koh also cautioned about possible risk of coronavirus infection while travelling overseas.

Due to the many risks with independent travelling, Koh advised Malaysians to join small travel groups of under ten people for better protection, as the travel agency will provide the necessary assistance, including flight rescheduling and hotel accommodation arrangement.

He also pointed out that as China used to be the largest source of inbound tourists to Malaysia, we won’t see them here when the national borders reopen on Friday because China has yet to lift its travel restrictions. Additionally, Taiwan and Japan also have yet to relax their travel bans.

New normal travel

Meanwhile, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) deputy president Mint Leong also concurred that foreign tourists will only come to Malaysia in droves after August this year, although local travel operators have received plenty of enquiries from their oversea partners and tourists ever since the government announced the reopening of borders beginning April 1.

“We won’t see explosive recovery in the inbound sector at this juncture.”

Leong admitted that it would take the aviation industry three to six months to gradually recover, adding that it is still hard for foreigners to fly directly into Malaysia at this moment.

She said as we usher in the new normal way of travelling, tourists, inbound and outbound alike, now have very different demands and travel operators must equip themselves with the most updated Covid-related information.

“We must know where they can take the tests, and where to take them in the event they get infected here. We must also keep abreast of the latest government SOPs.”