Malaysia

Pangkor Island will urge tourists to pre-book their ferry tickets once the island opens, to prevent overcrowding

More economic sectors will be allowed to reopen from 17 Sep. States under Phase 1 will be permitted to open more shops, whilst Phase 2 will see private sector companies permitted to operate at 60% capacity if 40% of their employees are fully vaccinated, and 100% capacity if 80% of their staff are fully vaccinated. Face to face and physical meetings will also be permitted under Phases 2, 3 and 4 for those for are fully vaccinated. Cruise ships will be permitted at 50% capacity, so long as all crew and passengers are fully vaccinated

The government has reported that 1,520 travellers arrived into Langkawi by flight on the first day of its travel bubble, and that most travellers agreed that testing before travel was necessary

Ferries from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi were delayed on the first day of the Langkawi reopening due to tourists being required to undergo testing before boarding

The National Recovery Council is optimistic that more tourists will visit Langkawi, and that although there are processes to be finetuned, overall they hope that confidence will grow

5 COVID-positive tourists were detected who intended to travel to Langkawi on 16 Sep

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) are aiming for 200,000 domestic tourists to Langkawi from Sep-Dec. They expect 30,000 in Sep

Malaysia Airlines reported that its first flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi was at maximum capacity. Berjaya Langkawi Resort have reported that their bookings have started to pick up

The Hotel Royal Penang in George Town will stop operations on 15 Nov, as part of a restructuring exercise

The Kedah Mentri Besar forecast that the first day of the Langkawi travel bubble would see 2,500 tourists arriving by sea and air

Sarawak has changed its entry rules for domestic travellers, stating that those who are fully vaccinated will not need to quarantine upon arrival. However, they must fill out entry declaration forms and undergo an RT-PCR test within 3 days of departure

The government has allowed more economic sectors to reopen, as keeping everything locked down is no longer feasible and can be detrimental to Malaysians’ mental health

government is planning to reduce virus prevention SOPs to just 10, from the present 181, in an effort to simplify them

Whether Malaysia will further open up the tourism sector is dependent on the Langkawi tourism bubble proving that it can be implemented safely, saying “If Langkawi fails, we will not open other new travel bubbles”. The government is also discussing interstate travel and whether it can be fully permitted

Malaysia’s Q2 2021 unemployment rate fell to 4.8% from 5.1% in Q2 2020

The change to the criteria for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) programme has been defended by the government, who say that it will attract high quality participants. It also aims to standardise the program across Sabah and Sarawak

A new Ipsos poll has shown that 80% of Malaysians think it will take 2 years as a minimum for the local economy to recover. It also found that 84% of respondents gauged economic recovery to be the establishment of new business, 83% with an influx of tourism, 76% taking vacations

Sabah Tourism Board is developing stargazing as a tourism product for reopening domestic tourism, which in turn will stimulate rural tourism

Langkawi plans to open a large-scale drive-through testing centre which can accommodate up to 5,000 swab tests in Oct, to support the reopening of tourism

UNESCO has recognised Penang’s Bukit Bendera as a Biosphere Reserve, the third for the country

The Health Ministry announced that travellers aged 7 and above for the Langkawi travel bubble would need to present a negative RT-PCR or rapid antigen test taken within 48 hours of travel, to be permitted to enter. Travellers can either purchase their own antigen tests and bring them along to the airport or ferry terminal, or can purchase self-tests at screening sites at the airport and ferry terminals

AirAsia will partner with Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) to introduce a duty-free shopping experience through the AirAsia Super App, allowing tourists to order products and have them delivered to their hotel the same day

Sarawak has seen 26 industry partners graduate from Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE)’s Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS) course

Penang state government has asked permission to reopen 4 outdoor tourist attractions for a test run for 3 days per week, for fully vaccinated visitors who pre-book tickets. Capacity would be limited to 30 pax at any time. The 4 attractions are The Habitat, Tropical Spice Garden, Penang Tropical Fruit Farm and Penang Bird Park, and the test run would be in conjunction with the Association of Tourists Attractions Penang (ATAP)

The Business Events Council Malaysia has asked the government to reopen business events and MICE urgently, saying that “Reopening the sector now will give us the chance to catch up with the rest of the world in planning, and if we wait any longer, we will lose out to other global cities that are also bidding for a stake of the industry”

The government party in power and the opposition, Pakatan Harapan, has signed a confidence-and-supply agreement, which aims to create a stable government. Amongst points of the agreement include to not dissolve Parliament before 31 Jul 2022 and Pakatan Harapan will support or abstain from voting on the Budget 2022

Malaysia crossed over 2 million cumulative cases on 14 Sep

Schools will reopen in phases nationwide from 3 Oct, depending on their state’s National Recovery Plan (NRP) phase. Those in Phase 1 will not be permitted to open, whilst in Phase 2 it will be largely restricted to examination years, and at 50% capacity

The Langkawi Development Authority expects 400,000 tourists to arrive on the Langkawi travel bubble program between 16 Sep to end Dec, generating RM165 million. For the initial period, they forecast 2,000 arrivals per day, and 30,000 until the end of Sep

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) have stated that average hotel occupancy rates for 4 and 5* hotels are at 50% in Langkawi, whilst 3* and below were at 20-30%

The Indonesian Tourism Minister has suggested creating a Phuket, Langkawi and Bali tourism “triangle”

Singapore remains committed to cooperating with the new Malaysian government, the Foreign Affairs Minister has said. Discussions on reopening borders are ongoing, and have “made good progress”

The Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (MACEOS) has called for business events to be recategorized from social events, to allow them to resume earlier than the National Recovery Plan Phase 4. A July 2021 member survey showed that more than 50% of its respondents said that they could only sustain their operating cash flow for 3 months. They urged the government to allow MICE events to take place under Phase 3 for fully vaccinated people, at 50% capacity

The time to process a MyTravelPass (MTP) application has been increased to 14 days from 7, due to a high number of applications received and an increasing number of business travellers

Visitors to Langkawi will not need COVID-19 tests, the Tourism Minister has said – private vehicles will also not be permitted on the island

Travellers to Langkawi via flights do not require police permission letters, the government has clarified

Schools are set to open from 3 Oct at 50% capacity for states under Phase 2 and upwards

Perak state expects to reopen Pangkor Island to fully vaccinated domestic tourists from 1 Nov, subject to approval from the National Security Council

An expert has suggested that more fig trees be planted in Sabah, to encourage the wildlife to visit particular areas, and boost wildlife tourism

The school academic year in 2022 will start in March, with the long school holidays in 2021 falling between 10-31 Dec

The Sabah State Tourism Minister has said that tourism players should focus on interdistrict tourism. They are encouraging the development of travel bubble programs

Malaysia has proposed a cross-border China-ASEAN travel bubble to boost trade connectivity and tourism

Airbnb Malaysia has reported that 60% of the new Airbnb hosts in the country in H1 2021 were aged between 25-40, with the top 5 states including Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah and Penang. Hosts from Jan-Jun earned RM680,000

Agoda’s Return to Travel survey for Malaysians reported that: • The top 3 things Malaysians are looking forward to are seeing family and friends, not wearing a mask and travelling • 18% most looked forward to international travel, 16% domestic travel • Over a quarter planned to travel within a month of eased travel restrictions, 48% planned a trip in 4 months • Beach and coastal destinations were preferred

The guidelines for the Langkawi tourism bubble plan have been released, and include: • Open to all fully vaccinated travellers except those travelling from Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) areas from 16 Sep • Travellers by road must use tour agency services, or use transportation services from the journey start point to the Lnagkawi ferry jetty • Travellers by air, as well as from Kedah and Perlis, will not need to use travel agencies • Travellers must apply for a police permit for travel, showing proof of bookings • Daily visits, overnight stays and tour package bookings through licensed travel companies are permitted • Those below 18 are permitted to visit, so long as they are accompanied by fully vaccinated parents • Activities allowed in Langkawi include hotels (with all facilities open), homestays, beach activities, water sports, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing tours, edutainment centres, recreation parks, extreme/adventure/nature parks, farms, aquariums, zoos and other leisure, recreational and social activities

Travel agents will be permitted to operate without having to register with the Covid-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS). This would allow agents to be able to start to generate income immediately

Sabah’s tourist sites will now be opened to those visiting from the same district, including hotels. However, MICE activities are still not permitted

The Penang Association of Tourism Attraction (Atap has reported that 70% of its 60 members had either suspended or stopped operations. They urged the government for clarity over a reopening roadmap, saying that they “are on the verge of dying”

The Health Minister has ordered the MySejahtera app team to resolve the issue of people being fully vaccinated but unable to access their vaccine certificate on the app

The Health Minister has stated that interstate travel is still under discussion and ”almost there”, but that good health capacity nationwide would be an important factor

The Health Ministry has admitted that they are “not sure” what is driving the high number of cases in Sarawak, a state which has now fully vaccinated 87.9% of its population

The number of unemployed in Malaysia in Jul 2021 grew to 778,200, 4.8%

The Ministry of Health have now launched granular health data surrounding COVID-19 on a dedicated website

AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes has said that the company’s “transformation is over” and that now it is an “investment holding company with a portfolio of synergistic travel and lifestyle businesses that leverage data and technology”

The Langkawi Tourism Association are seeing interest in domestic travels to Langkawi. It expects the community economy to grow by 70% once it reopens. The Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah and Perlis chapter stated that “there cannot be a re-shut of Langkawi tourism” and that bookings are at 20% for a start, which is expected to further increase as clarification is made over the SOPs involved for travel

The government has said that reviving tourism will be key to kickstarting the Malaysian economy

The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia have called for a green bubble concept for medical tourism, as the first way for international travel to restart. They pointed out that the current regulations for permitting medical tourists were too tight, as charter flights needed to be arranged

The Tourism Ministry is targeting 420,000 visitors for the Langkawi tourism bubble from Sep-Dec 2021

ICU usage nationwide rose to 84%, from 68% the on 6 Sep

Sarawak Tourism Board is focusing on quality tourists over quantity, and will place an emphasis on slow tourism with a highlight on Culture, Adventure, Nature, Food and Festivals. The state government is preparing digital travel passes, apps, tourist information and GPS tracking for when tourism reopens

Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Putrajaya will transition to Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on 10 Sep. Travel will be permitted between the 3 areas, and roadblocks will be removed. Economic activities permitted under Phase 2 include local tourism at hotels and homestays. More allowances will be given to states under Phase 1 (Kedah and Johor) for fully vaccinated, including allowing indoor sporting activities

Malaysia will start to treat COVID-19 as endemic from the end of Oct, a government minister has stated

Johor wants to focus on 3 areas for tourist bubbles: Muar district, Mersing islands and Desaru Coast

Cinemas, art galleries, museums and showrooms will be permitted to reopen from 9 Sep, subject to certain capacity restrictions and depending on the visitors’ vaccination status

The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) Kedah chapter has expressed hope that the SOPs for visiting Langkawi will soon be released

The Pahang government is awaiting approval from the National Secuity Council to be permitted to reopen some of their tourism destinations under a travel bubble

Kuala Perlis ferry operators are planning to increase the number of ferry trips to Langkawi. The Langkawi Tourism Industry Organisation has called for stringent SOPs to be issued for the reopening, to prevent cases increasing on Langkawi. They suggested that reopening should be done first for those residing in Kedah, and then from other states

The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has launched a new sponsorship package under its Meet in Malaysia campaign, Let’s Meet Now, which offers 50% sponsorship for a one full-day meeting for Malaysian registered companies, associations and institutions. Since the launch of the overall campaign in 2020, 44 event support applications have been received

Tourism Malaysia donated food baskets to tourist operators on Tioman Island

The Tourism Minister has proposed that vaccinated domestic travellers from all states should be permitted to visit Langkawi under the travel bubble. Travellers would be able to drive to the island, but must obtain police approval for the journey

The Malaysian Association of Hotels has called for a milestone roadmap to signal when interstate travel will be permitted

All travellers who enter Malaysia must verify their COVID-19 vaccination certificates with local authorities

Malaysia Airlines is ready to increase the frequency of their flights to Langkawi, as is Firefly Airlines. AirAsia is also looking to launch campaigns aimed at boosting tourism in Langkawi “with very attractive deals to be announced soon”

Malaysia and Singapore are in talks to mutually recognise one another’s vaccine certificates. The opening up of Johor would be done with strategic locations in phases, including Desaru, Isakandar Puteri and Mersing

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) have called for a reopening beyond just Langkawi with controlled itineraries, to allow a “more effective recovery strategy”, allowing destinations like Penang, Terengganu, Pahang, Melaka, Sabah and Sarawak. Nevertheless, they acknowledged that “it is better than nothing”. They also cautioned that other states cannot wait too long, as “the tourism infrastructure and companies would be 'dead' by then."

Kedah/Perlis Malaysian Association of Hoteliers chairman has said that hotels in Langkawi are expecting a 20% boost in occupancy rate, which they expected would increase after Oct

The KPI for the Health Ministry is to ensure that 80% of the adult population is fully vaccinated within 100 days

The government has said that less than one quarter of applicants for the home quarantine program have been approved, based on a risk assessment. Those 400 who have been permitted have been monitored with a digital tracking bracelet in a pilot program

The Ministry of Tourism has said that 7 main tourism activities will be permitted in Langkawi when it reopens to local tourists: hotels and homestays with all facilities, MICE, tourism and cultural events, water sports, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, edutainment centres, theme parks, recreational parks, nature parks, special interest tourism including golf, yachting, and eco geo-adventure activities such as camping

The Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has joined with Thailand, Korea and Taiwan to create the Asia Convention Alliance (ACA)

The government has said that interstate travel SOPs are being finalised, before a decision is made on whether to permit it

Melaka will enter Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and Melaka Phase 3 on 4 Sep. The only remaining states under Phase 1 NRP include Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Putrajaya and Kedah

Hospital bed ICU occupancy has reached 90% nationwide, with Selangor at 99% capacity and Kuala Lumpur at 77% capacity

Penang has seen one hotel converted into a low-risk quarantine and treatment centre (PKRC), whilst 3 others have applied to convert into a PKRC or a quarantine centre. The Penang government see tourism recovery taking a few years

The Malaysian Tourist Guides Council have called for tourism bubbles to be looked at beyond just Langkawi, including those islands off Mersing coast

The government has set a ceiling price of RM19.90 for self-test antigen rapid kits, to ensure reasonable prices for consumers

The RISE conference, which was meant to be held in Kuala Lumpur in 2022, has now been cancelled, and will be held in Hong Kong once more

The Tourism Ministry has warmly greeted the PM’s announcement of reopening Langkawi as a travel bubble for domestic tourists. They highlighted Langkawi’s strengths were having a network of domestic and international flights, as well as a variety of accommodation. If the pilot is successful, “it can restore the people's confidence to travel because seeing is believing”

The PM has announced that Langkawi will reopen to domestic tourists from 16 Sep as a pilot project, with other tourism destinations permitted to open once their local vaccination rate hits 80%

The latest Finder’s Travel Index has shown that 34% of Malaysians are planning to travel over the next 3 months, compared to Jul’s 30%

The government will review the new criteria for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) scheme, but did not give a timeline as to when this would be done

Perak’s Tourism Association has said that Perak tourism attractions should have “compliance certificates”, which could be displayed for visitors to view, and reassure them of their safety

Bus and tourism operators in Malaysia are facing a “critical situation”, and the Sekretariat Gabungan Bas Malaysia are calling for more financial support from the government

The government is preparing new procedures for an endemic COVID-19, which will be less complicated and easier to practise. A transition to these would take place once 80% of the population is vaccinated

The Health Ministry will make its data more transparent and granular from next week

The Ministry of Tourism has created a new email address dedicated to receiving ideas and feedback from the tourism industry, to ensure the sustainability of the tourism industry

The government is expected to be advised whether a third booster shot is necessary by the end of Sep

Malaysia’s next Parliament sitting has been postponed to 13 Sep

Terengganu will reopen its tourism sector on 1 Sep to fully vaccinated individuals, including resorts such as Pulau Kapas and Pulau Redang. From 1 Sep, activities such as snorkelling and diving will be permitted, but museums and theme parks must stay closed. Pulau Perhentian will also remain closed, after positive cases were reported on the island. The state will organise tourism promotion under the campaign, “We are safe to visit”

Perak tourism players will receive one-off cash assistance from the state government. Tourist boat owners will receive RM500, whilst Pulau Pangkor Resort and Hotel Association members will receive RM2,000. 560 registered hotels would be exempted from licensing fees, and a tax exemption will be given to theme parks. The state is planning to hold two events, Pangkor Endurance and Taste of Perak, in Nov and Dec, and they are also planning to launch a Revisit Perak campaign

The PM has said that he believes that Klang Valley could move into Phase 2, as it has reached 89.5% vaccination rate, but it would need to be finalised by a Special Committee

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) data has shown that the top 3 states for average hotel occupancy in H1 2021 were Sarawak (62%), Perlis (42%) and Terengganu (35%). The occupancy rate in Terengganu in particular is driven by the quarantines required for the oil and gas sector

The Ministry of Tourism is aiming for Langkawi to be the first tourism destination to reopen, as it will soon reach herd immunity

Travellers who enter Malaysia via Johor must submit applications for undergoing home quarantine at least 7 days prior to their arrival, and undergo an RT-PCR test within 3 days of departure

The Tourism & Creative Economy Minister has said that tourism is starting to increase, with tourist villages becoming a symbol of its revival

The Tourism Ministry will focus on improving infrastructure in ecotourism areas

Nancy Shukri has been reappointed Tourism Minister in the new cabinet line up, and has pledged to continue to revive the tourism industry

The Department of Statistics (DOSM) has cautioned that Malaysia’s economic recovery in Q3 could be thrown by record breaking new cases, despite the vaccine rollout

Sarawak has tightened its interdistrict travel policies from southern zone districts until 5 Sep, and is only permitted for those who have police permits and RT-PCR tests

The Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) has stated that the new conditions for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program will drive away tourists from Sabah

Jakarta expects all schools to restart face to face learning from Jan 2022

Malaysia reported a record high of 393 daily deaths

Malaysia reported a record daily case high of 24,599 on 26 Aug

The Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) have called for Sabah to have its own Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) guidelines, and not to follow the newly issued federal ones, to avoid losing foreign investment

The Immigration department, rather than the Tourism Ministry, will take over the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program application processing

The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM) has reported that business confidence in Q3 2021 has fallen to -21.3%, a drop from Q2’s -3.1%

Genting Malaysia saw net losses in Q2 2021 of RM348.11 million, from RM900.42 million in Q2 20202. Its Malaysia revenue in Q2 2021 was RM155.7 million from its increase in overall gaming and non-gaming business

The first Virtual Tourism Expo 2021 (VTE2021) will be held from 27-29 Aug, organised by the Digital Travel Technology Association of Malaysia (DiTTAM). It hopes to attract 2 million online visitors, and will see 120 tourism players take part

Kelantan’s tourism industry lost RM2.6 billion in 2020, with 2.5 million fewer tourists visiting

The Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has said that in 2021 it had targeted a 5% increase in 2020’s total RM1.1 billion revenue generated by business events, with an economic impact of RM2.5 billion, but this original target was based on international visitors

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang has called for the state to be included in a tourism bubble, particularly the Batu Ferringhi area, particularly as those hotels have higher operating costs

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang launched a campaign, “Hands of Hope”, which sees 600 food baskets given to hotel staff from 40 hotels

From 26 Aug, Labuan will transition to Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan, with all economic activities permitted to resume. MICE activities will also be permitted at 50% capacity. Negri Sembilan will be permitted to transition to Phase 2

Sarawak has announced that it will not be impacted by the new requirements for the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program, as it has its own guidelines

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) have launched an aid program, MAH Cares, which will see RM200,000 distributed to its local chapters to help with food and essential items for those workers impacted by the pandemic

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia in conjunction with the Islamic Tourism Centre (ITC) have launched a new Diploma in Islamic Tourism

Malaysian nationals can enter Sarawak if they have proof that they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to their travels, and provide an RT-PCR test. Non-essential/ leisure travellers are still not permitted to enter the state, and travellers must need a reason to visit

A new Prime Minister has been appointed by the King, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, a member of UMNO. The King hopes “that all MPs can set aside their political agenda by uniting and cooperating to address the Covid-19 pandemic for the people and the country” with the appointment

The government has announced that dine-in at eateries under Phase 1 of the NRP will be subject to the eateries reaching a certain percentage of its workers fully vaccinated, and capacity should be limited to 50%. Restaurants can operate from 6am-10pm

The 10km limit for residents in Phase 1 of the NRP has been removed for those who are fully vaccinated, but interdistrict and interstate travel remains banned. Children below the age of 17 years old are not encouraged to be in public places

Malaysia would be keen to collaborate with Indonesia and Thailand to develop a common framework of Muslim-friendly tourism standards

Malaysia reported record cases of 22,948 on 19 Aug

8 tourism centres in Pahang are waiting for approval to reopen tourism activities, including Rompin State Park, the National Park, Genting Highlands, Cameron Highlands, Pulau Tioman, Fraser’s Hill, Kuala Gandah and Janda Baik. These areas have achieved 80% vaccinated adult populations. Pulau Tioman hopes that it could be given immediate approval, before the monsoon season starts in Oct

Fully vaccinated residents of states under the Phase 1 NRP will be permitted to dine-in at eateries, after Malaysia reached 50% of its adult population vaccinated. Sports and leisure activities with no physical contact outdoors, including camping, will be permitted from 20 Aug. Data from the Health Ministry has shown that all states under Phase 1 are seeing a decrease in the number of hospitalised patients

Sabah Tourism Board hopes that tourism can reopen for interdistrict travel for residents by Oct. A survey they have conduced showed that 85% of tourism businesses surveyed had received at least one vaccine dose, and 47% were fully vaccinated

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that tourism bubbles are the right step to open up travel, but they must be implemented properly, and booked with a controlled itinerary through a tour operator, avoiding any “unnecessary contact with the local community”

The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) have given squid-fishing equipment to tourism workers who are impacted by the pandemic, to give them a way to generate income, under Langkawi’s HELANG program

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that they have seen some advanced purchases of hotel deals, but the “public is still cautious”. The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) said that the industry is “cautiously optimistic”, but that domestic tourism will only increase once Klang Valley residents are permitted to travel interstate

The Malaysian Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, resigned from his position, stating that he no longer had the confidence of Parliament

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) has commented that it is disappointed with Bank Negara’s position on not waiving accrued interest payments on loan moratoriums, saying that the banks should support the tourism industry, as has the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners

The Malaysian Ringgit fell to its lowest levels for one-year after the rumours of a change in Prime Minister

Sarawak is the first Malaysian state to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index) for Business Events and Tourism

The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau and the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre will co-host the IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers) Edge Seminar from August 25-27, 2021. It aims to help Malaysia’s MICE workers to develop their skills

More activities will be allowed under Phase 1 of the NRP for fully vaccinated residents from 16 Aug, including hair salons, electric goods, sales centres, morning markets and clothing stores. Parks will also be reopened. More commercial activities will also open in Phase 2 including creative industry and toy shops

The government is looking at running Langkawi as a travel bubble project once it reaches 80% vaccination. It will only allow those fully vaccinated to visit, and is being studied by Ministry of Tourism. It is also looking at other destinations with good exit and entry points, including island destinations

The PM is expected to resign on 16 Aug, and will give a speech tomorrow

The government has postponed the reopening of schools to 3 Oct. It will happen in stages, starting with those classes with examinations

Malaysia will start to vaccinate those aged 12-17 years old, starting with those with underlying medical conditions, and then moving onto those with no medical conditions by age

Bank Negara forecasts that all states will have transitioned to at least Phase 3 NRP by October, with Perlis, Sarawak and Labuan tipped to transition to Phase 4 by that time

Penang has called for the government to consider opening outdoor tourism attractions, as non-contact sports and outdoor recreational outdoor sports are permitted in Phases 2 and 3 of the NRP

Malaysia recorded a 16.1% GDP growth in Q2 2021. GDP grew in Apr by 40.1% and May by 19.8%, but just 4.4% in June, due to the implementation of MCO 3.0 in mid-May, and Phase 1 of the NRP in early Jun

The PM has called for the Opposition to work together with his party, ahead of the confidence vote, to ensure bipartisan input in the recovery of the country

The Health Ministry has said that Operation Surge Capacity has led to a decrease in hospital admissions across age groups 20-79 years old

The PM has promised a General Election will take place by end Jul 2022

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter reported that some beach, city and business hotels had registered up to 5% occupancy for this weekend, and they expected bookings to pick up next week

Electric digital trackers will be fitted to those who undertake home quarantine, with a pilot for 1,000 foreigners. It will be outsourced to a private company

Bank Negara expects Malaysia’s 2021 GDP to grow between 3-4% in 2021, from its previous forecast of 6-7.5%

The government has clarified that those who have been vaccinated overseas can easily update their status in the MySejahtera app by validating them at a district health office

An OECD report has stated that Malaysia needs to address the vulnerabilities of self-employed workers, especially women, younger people and lower-skilled workers, to be able to prepare them for retirement

Malaysia has reported 21,668 cases, a record high

Agoda has launched a new campaign, Vaxxed To Go, which will offer vaccinated travellers special deals. It is a pilot program which Agoda hopes to roll out to other markets soon

A confidence motion for Parliament has been scheduled for 7 Sep, one day after the next parliament meeting reopens

Genting Malaysia is in its final stages of preparing the new theme park, Genting SkyWorlds, for reopening. However, a specific date has yet to be announced

Sabah will restrict dine-in to those who have been vaccinated, despite being in Phase 3 of the NRP and having allowed dine-in for the last month. All tourism activities except homestays and hotels will not be allowed to operate, unless they are within a travel bubble

Kuala Lumpur is set to reach an 80% fully vaccinated population by this weekend

The Digital Travel Technology Association of Malaysia (DiTTAM) will hold its first Virtual Tourism Expo 2021 from 27-29 Aug, under the theme “Malaysia has it all”. They expect 40,000 visitors with RM2 million in sales. It will mainly sell domestic tourism packages

Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has joined the Hybrid City Alliance with Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that there had been an increase in advanced room bookings, but the numbers were not much, as the public are “still being cautious”. MATTA called for the government to introduce travel corridors for those states under Phase 2, to encourage travel

Malaysia’s first charity hotel, Rumah Prihatin @Grand Seasons, has opened in Kuala Lumpur. It provides meals, beds, counselling and vaccines to those who need help. 300 rooms are available for RM30 per night

Fully vaccinated Malaysians in Singapore are pleased with the government’s decision to allow home quarantine

Almost 90% of Negeri Sembilan’s tourism workers have received at least one vaccine dose

The Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) program will be restarted in Oct, after being paused for evaluation. It will reopen with stricter requirements, including setting a ceiling to the number of participants at 1% of Malaysia’s total population. Income requirements have also become stricter, as have the liquid assets and processing fees

The government is looking at easing restrictions for fully vaccinated residents of Phase 1 NRP states, including allowing activities such as parks and night markets

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has welcomed the move to ease measures for vaccinated residents, saying that the “the industry can now prepare itself for reopening”

The Muslim Jewellers and Money Changers Association Penang have said that if the lack of tourism continued, many members could stay in business for another 6 months maximum before having to close

Melaka Zoo will need to be restructured if it cannot operate until the year-end

The government is looking into Umrah procedures, particularly those related to visas, before allowing Malaysians to travel once more

The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) called for the reopening of tourist attractions, calling it “utterly ridiculous” to have attractions shut, but hotels open

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang have called for clarification on whether hotels need to have fully vaccinated staff to be able to reopen, estimating only 500 hotel workers in Penang were fully vaccinated. The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) called for the reopening of tourist attractions too

The Ministry of Tourism has called the relaxation of measures for vaccinated travellers a “boon to tourism operators”

The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) has launched the Business Events (BE) Stewards Programme, in conjunction with the Malaysia Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS). It provides business events staff as volunteers at vaccination centres

Tourism Pahang expects that its tourism sector will reopen in the next 2 weeks, including to destination such as Fraser’s Hill, Tioman Island and Janda Baik. They will launch campaigns to encourage Pahang residents to explore the state. They have also launched an online Reskilling Training Programme, which will help tourism businesses with their digital skills

The Jun unemployment rate grew to 4.8% from May’s 4.5%

1,000 more Grab drivers have completed the Sarawak Ambassadors Programme on E-learning for E-hailing Drivers. The drivers will be cultivated as Sarawak Tourism ambassadors and 2,183 drivers have so far completed the program

Malaysia has announced new measures for vaccinated residents under Phases 1-4 of the National Recovery Plan from 10 Aug, including being permitted to dine-in, same state hotel and homestays and non-contact sports. They will also announce more easing for economic sectors soon

The government has approved home quarantine for fully vaccinated Malaysians and returning foreigners nationwide, regardless of the National Recovery Plan phase they are in. They will be given a digital Home Surveillance Order

Malaysia Tourism Council has said that it may take time for people to feel confident to travel again domestically, and that the impact of the new rules for vaccinated residents under Phases 2-4 for domestic tourism may not be felt “immediately”

The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners have said that permitting vaccinated travellers to go on staycations would have little impact, as Kuala Lumpur and Selangor were still not included. The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) argued that tourism sector businesses should be permitted to reopen if all workers were vaccinated, and the “major impact” will only be seen once interstate travel is permitted once more

The Health Ministry has said that it would only recommend relaxing measures when more people are vaccinated and mask wearing is maintained for vaccinated people

The government will now look at symptomatic COVID-19 cases which require hospitalisation as an indicator to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), instead of daily cases. It should be a maximum of 2,000 cases nationally, or 6.1 cases per 100,000 residents to transition to Phase 2, 1,000 to transition to Phase 3 and 400 to Phase 4. However, states must first reach 50% full vaccination. They are taking this approach to measure the severity of the pandemic

Tourism Pahang has identified Fraser’s Hill and Tioman Island as the first destinations which would reopen under a “tourism bubble” for interdistrict or interstate travel, and have drawn up strict safety guidelines

The Deputy PM has said that the government will convert 100 tourist vans into ambulances to help with urgent cases, particularly in Klang Valley

Masjid Negara will launch a 360 degree virtual tour with live guided tours in English, Chinese and Malay. LokaLocal is behind the technology for the tours

The Department of Statistics has reported that household income has been strongly impacted by the pandemic, with the number of “poor” households increasing from 405,400 in 2019 to 639,800 in 2020

The Health Ministry expects Malaysia’s cases to keep rising until it achieves 80% vaccination by the end of Oct

The Sarawak Tourism Board is encouraging take-up of its Sarawak Tourism Online Ecosystem Fund (STOEF), aimed at helping tourism businesses to strengthen their digital presence. Companies can receive up to RM5,000 per application, and so far 45 companies have used the funds

Ecotourism attractions in Malaysia are struggling to survive, with some turning to online tours to survive, whilst others such as The Habitat Penang Hill relying on its shareholders to keep it going, as well as downsizing the staffing

The number of COVID-19 cases with serious symptoms (categories 3-5) will be used as an indicator for National Recovery Plan transitions to Phase 3 and 4, rather than the number of cases, as many cases in Phase 2 states were asymptomatic or mild

Sarawak is aiming to hit herd immunity by mid-Aug or Sep

Sabah believes that 60% of its adult population will be vaccinated by 21 Sep

2,000 tourism frontliners are still to be vaccinated in Perak. They are planning to designate 5 areas in the state COVID-19 Free Destination areas, including Ipoh, Kuala Kangsar, Kampar, Batu Gajah and Lumut

Malaysia reported a record daily case high of 20,596 on 5 Aug

The implementation of lockdowns in Malaysia in 2020 led to a decrease in the mean monthly salary of up to 9% YoY. Its overall unemployment rate also increased to 4.5%, the highest in almost 30 years

The Malaysian PM has said that he still has a parliamentary majority, and he will table a motion of confidence when Parliament reopens in Sep

The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) has said that tourism attractions “continue bleeding out”, and that attractions “have been trying so hard to hang on but we can’t go on like this indefinitely”

The Arts, Live Festivals and Events Association has estimated that the industry lost RM250 million in 2020, not including the income that live events generate for hotels, transport and F&B. They forecast that 90% of the industry could die without any help

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) hopes that fully vaccinated people will be permitted to travel interstate as part of the benefits given to vaccinated residents, as this would kickstart the tourism industry once more

The Tourism Minister has said that Malaysia will promote “clean, healthy, family-oriented tourism”, as this is something that tourists will be looking for post-pandemic

A new attraction, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands, is being planned to open in 2023 under its 1st phase, with the project being completed in a decade. It will include an artificial ski slope, and will be themed under 5 different European villages at different elevations of the park. These zones will include accommodation, and sustainability is set to be one of the park’s core values

Malaysia received the UK’s donation of 415k AstraZeneca vaccines

Malaysia’s emergency laws annulment will be debated in Parliament in Sep, the PM has stated, after controversy ensued over its during the emergency sitting

Record highs of ICU patients have been recorded nationwide on 3 Aug

Penang’s Tropical Spice Garden have made a plea on social media for their crowdfunding campaign, Spice Fam to save the attraction, as it is running out of funds

Malaysia forecasts that the peak of infection will be reached in Aug, and then the impact of the vaccination program will start to come into play

A new theme park, ESCAPE Cameron Highlands, will support the government’s plans to restore confidence to travel and revive domestic tourism, the Tourism Ministry has said

Perlis, Sarawak and Labuan will transition to Phase 3 of the National Recovery Plan from 4 Aug

The special sitting of Parliament rescheduled for 2 Aug will be postponed until further notice, due to health risks, the government has said

The Pahang Chapter of Malaysian Association of Hotels has said that most hotels have temporarily closed whilst they wait for interdistrict or interstate travel to restart

At least 400 protestors marched peacefully in Kuala Lumpur, demanding the PM resigns

Sarawak has extended its State of Emergency until 2 Feb 2022, which would mean that the state election would not need to be held until then

Malaysia reported 17,786, a record new number of cases on 31 Jul

A Kota Kinabalu themed flight to nowhere has proven to be successful in the Korean market, flying out of Incheon International Airport on 25 Jul. It was hosted by Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia

The Sarawak Ministry of Tourism forecasts that domestic tourism will reopen to the state before the year-end, and international travel be permitted in 2022. It will also consider “green bubble travel” with vaccinated travellers from Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia and other countries

Malaysia had a record 1,043 COVID patients in ICUs across the country

AirAsia Group will be presenting their recommendations paper on restarting the tourism industry to the National Recovery Council

AirAsia Malaysia CEO has said that he believes that a full travel recovery could be possible by 2022 year-end, depending on aggressive vaccination

Johor state has also called for vaccinated Malaysian workers in Singapore to be permitted to quarantine at home

Negeri Sembilan state government will give one-off assistance of RM2,000 to hotels, homestay operators and RM250 to tourist guides. It will also give a 50% discount on assessment fees for hotels in H2 2021. The total package is worth RM1.7 million

Malaysia reported 17,405, a record new number of cases on 28 Jul

There have been 199 cases of the Delta variant detected so far as of 28 Jul

Malaysia has said that the UK donation of vaccines could open the door for reciprocal recognition of vaccine recognition, as well as travel bubbles

A one-off grant of RM3,000 through the PEMERKASA financial aid program will be given to Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) tour operators

Labuan state has reached 80% of its adults population fully vaccinated

Malaysia and Indonesia will look at collaborating to boost tourism

Malaysia will boost its capacity to process genome sequencing for COVID-19 samples

Penang plans to reopen applications for its zero-interest loan, Skim Peka 2.2, aimed at tourism businesses. The loan amount is from RM5,000-50,000

The Sabah Tourism Board has said that it is looking at launching a Green Tourism certification and COVID-19 insurance policy, to increase visitor confidence. They also called for the speeding up of vaccinations for tourism frontliners, and said that it will be “more aggressive” in marketing and promotions once the outbreak is under control

Unemployed graduates grew by 22.5% YoY in 2020. The mean monthly salaries of graduates also declined by 10.6% YoY in 2020, whilst degree holders’ declined by 11.5% YoY

Contract doctors who went on strike on 26 Jul will not be penalised by the government

Malaysia hit a second day of highs for the number of COVID deaths, at 207, and 1,023 patients in the ICU, the highest number yet

Malaysia’s State of Emergency will not be extended past 1 Aug

The PM has said that most Malaysian states are expected to transition to Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) by Oct at the earliest. They are also aiming for 100% of adults to be fully vaccinated by Oct

The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (Samenta) has forecast that 900,000 SMEs could collapse if a lockdown is extended beyond Sep

Pulau Pangkor is expected to reach 80% vaccination by early Sep, as it will be part of the Covid-19 Free Destination programme pilot project

Malaysia reported a record high of 17,045 cases on 25 Jul, bringing total cases to over 1 million

The government has said that it expects cases and hospital admissions to decline in Aug, once 40% of the country’s adult population is fully vaccinated

The Malaysian PM has said that benefits for vaccinated residents may include sports, social activities and dine-in. The government will announce the measures in the next few days

The Malaysian PM has said vaccinated residents may be able to undergo home quarantine instead of at a hotel or centre upon their entry to Malaysia. These people could be given a wrist tracker, and would need to take a swab test

Pahang plans to reopen tourism at Fraser’s Hill soon, and then later Pulau Tioman

The different transition thresholds for the National Recovery Plan may be changed as more Malaysians are vaccinated, and if most infections are not serious, case numbers may not be the “correct indication” for transitioning

Sabah will be given the CanSino single dose as a priority once received in Aug, as well as the Johnson & Johnson vaccine

The Tourism Productivity Nexus (TPN) is creating an e-directory for tourism businesses and services in Perlis, expected to launch in Oct, and then integrated with the Universal Pass, a site which will offer niche products not available via OTAs

Malaysia Airports has signed an MoU with Skyports and Volocopter to look at implementing electric air taxis in Malaysia. They will first start a study to see the feasibility of vertiport solutions, customer flow and demand. It would form part of the plan to regenerate Subang Airport

The government has admitted that public hospitals are under strain from the spike in cases, but they are preparing for more

Benefits for fully vaccinated individuals may only kick in once the country is 30-40% fully vaccinated. The Health Ministry expects that once the country reaches 40-50% vaccination that daily cases will also start to drop

The Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Satta) has proposed that tour buses be converted into mobile vaccination centres, to be able to reach more remote places. They are also planning to run the Sabah Virtual Travel Fair from 16-29 Sep, to boost the tourism industry

The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) are calling for event industry businesses to support the vaccination rollout, with 20 venues now vaccination delivery centres, and 150 MICE workers performing as volunteer stewards

The Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MOTAC) are drawing up a tiered plan to relaunch tourism activities. Tier 1 would see intra-district travel and tourism activities permitted, tier 2 inter-district travel and tourism activities, tier 3 interstate travel and tier 4 international travel and inbound tourists

The Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has selected Langkawi and Kuching as pilot travel destinations for its COVID-19 Free Destination Program, reopening international travel in the initial phase. Phase 2 would see Redang, Perhentian, Pangkor, Tioman and main attractions in Johor, Melaka, Penang and Sabah, and Phase 3 would be all other destinations

Malaysians working in Singapore are urging the governments to remove quarantine for vaccinated workers, and to recognise one another’s vaccines

Marriott International is planning to open 3 new properties in Malaysia in 2021

The Malaysian Association of Theme Park & Family Attractions is urging the government for the reopening of their core businesses under Phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). It has said that the current timeline, where they would be permitted to operate in Oct at the earliest, “will further break the tourism industry in ways it has already broken”

An Amadeus study has shown: • 42% of Malaysians believe that the travel sector will improve over the next 12 months • 68% said that the increased risk of cancellations is a barrier for booking travel in 2021 • 51% say refund uncertainty is a barrier to booking, 48% inability to change booking date/ time, and 47% for inconvenient refund processes

Malaysian tourism businesses have been helping the needy, with Asian Trails raising money for orphans and disabled in Selangor, Laili Basir Event Adventure assisting Bajau Laut families to secure food supplies, and hotels in Sunway City donating home items to those who suffered flooding in Pahang

Private hospitals have been ordered to take in all non-COVID patients in the Klang Valley, to make room for medical wards dedicated to COVID in public hospitals

Malaysia has reported 199 deaths, the highest yet

The Health Ministry has approved two self-test COVID kits for import and distribution

Sarawak is implementing a four-phase recovery plan, including reopening domestic tourism by phase 3, which they anticipate would happen by the end of Aug, and restarting Sarawak tourism and events in Q4

OYO Malaysia & Singapore have said that delays to reopening hotels will impact tourism workers’ jobs and that the industry “cannot wait” for case numbers to be under control. They called for a more targeted approach

The government will look at easing restrictions for fully vaccinated residents next week. This may include being allowed to cross districts for shopping

4 areas in Selangor will be placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from 18-31 Jul, whilst the rest of the state will transition back to the Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on 18 Jul

A new campaign, Operate Surge Capacity, will aim to vaccinate every adult in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor by 1 Aug, 6.1 million. They are aiming to increase daily doses administered in the 2 localities to 272,000 per day from the current 180,000. Once the campaign is complete, walk-ins will be allowed for all at vaccination centres

Vaccination for Langkawi will be enhanced, to ensure that it reaches 80% immunity, allowing it to be a pilot destination for the COVID-19 Free Destination Programme

The Tourism Minister is optimistic that tourism could be revived by Nov or earlier under Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan

The Sarawak Tourism Minister expects that the tourism industry could open up in Q4 once more, as the state will have obtained 80% vaccination rate

Tourism cooperatives are urged to participate in the Cooperative Movement Economic Transformation Programme which encourages cooperatives to look at new business opportunities to diversify their income. It offers grants of RM100,000

Schools will reopen in stages for face to face learning from 1 Sep

The Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang chapter has said that allowing vaccinated residents to travel would give a boost to domestic tourism, as did the Kedah/ Perlis chapter

Sarawak Tourism Board launched a virtual B2B event on 14-15 Jul, with 30 sellers and 200 buyers from West Malaysia

The first Malaysian produced rapid antigen self-test kit, Salixium COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test, will be available for sale to the public on 19 Jul

Dine-in will be permitted in Sarawak from 16 Jul

The 5-day Parliament sitting from 26-29 Jul is a “special sitting”, and Parliament will resume on 6 Sep

The government has said that it may give some “leeway” to those who are fully vaccinated, including interstate travel and dine-in at restaurants

Malaysia came out on top in the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2021 as the most Muslim friendly destination for travellers

Melaka and Lazada have partnered to create a virtual Melaka e-bazaar with its “Buy Now, Travel Later” campaign. It will promote tourism products up to 50% off from 7 Jul-30 Sep. The travel products have open dates, with a validity until 2022

The government has approved the import of COVID-19 self-test kits

The government has said that states which have transitioned to Phase 2 of the NRP will not move back to Phase 1, even if their case numbers increase. Instead, there may be an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) on certain areas to control the spread

The Department of Statistics have reported that the mean salary of Malaysians was 9% lower than 2020, RM2,933

Zerin Properties has seen a 40% YoY increase in the number of Malaysian hotels being sold, with interest from both local and overseas investors, with prices dropping 10-35% vs pre-lockdown. As of mid-Jun, 91 hotels have temporarily closed out of 320, and 2 permanently closed, according to the Hotel Industry Survey Report by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH)

A Mastercard report, Recovery Insights: Ready for Takeoff? has shown that demand for business travel outstrips leisure travel in Malaysia

The Sabah Tourism Board has launched a new series, “Enchanting Sabah Live”, with virtual sessions promoting different attractions across the state. The first episode featured the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC)

Malaysia will lower its 2021 GDP expectation to 4% due to the lockdowns

The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) hopes to generate RM288 million from Sep-Dec, through the Langkawi 2021-2022 Tourism Recovery Plan. They expect to receive 590,000 tourists. In 2022, they forecast revenue of RM1.17 billion, with 2.5 million tourists

Sarawak will move to Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan on 14 Jul

The Health Director-General has said that it is intensifying its efforts against the virus in Klang Valley, and that high risk areas and sectors under Phase 1 NRP will be prioritised for vaccination

Malaysia’s cases have spiked due to more targeted screenings, and they should stabilise over the next 1-2 weeks

Pangkor assemblyman has called for the government to provide more assistance to Pangkor tourism operators. A new aid program, Pangkor Island Care Programme, was launched by the Pangkor Island Hotel and Resort Development Association, with essential food items given to 400 employees. More than 300 staff have lost their jobs after the MCO this year

The Tourism Ministry is planning various initiatives to kickstart Kuala Lumpur’s tourism, including rehabilitating heritage buildings, turning historical sites such as the Kuala Lumpur Royal Malaysian Police Museum into an interactive exhibition, a drive—in cinema and nightlife nature experiences

Malaysia reported record cases of 9,353 on 10 Jul

Malaysia recorded its highest case numbers of 9,180, despite a one month lockdown

The R-0 rate is above 1.0 for two thirds of the country

Malaysia is due to hit 30% vaccination rate by the end of Aug. The Science, Innovation and Technology Minister has said that at this point, the focus should stop on cases numbers and instead be on deaths and hospitalisation rates. 10% of the country is now fully vaccinated

The US Ambassador has said that overseas investors are being discouraged by Malaysia’s confusing government regulations, but that the country was generally seen as a good place to invest

The Malaysia Tourism Council has signed an MoU with UNITAR International University to provide upskilling and reskilling for tourism workers

The Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister has warned that MSMEs are on the verge of collapse, which could lose to 7 million jobs lost. More than 500,000 businesses face closing down by Oct if they are not permitted to reopen

Malaysia saw a record 952 patients in intensive care, and 135 deaths on 8 Jul, the highest yet. The country is setting up more ICU beds, field hospitals and low-risk treatment centres

The PM has said that his government will continue to function without the support of UMNO, after it declared that it had withdrawn its support

Sabah will transition to Phase 2 of the NRP from 10 Jul

Agoda has said that Malaysia recorded the highest domestic tourism market growth in H2 2020 in ASEAN countries

Hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Labuan have exceeded their maximum limit for treating COVID-19 patients, and the health system faces paralysis if the situation continues. More than 90% of ICU beds are occupied

A new Deputy PM has been appointed, Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Tourism Malaysia won The Special Award for Best Camerawork at the 21st WorldMediaFestivals in the Tourism and Travel Media Awards category

Sabah hopes that most of its businesses can be reopened if it reaches 60% of the population vaccinated

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that a recent survey has shown that 63.13% of workers are on unpaid leave, whilst 44.6% have cut hotel workers’ salaries and 14.06% have retrenched the workforce. 70% of hotels are still operational, with some being used as quarantine centres, whilst others are relying on oil and gas and medical sectors. The average occupancy rate does not exceed 20%. The MAH also commented that the new PEMULIH stimulus package was not enough to support the tourism industry

commerce transactions in Q1 2021 rose +30% YoY

Parliament will resume from 26 Jul-2 Aug, the PM has confirmed. The National Recovery Plan will be presented

Penang will move to Phase 2 of the NRP from 7 Jul

Tripfez Travel, a Muslim-focused OTA, is planning M&A deals with other Malaysian tourism industry players

Kelantan, Pahang, Perlis, Perak and Terengganu will transition to Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), from 5 Jul, as they have met the necessary criteria. Under Phase 2, more economic activities will open, including individual sports, hairdressers and essential services can operate at 80%

The Finance Minister has explained the formula for the daily case average required for states to be able to transition to Phase 2, 4000 x (state population/ Malaysia’s population)

8 more areas in 4 states would also be placed under the Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from 4-17 Jul: Sabah, Sarawak, Kedah and Penang

Perlis state is expected to transition to Phase 2 of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) by next week, depending on the decision from the federal government

Malaysians have started a new #BenderaPutih movement (white flag), to help those in need with food packs

Many districts in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will be placed under an Enhanced Movement Control Order (EMCO) from 3-16 Jul after cases increased. Under the EMCO, residents are only permitted to leave their house for essential reasons, within 10km of their homes

Selected factories producing essential goods in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur will be permitted to operate during the EMCO

Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur will be stopping operations from 1 Sep due to the pandemic

The King has requested that Parliament be reconvened before the state of emergency expires on 1 Aug

Malaysia’s 2020 domestic tourism spend dropped to RM40.4 billion from RM103.2 billion in 2019, with visitors dropping 44.9% to 131.7 million. In 2020, Selangor was the most visited state by domestic tourists (19.7 million), followed by Perak (13.2 million) and Kuala Lumpur (12.4 million)

The PM sees that SMEs will gradually recover in 2021

The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) are discussing a new initiative with the private sector, the MySafe Business Events Planner, expected to be ready in Q4 2021. It will provide information about safety measures in place in Malaysia, as well as help with the advanced planning

The Malaysian Association of Theme Park and Family Attractions (Maatfa) is urging the government to allow reopening of tourism businesses like theme parks, shopping malls and hotels and family entertainment centres in Phase 2 of the NRP. If they are only permitted to reopen in Oct, this could result in many permanent closures of its members

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that the PEMULIH package does not address the tourism sector’s needs. The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners also were of the opinion that there was nothing “special” to help hotels survive

A new Virtual Reality OTA called Igoroom has been launched which will focus on customised luxury travel experiences at resorts across the world

The government reported that on average Malaysia is seeing 4 suicide cases per day in Q1, with 336 reported in total vs the whole of 2020’s 631 cases

The Finance Minister has said that it is expecting to revise downwards its financial forecast for 2021 given the current COVID-19 measures in place

The government has said that it will assess whether to permit interdistrict travel for those states with low COVID-19 cases

Pahang state government will propose reopening Tioman Island to domestic tourists at least, after 80% of the island have completed vaccination

The government will consider allowing companies with fully vaccinated staff to resume working

As part of the PEMULIH package, the government will offer RM3,000 to more than 5,300 travel agents with the third phase of the NRP begins. It will also defer the payment of monthly income tax payments, and exempt tourism tax and service tax from hotel operators until year-end

Sabah will permit more sectors to operate under NRP Phase 1, including dine-in and non-contact sports

Sabah is planning to set up a trade and tourism office in Singapore

The Tourism Ministry will focus on business events for vaccinated delegates during the NRP period. They reported that there are 81 events scheduled for this year, with 56 conventions and 24 exhibitions

Sarawak will allow bookshops and stationery stores to open from 29 Jun, but will impose a curfew of midnight-5am

The PM has launched a new aid package, PEMULIH, worth RM150 billion. Some measures aimed at the tourism industry include: • 3-month extension of 10% electricity bill discount from Oct-Dec • Wage subsidy scheme with RM600 per worker for 4 months, with extension of 2 months if unable to open under NRP Phase 2 and an additional 2 months if unable to open under NRP Phase 3

The government has clarified that more businesses will be permitted to operate under NRP Phase 2, including book shops, whilst under NRP Phase 3, interdistrict travel could be permitted, and staycations and tourism activities within the state allowed

The Malaysia Association of Hotels Penang Chapter has advocated that Penang should also be considered a tourism bubble target

MyEG have proposed to buy 10 million doses of Zhifei, meant for the private market

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) is encouraging its members to sell non-travel products to their clients, and recently organised a virtual tourism bazaar

Sarawak’s MICE industry has launched the Industrial Covid-19 Vaccination Centre programme, with over 2,000 tourism workers expected to be vaccinated in a 4-day program

An expansion to Penang’s cruise terminal has been complete, which will allow 2 mega-sized cruise ships to dock and handle 12,000 pax simultaneously. It is waiting local authority approval by Jul

Aquaria KLCC is losing RM4.75 million in monthly revenue thanks to the MCO

The PM has said that the current MCO will not end on 28 Jun, as the country has still not reached the necessary threshold to move to phase 2. The government will announce more financial measures on 28 or 29 Jun

The Small & Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (SAMENTA) has released survey results showing that 2 of 3 SMEs have expressed zero hope for any recovery in 2021

Sarawak’s Ministry of Tourism has said that it will ensure tourism workers get vaccinated as soon as possible

Sandakan will develop more “dark tourism”, promoting a supposedly haunted house. The Sabah Tourism Minister plans to draw up more plans, under an e-seram campaign

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a Tourism Recovery Plan, which will be implemented in three phases. Phase 1 will see Langkawi as a pilot travel destination, with vaccination accelerated in the destination. The other destination in Phase 1 will be Kuching. Phase 2 will see vaccination accelerated for popular tourism resorts, including Redang, Perhentian, Pangkor and Tioman. Phase 3 would see government ministries coordinating to identify tourist attractions which could be promoted

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that more than 120 hotels have stopped operations, either temporarily or permanently. They estimate that the hospitality industry has lost over RM11.3 billion so far, and there is “still no sign of a full recovery”

The Ministry of Tourism in Sarawak hopes that requirements can be relaxed for the tourism sector to be able to operate, hopefully as Sarawak reaches 80% vaccination by Aug

The Melaka chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels has called for the government to prioritise hotel workers for vaccination

Agoda’s Travel in 2021 survey has shown of its Malaysian respondents: • The top ways for travel are exploring local destinations never visited before, taking short trips, and using OTAs to search for travel deals and added perks • Malaysians are second most likely regionally to consider their accommodation as destination itself • 13% are willing to splurge on accommodation • F&B benefits, experiences and early check-in/ check out are the top-rated benefits for accommodation packages

The Malaysian government has said that the country will likely see a strong economic recovery in Q4

The World Bank has said that median Malaysian SMEs have 2 months of cash flow left. It also reported that 60% of smaller and micro companies are in arrears or risk falling into arrears in the next 6 months. They have said that without accelerated transformation, Malaysia has limited potential to create high value jobs

The Finance Minister has said that the government is still working on the fine details of a financial assistance plan during the National Recovery Plan implementation period

The government has said that Malaysians and non-citizens still must undergo a 21-day quarantine for travellers from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan, whilst those from other countries must undergo a 14-day quarantine

Malaysia and Brunei plan to collaborate to explore growing cultural tourism in both countries

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that 2021 is worse than 2020 so far, with an average occupancy rate of only 20%, mainly due to quarantine hotels. MAH expect occupancy to remain low for the next 6 months, and forecast another 50 hotels to close temporarily during the lockdown in addition to the 100 who had already done so

The World Bank has said that the government needs to do more to support the poor in the country financially, and the number of vulnerable households is expected to increase

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that “controlled” travel bubbles with fixed numbers of people and set itineraries, could boost tourism. The Minister for Tourism said that if a Langkawi travel bubble were effective, the same measures could be launched in Kota Kinabalu, Penang, Desaru Coast, Pulau Perhentian, Kuching, Malacca, Genting Highlands and Pulau Tioman

The World Bank expects Malaysia’s economy to grow by 4.5% in 2021, less than its originally forecast 6% due to the spike in cases

Two members of the PM’s political party have said that a general election could be held by the end of the year, but would depend on the vaccination rate

The Rainforest World Music Festival’s first virtual experience attracted more than 56,000 people to watch online, exceeding the expectations of the Sarawak Tourism Board

The government has said that discussions are ongoing between Malaysia and Singapore for the recognition of the MySejahtera app as a vaccination passport. They are also in discussion with other countries too

The government has said that it is looking at lifting restrictions for vaccinated Malaysians, including potentially opening up interstate travel

The Tourism Ministry has extended the licence fee waiver for tour operators and tour guides until 31 Dec 2021

The Finance Minister has said that the 2nd phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) will still be a stringent MCO, with social activities barred, but that more sectors will be permitted to operate at greater capacity

The Health Minister has said that daily cases must be below 4,000 cases for 7 consecutive days to move to the second phase of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), and bed usage at ICUs must be down to 75%, as well as having 10% of the population fully vaccinated

Malaysia and Saudi Arabia will work together to revive tourism through joint promotions on social media

The Penang Hill Festival has been cancelled due to the MCO

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that another 6 months of restrictions will result in more hotel closures and jobs losses if the government does not assist financially. They called for an extended wage subsidy until the year-end, at 50% for those earning up to RM4,000/ month and 30% for those above RM4,000, utility bill subsidises and relaxation of business licence fees. The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) proposed that domestic tourism should be permitted for those who are fully vaccinated, instead of waiting for Phase 4

The Bank of Thailand and Bank Negara have launched a cross-border QR payment linkage between the 2 countries which will allow consumers and merchants to make and receive instant payments

Melaka Crocodile and Recreational Park has launched online tours of the park to generate income

The PM has said that he will listen to the King’s call to reopen parliament immediately, but did not set a specific timeline. The King has also rejected the idea of extending the country’s state of emergency beyond 1 Aug

As of 4 Jun, 666 tourism businesses had applied for the PENJANA funding, with 327 approved for RM65.1 million

The Finance Minister has said that the government is reviewing its financial assistance and will announce new measures soon

Eurocham has said that the NRP is a good start, but they were concerned that it unnecessarily extended the MCO, which could impact the economy further

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that it will be difficult for travel agents to survive until the end of Oct, when domestic tourism is expected to reopen

The PM has announced a 4-stage National Recovery Plan (NRP): • Phase 1: Only essential services • Phase 2: once cases are below 4,000, moderate ICU usage and 10% of population are fully vaccinated (expected Jul-Aug). More economic sectors can open at 80% capacity, social sectors remain closed • Phase 3: once cases are below 2,000, comfortable ICU usage and 40% of population are fully vaccinated (expected Sep-Oct). Majority of economic sectors allowed to operate (except clubs, beauty salons, etc), education and some social activities permitted to reopen • Phase 4: cases less than 500, safe ICU usage, 60% of population vaccinated (expected Nov-Dec). All economic and social sectors permitted to reopen, interstate and domestic travel allowed

The PM has said that Malaysia has RM1 billion daily losses during the current MCO 3.0

Qatar Airways wants to resume direct flights to Langkawi, and has proposed a travel bubble between Malaysia and Qatar when borders are opened. The Ministry of Tourism has welcomed the idea

The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) will target countries with a short flight to Malaysia as their target market, but are also looking at new markets including India and the Middle East

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association has postponed its eTravel Fair to 15-19 Aug

The Health Director-General has said that the next 2 weeks are critical to get cases back down to 4,000

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are hoping to reach herd immunity by Aug, as more vaccination centres have been opened

Malaysia and Singapore have said that they are looking forward to reopening travel when they can to one another

Sabah will also extend its lockdown by 2 weeks until 28 Jun

Sabah has extended the opening hours for restaurants from 7am-7pm daily

Research house MIDF has noted that domestic consumer demand is expected to rebound, and that customers have become more adapted to the new normal to buy online when they are unable to do offline shopping

Malaysia’s lockdown has been extended from 15-28 Jun, as daily case numbers still were in excess of 5,000. The regulations will remain the same as from 1-14 Jun

Quarantine and treatment centres nationwide have reached 60% capacity

Sabah tourism players are happy with the state’s aid initiatives, but the Saba Tourism Federation has said that the tourism industry needs a “bigger share” of funds. Sabah has allocated RM2.88 of its RM154 million package for the tourism industry, with funds dispersed to tour guides, mountain porters, hotels, tour operators and homestay associations

The Ministry of Tourism hopes that tourism workers in Langkawi would be prioritised for vaccination, as the island could be a part of a “green travel bubble” pilot. Langkawi has been chosen due to its popularity with international tourists, as well as having international flights facilities

Business Events Council Malaysia (BECM), Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), and Malaysia Convention and Exhibition Organisers (MACEOS) are encouraging MICE venues to get certified under a Safe Business Events Venue Certification scheme

Genting Malaysia has a “cautious stance on the near-term prospects of the leisure and hospitality industry”. It sees the launch of Genting SkyWorlds, its new outdoor theme park in Genting Highlands, to be a “key growth initiative” for the company, and will open in mid-2021

The Retail Group Malaysia expects retail sales to be hard hit by the latest FMCO

ICU bed usage nationwide has now dropped to 90%

Malaysia’s R-0 rate has fallen below 1.0 for 2 consecutive days

Tourism Malaysia has released Q1 2021 international arrival numbers, which show a drop of 99.4% YoY. It received just 25,256 visitors. The top source market was Thailand, then Indonesia and China, whilst Singapore was 4th place, with just 322 arrivals

Schools must continue home-based learning for the new school term from 13/14 Jun

The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau ran a Penang Virtual Roadshow China 2021, with 92 Chinese buyers attending

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) has extended the relaxation of its tourism regulations until 31 December 2021. This allows businesses to co-share office space, as well as permission to conduct other business in their premises

As of 21 May, 657 tourism businesses had applied for the Penjana tourism fund, with 325 approved and RM64.6 million funding given

More Malaysians aged 25-44 years old are choosing soft adventure travel, including glamping, slow travel and community-based travel programs

Perak’s Sejahtera financial aid package will include hotel licence exemptions for 565 local hotels, RM3,000 for the Perak Malaysian Association of Hotels, and RM2,000 for the Persatuan Umrah, Haji dan Ziarah (PUHAZ). It will also give RM2,000 to homestay management and RM500 for tourist boat operators

Malaysia’s civil servants have had their monthly allowance cut for 3 months, which will be channelled to the COVID-19 disaster trust fund

The Penang state exco have asked Putrajaya to class tourism workers in Penang as economic frontliners, to assure the viability of the future of the tourism industry

The Express Rail Link (ERL) from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Lumpur International Airport has been suspended from 4 Jun until further notice due to the stricter MCO. It has noted that in 2020, its average daily riders have declined by 69% YoY, and with the start of the FMCO, it dropped 89% compared to its 2020 level

The Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (Statos) has noted an interest in the Sarawak-Malaysia My Second Home (S-MM2H) program. It is the only state still accepting applications for the MM2H program

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has praised the Permerkasa Plus financial aid package, but have said that the acceleration of the vaccination rollout is key, especially that for tourism workers. They said that the rehabilitation package for tour buses is crucial, as they estimate that its members own more than 9,000 vehicles. They called for the loan moratorium to be extended until 31 Dec, as well as contributions to the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), renewal of company licence and deferment of penalties for late tax payment

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has called for more hotel staff to be vaccinated, saying that they had submitted a list of 35,000 names in March, and had yet to receive any updates

The Finance Minister has said that the “total lockdown” could slow down Malaysia’s economic recovery, and will come back soon with a revised forecast

Children under 12 years old will only be allowed in public for 4 reasons during the total lockdown: emergency, medical treatment, education and exercising

The PM has announced a new Permerkasa Plus financial aid package, with some measures targeted at the tourism industry including: • RM1 billion for bus and taxi hire purchase rehabilitation scheme, loan moratorium for up to 12 months and option to extend loan period to 36 months • Tour driver vehicles to receive RM500 one-off aid • Hotels, shopping centres and theme parks to receive 10% discount on electricity bill • Automatic approval for bank moratorium of 3 months for SMEs not able to operate during the FMCO, or a 50% reduction in repayments for 6 months

Sarawak has chosen to match up its implementation dates of its state MCO to 1-14 Jun with the nationwide dates

The PM has said that the only hope for the world to end the COVID-19 pandemic is to ensure as many people are vaccinated as possible, and called for equitable access to the vaccines

Bank Negara will increase its Targeted Assistance and Rehabilitation Facility for SMEs by RM2 billion, bringing the fund to a total of RM7 billion

The Health Director-General has warned that the occupancy rates at hospitals, quarantine and treatment centres is increasing, and doctors may soon have to prioritise who can receive ICU care

200,000 people managed to bypass roadblocks and return to their hometowns over the Hari Raya period, the government has estimated

Most industries will be required to close during the FMCO period of 1-14 Jun, with exceptions for essential services such as food and beverage, banking and e-commerce

All shops in shopping malls except for supermarkets and those selling essentials, will be closed from 1-14 Jun

The government is planning to set up free community rapid antigen test centres in Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya from 7 Jun

The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) have called for financial aid for tourism players following the total lockdown. It is urging the government for an automatic loan moratorium with zero interest, wage subsidies extension until year-end and proper frameworks for the conditions of reopening domestic and international borders. They also called for the revamp of tourism policies and the cancellation of the Travel & Tour Enhancement Course (TTEC)

Malaysia will enter a “total lockdown” from 1-14 Jun, with all social and economic activities banned, and only essential services and economic activities permitted to operate during Phase 1. Under Phase 2, which will last for 4 weeks, will allow the reopening of some economic sectors which do not need mass gatherings and where physical distance can be maintained. Phase 3 would see the country return to the current MCO where all economic activities can operate with restrictions, but no social activities. The Finance Ministry will draw up a financial aid package

The 3rd phase of the vaccination program, for those aged 18 and above, is set to start in Jun

Sarawak will look at the measures proposed for the new total lockdown, and will decide whether to adopt it or not. It is under MCO from 29 May until 11 Jun

Sabah will follow the nationwide strict lockdown from 1 Jun, but will likely make some adjustments

The Small and Medium Enterprises Association have urged the government to reinstall the loan repayment moratorium, as well as continue the wage subsidy scheme, as many SMEs have now “run out of reserves”

Sabah will ban dining in at restaurants from 29 May-2 Jun, covering the Harvest Festival weekend. There is also an interdistrict travel ban in place for the period

Malaysia had its 4th consecutive day of record case highs, with 8,290 on 28 May

As of 16 Apr, RM2.57 million had been given to 858 tour operator companies as part of the Strategic Programme to Empower the People and Economy package

Sarawak has allocated RM1.63 million to the tourism industry, with 216 travel agents receiving RM3,000, homestay operators RM600, and tourist guides RM1,500

Sabah’s Tenom district has the potential to become an agrotourism hub

Malaysia’s economy is expected to improve in Q2 2021, the government has said, as it is coming off a low base

The Ministry of Health is looking at implementing breath tests for COVID-19 and will run a clinical trial on its efficiency. A test kit for home use will also be approved soon

Johor state is planning to launch a new financial aid package

The Malaysia Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) should introduce special tax breaks for the tourism industry until 2022, including increasing the SST threshold to RM1.5 million for hotels, as well as electricity subsidies. They also asked for a special tourism financing scheme with loan approvals processed by the Ministry of Tourism, rather than financial institutions

Genting Malaysia is aiming to open the Genting SkyWorlds outdoor theme park in Q3, but has said that it depends on the COVID-19 situation

Increased clusters of cases in Malaysia has been linked to interstate travel between Apr-May, the government has said

Travellers to Labuan will need to take an RT-PCR test 3 days prior to departure and be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival. Residents of Labuan would need to serve a 10-day home quarantine

Kapit in Sarawak will be positioned as a tourist attraction under the Culture, Adventure and Nature concept, with water sports activities on its lake

The Health Director-General has told Malaysians to “prepare for the worst” with exponential growth of cases, urging people to stay at home

Two LRT trains crashed in a head-on collision in Kuala Lumpur, with preliminary investigations indicating that it was down to driver negligence

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association has urged the government to implement a 2-week strict lockdown

All Malaysian returnees from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will need to undergo a 21-day mandatory quarantine. Meanwhile, quarantine for other returnees has been extended to 14 days from 10 days

The Penang government have now opened applications for the electricity bill subsidy for the tourism industry. 5* hotels will receive subsidies of RM5,000, 4* hotels RM4,000, 3* hotels RM3,000, theme parks RM5,000, tourist attractions RM1,000 and travel agencies RM1,000

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling the government to design a tourism recovery roadmap, as the tourism industry is “still a long way off from recovery”

Marriott International will add the Palm Garden Hotel near Putrajaya to its Tribute Portfolio

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has called for more assistance from the government, saying that the industry “can no longer sustain”. They are calling on the government to implement a total lockdown with measures similar to Mar 2020’s MCO 1.0, and that as long as travel restrictions are in place for both domestic and international travel, the tourism industry will not survive. They estimate that losses in 2021 for the hotel industry so far are RM5 billion, worse than in 2020

Malaysia has recorded a new high of 6,976 cases

The Malaysian PM has said that the government has not reimplemented a strict lockdown like MCO 1.0 in March 2020 as it almost led to economic “collapse”, costing RM2.4 billion per day

Malaysia’s total cases surpassed the 500,000 mark

Malaysia announced tighter restrictions for its MCO from 25 Mar, including: 90% of civil servants and 40% of private sector should work from home, public transport capacity will be cut by 50%, and operating hours of businesses will be limited to 8am-8pm

The Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling on the government to prioritise tourism workers’ vaccinations. They said that “without a game-plan from the government and its non-committal wait and see approach on loan moratoriums, financial support, extension of wage subsidy program, waiver of compliance costs, utilities and rental rebate due to MCO 3.0, it has virtually left SMEs tourism business and 3.6 million workers dejected”

The labour market saw some recovery in Q1, with an unemployment rate of 4.8%

Malaysia recorded 2 consecutive days of record case highs with 6,806 cases on 20 May

SME Malaysia has warned that a full lockdown of the economy could see 40% of SMEs go bankrupt. 91% of SMEs expect the current MCO to impact business revenue, with 37.5% expecting a decline of more than 50%

A tour company who took tourists from Kedah to Genting Highlands has been found to be in compliance with all the relevant procedures for the domestic tourism bubble, despite a cluster of cases arising from the trip

Low-risk COVID patients can choose to stay in quarantine centre hotels with permission if they can afford to do so, the government has announced

ICU beds in the Klang Valley have reached 89%

The Finders Travel Index has shown that 44.36% of Malaysians are planning to travel in the next 3 months, up from 38.52% in Mar

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) has said that Malaysia needs to start planning to allow vaccinated travellers into the country, with a sandbox to test specific destination arrivals

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) has called for the domestic travel bubble to be reinstated after the end of the MCO, with bookings via travel agents only. They also called for an automatic loan moratorium with zero interest for tourist players, and a tax waiver from 2021-2025 and more cash assistance. A survey amongst members has shown 10% of its travel agents have closed, 70% are dormant and 20% are surviving with less than 2 employees

Sabah will tighten its entry restrictions, including 14-day quarantine for non-Sabahans at selected hotels and 14-day home quarantine for Sabahans

Sabah will reintroduce an interdistrict and interzone travel ban from 27 May-3 Jun

The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang hopes the government will freeze interest and loan repayments to help tourism attractions

Sarawak has extended its CMCO for Sarawak from 18 May-7 Jun

The Health Ministry has said that many hospitals in Klang Valley are almost full and at maximum capacity

Malaysia reported its highest number of deaths on 15 May, 44

Malaysian returnees from India will have their quarantine period increased from 14 to 21 days

The Health Ministry has warned that Malaysia could see 7,000 cases daily by Jun if the public doesn’t follow the safety measures

Penang state government will give an electricity bill subsidy for the tourism industry, with RM1 million allocated for hotels, travel agents, tourist attractions and theme parks

Malaysia recorded a high of 39 deaths on 12 May, and the highest level of cases in 3 months, 4,765

The Prime Minister has said that the economic sectors must remain open during MCO 3.0, otherwise the country will lose billions of ringgit per day

Tony Fernandes of AirAsia is confident AirAsia will recover faster than many of our competitors, as more than 50% of our business is domestic leisure, which is going to pick up before regional or business travel.” He forecasts that domestic short-haul will rebound by Q3 2021, and international could reach pre-COVID levels by 2022 end

The Public Investment Bank has estimated that Malaysia’s MCO 3.0 will cost the country RM300 million daily

The former Tourism Minister has said that the industry is on the brink of collapse, and that MCO 3.0 will worsen conditions, coming over the Eid festive season

The Health Director-General has warned that 80% of new cases are now sporadic, and no longer in clusters, as well as that the new variants of concern have also been detected in Malaysia

The Finance Minister has said that the implementation of MCO 3.0 will not have a significant impact on the country’s economic growth, and they are confident of growth between 6-7.5% in 2021. In Q1 2021, Malaysia announced a contraction of -0.5%, smaller than Q4’s -3.5%

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) have urged the government to lift the blanket ban on dine-in during MCO, saying that hotels have committed manpower and extra perishables over the festive period. MAH have suggested stricter measures, including served buffets, 2 per table and even testing for guests checking in from other states. Last year, they estimate hotels lost RM135 million in F&B alone

Sabah will continue with its CMCO measures, despite the country moving under MCO

1,300 travel agent employees in Terengganu will receive a handout of RM300 through the Terengganu People’s Economic Aid (Berkat) 2.0 incentive programme

The Prime Minister has announced a blanket MCO for the whole country from 12 May-7 Jun. He said that this would be necessary due to the rapid increase in cases. Restrictions include one third of management staff are allowed to work at the office, as well as dine-in at restaurants banned

All educational institutions will closed under the new MCO, but childcare nurseries and kindergartens will remain open

The Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) has urged the government to include tourism players in their discussions to draw up clear guidelines

Applications for cross-border travel between Singapore and Malaysia are now open. Only 2 visitors per case are allowed for situations such as death or critical illness. Malaysia also announced that all travellers from Singapore must undergo a 14-day quarantine, instead of 10 days

Travellers from Singapore into Malaysia under the Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA) will need to serve a 14-day quarantine at government facilities from 13 May, after Singapore has been listed as a country with variants of concern being locally transmitted

The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre now offers interactive virtual tours of the facilities, to allow meeting organisers to plan

Most hospitals in Klang Valley have surpassed 70% usage of their ICU beds

The MAH Penang Chapter has said that it expects the new MCO to severely impact the 6,000 hotel employees in the state. They would not be surprised if more hotels close down, both permanently and temporarily over the next 2 weeks. The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) is worried that some members may not survive until the end of the year if the MCO continues

Malaysia will ban all inter-district and interstate travel from 10 May in all states, even those under RMCO, until 6 Jun. Social gatherings, both public and private, will be suspended in this period nationwide, too. Certain COVID-19 potential hotspots (HIDE) have also been identified and closed immediately for sanitisation for 3 days, with shopping malls and supermarkets included, a move that has been slammed by retailer associations

The Ministry of Health has said that saliva tests for COVID-19 will soon be launched

Kuching is in the process of being recognised in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the gastronomy category

Malaysia has recorded over 4,500 cases for 2 days running, but the government says it is not planning to implement a nationwide MCO

Kuantan, Pahang and 3 districts of Penang and 1 sub-district in Perak will impose the MCO from 10-23 May

All Ramadan bazaars must close from 10 May

Penang has launched a new Penang Tourism Master Plan 2021-2030. It intends to widen the positive impact of tourism beyond George Town in the state. The 4 main strategies are diversification of tourism products, positioning Penang as a premier destination, ensuring sustainable and responsible tourism and becoming a smart tourism destination

China considers Malaysia to be one whole when it comes to reopening borders, and therefore it would be impossible to reopen borders only to Sabah

Penang held 156 events in 2020, the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau announced

A survey has shown that whilst 77% of Malaysians worry about getting COVID-19, 89% were worried about losing their jobs

Sarawak has imposed new regulations for its CMCO until 17 May, including a maximum of 5 permitted as a group in public places. Social gatherings are also prohibited. Essential services must operate at 50% only, and dine-in at restaurants is banned

Sabah will ban inter-district travel from 10-16 May during Hari Raya

The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners has expressed disappointment that the government has suspended the RMCO travel bubble scheme, particularly as no cases have been reported relating to tourism. They have said the ban will impact on whether hotels decide to reopen in the near future, and they would not be surprised if more hotels close temporarily or permanently. The Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agents (MATTA) has said that the move will also mean that travel agents will suffer, as financial institutions’ requirements will become even tougher. They called for the government to provide more financial aid

Research by Finder.com showed that: o 44.36% of Malaysian respondents want to travel in the next 3 months, up from Mar’s 38.52% o 23.11% are looking to travel in Mau, 7.97% in Jun and 5.64% in Jul

Gyms and sporting facilities must close in areas under MCO, the government has announced

Kuala Lumpur will be placed under the MCO from 7-20 May. MCO will also be enforced in Johor Bahru, Kulai and Kota Tinggi in Johor state, in Taiping in Perak state and 14 subdistricts in Terengganu state

Travellers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal will be banned from entering Malaysia

Travel agents have been warned not to accept travel reservations from those planning to travel to their hometowns for Hari Raya

All schools in Selangor, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur have been ordered to close for 2 days on 6-7 May, ahead of the Hari Raya break

The government has announced that all economic sectors under the MCO in Selangor will be able to operate, except for dine-in at restaurants. Offices will need to revert to the previous rule of only 30% of management being permitted to work from the office

Sarawak will limit Hari Raya visits in CMCO areas to the first 3 days of the festival only

No gatherings, including MICE, will be permitted in MCO areas

The RMCO interstate travel bubble scheme will be suspended due to the increase in cases

Malaysia released its measures in place for Hari Raya. For MCO areas, visits will be permitted on the first day with up to 15 people, and under CMCO and RMCO, visits will be permitted from day 1-3, with a limit of 20 for CMCO areas and 25 for RMCO areas

MCO will be imposed on 6 districts of Selangor from 6-17 May: Petaling, Hulu Langat, Klang, Gombak, Kuala Langat and Sepang . Inter-district travel will not be permitted in these districts

An MP in Perak has called for COVID-19 testing to be mandatory for tour operators after a bus driver who was involved in a tour programme, Wow Cuti, organised by Tourism Malaysia in Perak, tested positive in Perak

The Health Minister has warned that intensive care bed occupancy in the Klang Valley has reached 90%

Singapore and Malaysia will facilitate cross-border trips for compassionate reasons from 17 May, after a visit from Malaysia’s Foreign Minister to Singapore. They also agreed to work towards resuming essential cross-border travel, and announced that the meeting between the 2 PMs would be delayed, as it was not the “right environment” to discuss resuming cross-border travel on a larger scale given the rising number of cases in Malaysia. Both countries are also working towards the mutual recognition of their vaccine and test certificates

The government has said that the situation is becoming critical once more for COVID-19

The government has said that the situation is becoming critical once more for COVID-19

The Penang chapter of the Malaysian Association of Hotels has said that some hotels are rehiring as they reopen fully. Beachfront hotels in Penang are seeing up to 70% occupancy on weekends, but weekday occupancy drops to 20%. However, hotels in the heritage zone are seeing low occupancy rates of below 20%

Tourism Malaysia will be a diamond partner at the virtual Gulf Travel Show 2021

As of 16 Apr, the government has approved RM63.9 million in loans for 321 applications for the RM1 billion Penjana Tourism Sector Financing scheme

Fitch Solutions forecasts that Malaysian household spending will be slow to recover in 2021

The ADB forecasts that Malaysia’s economy will grow by 6% in 2021, and stabilise at 5.7% in 2022

Daily cases have exceeded 3,000, the first time since 25 Feb

Sabah will not change any of the restrictions in place, despite moving under CMCO from RMCO

The launch of the Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park is expected to create 1,500 new jobs

The government has confirmed that interstate travel will not be permitted over Hari Raya, except between RMCO states with tour agency registered vehicles

Sabah will impose Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) from 29 Apr-17 May due to the increase of red zones within the state. It will also maintain its ban on inter-district travel over Hari Raya

The CMCO in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang and Sarawak has been extended until 17 May

As of 23 Apr, 10,788 long-term business travel applications have been received, with 93% approved, whilst 441 short-term applications have been recommended for approval

Malaysia and Singapore are looking into the possibility of establishing a green lane pass for Malaysian workers who have been vaccinated in Singapore

A temporary ban on flights to and from India has been imposed from 28 Apr, and any travellers who started their journey from India were not permitted to enter the country, except for Malaysian citizens

The government has announced that schools will be closed for an additional 2 weeks after the Hari Raya holidays from 16-27 May/ 17-28 May, to avoid the risk of COVID-19 spreading in schools

Johor is working on a plan to allow vaccinated Malaysians working in Singapore to be able to return to Malaysia for Hari Raya

Travellers entering from countries with certain variants will be subject to 14 day quarantine, including the UK, South Africa, Brazil and Japan

The CMCO in Sarawak has been extended until 10 May

Taiwan has confirmed that Malaysia has been enthusiastic about establishing a travel corridor between the 2

Civil Servant Holiday Packages for Sabah and Labuan have been launched on 23 Apr, with 88 packages offered by 37 travel agents, 22 hotels and 5 products participating until 31 Dec

The Transport Minister has said that the future of Malaysia-EU trade is dependent on mutual vaccination certification recognition

The government will continue to ban interstate travel

AirAsia has partnered with RinggitPlus to establish airasia money, which will have financial services under its super app

The government has allocated RM26.9 million to develop tourism products in Sabah, and RM3.4 million to maintain existing tourism destinations and products

Malaysia’s unemployment rate hit 4.5% in 2020, compared to 3.3% in 2019

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling for dialogue with the government, saying that regulations are being “implemented from the ‘top down’”, and that the tourism industry is facing an “economic pandemic”. They are calling for a more “pragmatic and holistic framework”

The Ministry of Tourism has said that they are cooperating with tourism associations to create plan to revive tourism, including restoring public confidence in touring, promoting unique destinations and creative tour products online

The Melaka state government have given out RM253,500 to 199 tourism industry players, including 120 travel agents who received RM1,000 each, 9 homestay operators who received RM2,000 and 67 Bumiputera chalet operators (RM1,500 each). RM5,000 was given each to the Melaka Tourism Association, Malaysia Association of Hotels (Melaka chapter) and Melaka Budget Hotel Association. Melaka have also exempted the service tax for hotels from Mar-Dec 2021

Malaysia is still identifying travel bubbles other than Singapore, the Tourism Ministry has said

Sunway Healthcare Group sees medical tourism recovering in Malaysia when the country can achieve herd immunity

The Singapore- Kota Kinabalu travel bubble is under discussion, a Sabah minister has said

Tourism Malaysia have launched 5 interactive digital brochures, hoping that digitalisation will be the key to generate interest from travellers post-pandemic. The guides use text, audio, animation and video, as well as Google Maps functionality

An Ipsos survey has shown that fewer Malaysians are as worried about the pandemic as they were in H2 2020, with results dropping to 61% from 69-77%. They also showed a mental wellness improvement of 12%, and 68% are optimistic that life will start to return to normal in the next year, the 3rd highest rating in APAC

All districts in Kelantan are now under MCO under 29 Apr

Langkawi’s focus post-pandemic is to rebuild domestic tourism, as well as build up relations with overseas tour operators in the medium-long term, as part of its LND2021 strategy. It will also focus on domestic MICE business

Langkawi has launched a Langkawi CycloTourism Trail, with 7 routes

Sarawak has closed all schools and childcare centres in its red zones for 2 weeks from 20 Apr

Kelantan Museum Corporation has launched a RM10 museum passport, which will allow visitors to visit 9 museums for just RM10

The 17th Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) will run on 9-12 Sep in Kuala Lumpur, in a hybrid format

Johor is set to propose measures for Malaysian workers who cross the border to work in Singapore, ensuring that they receive the vaccine, and potentially limiting their movement within Singapore

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) expects the reopening of international borders in stages by 2022, and that it might take until 2024 for the tourism industry to recover to pre-pandemic levels

Malaysia is working on a mutual recognition of vaccination certificates with Australia, especially since 19,000 Malaysian students are waiting to return to Australis for their studies

The opposition party criticised the government for appointing a deputy minister of tourism, saying that it has not taken meaningful action for the tourism industry

The Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB)’s Malaysia Business Events Strategic Marketing Plan 2021-2030 (SMP21-30) will focus on 3 strategies: optimisation, foresight and competitiveness. They plan to aggressively target APAC’s business events market such as China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. It is also planning to compete for events such as the World Expo

Interstate travel for work, medical and educational purposes will only be permitted from Mon-Thu

The Association of Private Hospital of Malaysia (APHM) has called on the government to establish an internationally recognised vaccine passport, which could help to boost medical tourism

Tourism players in Sabah have stated that a cluster caused by a man who travelled from Sabah to Terengganu for a wedding was not due to interstate travel, but people not following the proper regulations. The Sabah Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) chapter have said that the extension of the interstate travel ban is hurting the industry, which had been battling no revenue since the start of the pandemic – they believe the only way to rescue the industry is through vaccination and lifting the ban on interstate travel, as well as borders between Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak

Saliva tests have now been approved for use by the Health Ministry

The Malaysian Convention and Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB) have launched their Malaysia Business Events Strategic Marketing Plan 2021-2030 (SMP21-30). It aims to generate 3% of the tourism industry and 25,883 employees by 2030. Its most optimistic scenario for revenue sees RM47.32 billion by 2030

Sabah will permit interzone travel for tourism, provided that it is handled by registered tourism companies, with transportation via registered vehicles. Tourists from outside Sabah are still not permitted

Malaysia Airports forecasts 20 new international destinations and 80 additional domestic flights for its network of airports (including Istanbul)

Malaysia’s Rt rate has increased to 1.14 as of 14 Apr, with daily cases exceeding 2,000 for the first time since 5 Mar

The Ministry of Tourism has resumed its tourism fund “Gamelan” for tourism businesses who want financial assistance for marketing and promotion. The allocation ceiling for each company has been increased to RM300,000, and those taking part in virtual sales missions and online travel exhibitions can apply for matching grants

The PM has said that he does not plan to impose a nationwide MCO once more, but that manufacturers must address poor housing facilities for workers, as 83% of the cases are from that sector

The Health Minister has called for interstate travel over Hari Raya to be postponed as cases are increasing once more

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agent (MATTA) has called for the government to reopen interstate travel with SOPs in place, as “at this rate, we’ll see many in the industry bleed to death over the next three months”. They stated that the travel between RCMO states has had little to no impact on industry players, something which the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) agrees with. The Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said that domestic tourism will have a “huge impact” on the nation’s recovery as a whole

The government is looking at opening special lanes for international MICE business travellers

The government has said that family members can travel interstate to bring a dependent for vaccination

The government has imposed MCO from 16-29 Apr on 7 districts in Kelantan, after a spike of cases

Pahang’s new theme for its state tourism, Inilah Pahang (This Is Pahang), will highlight the strengths of the state and its diverse products

Malaysia and Singapore will discuss the border reopening during the Malaysian PM’s visit to Singapore on 4 May

The CMCO has been extended in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Kelantan and Sarawak for another 2 weeks, until 28 Apr (with the exception of Sarawak which is until 26 Apr). Interstate travel from CMCO states remains banned

The government has warned that Malaysia could be on the cusp of a fourth wave

Foreigners who have been in Malaysia under expired social visit passes have been advised that they must leave the country by 21 Apr

Kudat, Sabah is now promoting its Tun Mustapha Museum, which opened up in 2020

: Bank Negara is maintaining its prediction of 6-7.5% GDP growth for 2021. Challenges it foresees is issues affecting the vaccine rollout both domestically and internationally, but it expects the economy to return to 2019 pre-pandemic levels by mid-2021

The Tourism Ministry has launched a “Jom Dive!” campaign aimed at scuba diving and marine life activities, in conjunction with the Malaysia Scuba Diving Association. It will offer 1,000 special packages for those wishing to get their diving licence

Malaysia will allow food premises to remain open from midnight-6am during Ramadan

Aung San Suu Kyi has been given a new criminal charge, section 25 of the natural disaster management law

Langkawi’s Bukit Malut has earmarked land for a racing circuit, resorts and other attractions. The Langkawi Tourism Industry Organisation praised the development, forecasting that it will boost the economy

The government will announce if Hari Raya travel can go ahead during Ramadan

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Support Grant (GSPSB) grant of a total of RM30 million, will restart its disbursement, after being delayed due to the MCO

Penang hotels are seeing an increase in occupancy and events, particularly for weekend bookings, even over Ramadan which is traditionally weak

The Health Ministry will decide if interstate travel over Hari Raya can go ahead, based on a risk assessment

Tour buses’ age limit will be extended to 15 years

The government is refining the procedures for Malaysian outbound travellers, including for umrah and ziarah. The Tourism Ministry is amongst those on a working visit to Saudi Arabia

The Feb unemployment rate for Malaysia declined to 4.8% from Jan’s 4.9%. Jobs in tourism-related industries remained on the decline

The government is looking at an international travel bubble for Langkawi, similar to the Phuket sandbox model. Travellers, including domestic tourists, would need to be vaccinated, as would Langkawi residents. Malaysia will also discuss travel bubbles with Singapore and Thailand, as they believe that ASEAN-wide regulations will take too long to fall into place

Sarawak will extend its CMCO from 13-26 Apr

The Tourism Minister has called for Malaysians to visit domestic destinations they may have overlooked before

The government is looking for the private sector to build more museums in Malaysia

The Penjana Tourism Sector Financing scheme has approved 308 applications out of 626 for a total of RM61.9 million. The fund is worth RM1 billion in total

A new study showed that digital payments in Malaysia were up 908% YoY in 2020 in Malaysia, whilst digital wallet payments grew 171% YoY

The RAM Business Confidence Index for Q1 2021 showed pessimism for Q2, with around half of those surveyed expecting revenue to decline

An NGO has called for the Penang government to convert some of the bungalows on Penang Hill into eco-friendly homestays

CBRE | WTW’s Real Estate Market Outlook 2021 have stated that average hotel occupancy in Klang Valley dropped to 30% in Q3 2020, from 81% in Q3 2019. They see 1,870 rooms opening in 2021 in Kuala Lumpur, with 25 more hotels planned for 2023

Those looking to enter Sarawak, both non-Sarawakian Malaysians and non-Malaysians, must undergo 14-day quarantine at designated centres

The Ministry of Tourism has said that hotel occupancy nationwide has increased to 24%, rising to 33% during the school holidays last week. In January and February, the average was 20% and 18%

The IMF is maintaining its GDP 2021 forecast for Malaysia of 6.5%, and expects its unemployment rate to decline to 3.8%

The decision to allow interdistrict travel for certain Sabah zones has seen an uplift in domestic tourism, with occupancy levels in some resorts around Kota Kinabalu climbing to 70% over weekends and school holidays

A Michael Page Malaysia survey showed that 33% of companies are looking to increase their headcount, whilst 40% will maintain the current number

The government has said that there are plans with 7 countries to resume international flights with Malaysia

Putrajaya Corporation are welcoming development ideas from private companies to create new tourism products. One such project the government is looking at is glamping at the Wetlands Park, as well as a new Safari Park

Malaysia and Brunei have agreed in principle a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) and are looking into the rules of such an arrangement. They also pledge to cooperate in potentially recognising one another’s vaccination certificates

Sabah Tourism Board is working with Tourism Malaysia for joint promotional plans for the domestic and international markets. They plan to bring Sabah tourism stakeholders to Penang and Klang Valley for B2B events. Internationally, they are working on a Sabah ASEAN Webinar, with ASEAN travel agents attending

The government will reinstate the original alignment of the East Coast Rail Link, allowing it to carry more freight

Sarawak has launched its Sia Sitok version 2.0 intra-state tourism campaign to boost domestic tourism. It will be until 31 Oct, and focuses on Sarawakian residents and foreigners residing in Sarawak discounts of up to 50% off Sarawak tour packages

A survey undertaken by Tourism Malaysia in India showed that Indian travellers are interested in off-the-beaten-track destinations and soft adventure activities in Malaysia once travel resumes

A Penang Street Food Festival in Bangkok on 3 Apr was well received by locals in Thailand

The Sabah state government have said that a lifting of its interstate travel ban depends on the state of COVID-19 in the rest of the country, as Sabah tourism players plead to reopen. Domestic arrivals into Sabah are subject to a test 72 hours before arrival

The government has approved a 3rd MRT line to be built in the Klang Valley, the Circle Line, which was previously cancelled

Sabah Parks will launch an online booking system for Mt Kinabalu soon

Malaysia and China have in principle agreed to recognise one another’s vaccination certificates. They have also established a Malaysia-China committee for cooperation on areas including travel facilitation

Miri has introduced a new sunset cruise

Sabah Tourist Association have called for the government to reopen interstate travel, saying that “the industry has seen practically zero income for more than a year now” and more jobs may be lost if an interstate travel ban continues. 30% of Budget Hotel Malaysia Association Sabah chapter’s members have closed temporarily

Sabah is working on a plan for a travel bubble with Singapore to start after Hari Raya. It involves a safe travel route from Singapore to Sutera Harbour Resort, Kota Kinabalu and Sutera@Mantanani. The Sabah Tourism Ministry is waiting for the green light from the state government, and needs to finetune procedures with Malaysia Airports, too, Tourism Malaysia and Singapore

Tourism Malaysia has said that nationals from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia would likely be the first permitted to enter Malaysia in Q2, with China, Japan and Korea in Q3

Convention centres are reporting low forward bookings and do not see recovery in H1 2021, even though MICE events are permitted at 50% capacity under CMCO areas

Tourism Malaysia sees India and the Middle East as key markets, and has launched a #WeMissYou campaign aimed at Middle Eastern and Indian tourists at the Gulf Travel Show. Gujarat in India in particular remains a key target

Tourism Malaysia has launched specially discounted domestic tour packages for civil servants

UMNO ministers will stay in the Cabinet, despite UMNO deciding to split from supporting the Prime Minister’s party

Agoda has seen no international searches from Malaysians in March 2021 or December 2020 make it to the top 30 list

The Malaysian government has said once again that vaccinated travellers must still undergo quarantine on arrival to the country

Bank Negara expect the Malaysian economy to grow 6-7.5% in 2021, achieving pre-pandemic levels of GDP by mid-2021. They presume that herd immunity will only be achieved in Q1 2022, and that international borders could remain closed for the whole of 2021, but lockdown measures would become more targeted

Bank Negara sees modest market conditions for hotels in 2021 due to higher competition and operational costs

The Religious Affairs Minister will soon visit Saudi Arabia to get details on the requirements for 2021’s haj season

The private sector will be permitted to operate at 100% capacity under CMCO areas from 1 Apr

The government will extend a moratorium on loan repayments from Apr-Jun for bus operators

More than two thirds of SMEs expect their businesses to recover by Apr, according to a Mastercard Impact Study

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) expects 2021 to be worse than 2020, with no signs of international tourists returning until 2022

Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Penang, Kelantan will stay under CMCO until 1-14 Apr, and Sarawak under CMCO until 12 Apr. All other states are under RMCO until 14 Apr

Sabah’s Chief Minister has told tourism players that this is a chance to reset strategies. Under the state’s 5 year plan, it wants to balance mass tourism with high yield tourism, and has said that new attractions must be developed and a focus on sustainability

Melaka is looking at partnering with other states to create bilateral domestic tourism programs, including a Melaka-Terengganu Tourism package

Malaysia recorded just 941 cases on 29 Mar, the first time that cases have fell below 1,000 since 9 Dec

The Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (MITA) will hold an e-travel fair during Ramadan to increase domestic tourism

Kelantan state will provide fiscal support to its tourism industry, including RM500-1,000 one-off grants for hotel operators, tour guides and tour boat operators

Langkawi Tourism Association has called for the government to issue clearer guidelines on interstate travel for tourism between RMCO states, saying that the current situation is unclear and presents large fines for those who misunderstand. Only 10-25% of hotel rooms in Langkawi are occupied

The Mersing Tourism Association is preparing for the district to reopen after the monsoon season has ended. It has been running tour guide courses to upskill them, as well as raising awareness of marine life conservation

Sarawak has extended its CMCO until 12 Apr

Kinabalu Geopark could be listed as a UNESCO Global Geopark by 2022, according to the Sabah state government

The government has extended its COVID-19 Act until 30 Jun 2021, which protects companies under contract from protection from legal action if they fail to meet contractual obligations, including for tourism companies

Domestic travel players have seen travellers increase between RMCO states, according to the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association

The Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) will try to make healthcare travel into Malaysia more attractive, allowing chartered flights to come in regularly to reduce costs. In 2020 after reopening to medical tourists, Malaysia welcomed around 100 people

Malaysian Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (Maceos) have forecast that it can achieve 50% of its 1,138 events in 2019 in 2021, with revenue of RM1 billion

MHholidays packages can now be bought for codeshare partner destinations

The Malaysia Tourism Council (MTC) is calling for local tourism players to develop new products in Malaysia to win the domestic market, such as to Lenggong Valley, a UNESCO site in Perak. They are also planning to host agent fam trips to Pulau Tuba in Langkawi, and islands off Johor

Kuching is now promoting cycling tours

The Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has prepared procedures should international travel reopen, including using registered tour agents, and small groups. They are aiming to open up activities such as golfing and diving to tourist, and see 6 target countries for travel bubbles: Singapore, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China and Brunei

Malaysia Airlines has now officially started its restructuring process, and RM1.5 billion of its Islamic bonds will be cancelled on 29 Mar

Shopee, an e-commerce platform which is selling “Jom Cuti-Cuti Malaysia! Experience Malaysia Like Never Before” travel deals has seen 22,000 packages sold since 2 Mar – previously it had sold just 500 between 11 Jan to 1 Mar. 75% of the staycation activities were bought by residents the Klang Valley, Penang, Sabah and Johor. It also saw popularity from Sarawak, Terengganu and Melaka buying Buy Now, Travel Later deals. Popular attractions include Aquaria KLCC, Sunway Lagoon, Zoo Negara, Rainbow Skywalk at The Top Penang and Wonderfood Museum in Penang

The Malaysia Association of Hotels (MAH) has called for the government to allow controlled interstate travel as the high number of cases related to interstate travel were not generated by tourism

Whether interstate travel is permitted for Hari Raya is dependent on the daily COVID-19 situation, infectivity rates, current death rates, hospitality capacity, health workers and sample testing

The Ministry of Health has said that 3,170 cases were down to interstate travel from 1 Jan to 21 Mar

Malaysia is removing its “one dose, one reserve” policy, as it is satisfied with the delivery schedule from its current providers. This will allow the ministry to complete Phase 1, vaccinating 500k people, faster, with up to 20,000 doses given per day

The Tourism Ministry sees potential in ecotourism along the Santaba River in Limbang, Sarawak

Sarawak will no longer require domestic travellers into the state to undergo a COVID test 3 days prior to departure, but they will still need to undergo a 14-day quarantine

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has criticised the government for not having a plan for border reopening. It has said that more than 12,000 hotel employees have been retrenched, lost their jobs or had wages cut, and 90 hotels have closed, either temporarily or permanently

Johor state are disbursing RM1.5 million in tourism vouchers, as well as RM1,000 to 1,000 tour guides in Johor, and RM10,000 to 2,00 tourism associations and companies

Domestic cruises will restart from Penang, the Penang Port and Genting Cruise Lines announced. They will run 1 night and 2 night cruises from Penang to Langkawi on the Star Pisces ship from 13 May, timed to coincide with the Hari Raya holidays

MATTA estimate that 90% of travel agents have remained inactive and are in hibernation in 2021

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that a risk-based approach, rather than blanket travel bans, will help boost domestic tourism

Spectators will be allowed at sports events in stadiums and sports venues from 1 Apr

Malaysia will try to avoid nationwide and state-wide lockdowns going forward, to avoid impacting the economy. Instead, the MCO will be imposed only on those high infection areas

The Malaysia Tourism Council has thanked the government for its new economic support, and has urged the tourism industry to be more creative and adapt to the pandemic

The MAH Penang chapter has said that Penang hotels expect a proper recovery in 2022. They predicted a 50% growth in events at Penang hotels if interstate travel is allowed. 9 hotels have announced closure in Penang, but one will reopen under new management

‘This is Pahang’ will be the new theme for the state to revive its tourism industry

The government has released new measures aimed at helping the tourism industry under the PEMERKASA stimulus package. These include: • Extension of tourism tax and service tax for hotel accommodation until 31 Dec • Entertainment duty exemption for entrance fees, including theme parks within Federal Territories • Tax relief of RM1,000 for those who buy packages from registered tour agents • Delay of monthly income tax payment from 1 Apr-31 Dec 2021 • Exempted from Human Resources Development Fund until Jun 2021 • Wage Subsidy Program 3.0 extended for additional 3 months • One-off special assistance grant of RM3,000 for 5,000 tour agents • One-off cash assistance of RM600 for 4,000 homestay operators • Continued 10% discount on electricity bill for hotels, theme parks, convention centres, shopping malls, airline officers and travel agents until 30 Jun

The MAH has said that the government’s continued wage subsidy is appreciated, but they had hoped for higher support for wage subsidies, as well as a reduction in electricity bills. They have recorded just an 18% occupancy rate in Feb and 20% in Jan. They also called for the ban on interstate travel to be lifted. MATTA have called for the government’s plan to reopen interstate travel, as well as international borders, be shared with the trade

The Tourism Ministry has launched a new competition, Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Travel Wish 2021, which aims to promote domestic tourism

The Malaysian Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA) has said that the government still needs to implement more substantial measures to support the industry’s survival

The Ministry of Tourism is drawing up 13 guidelines to ensure that the tourism industry can thrive

The World Bank has said that Malaysia will become a high-income economy between 2024-2028

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has said that it is in close talks with the Tourism Ministry and industry partners such as Costa Crociere SpA to look at SOPs for domestic cruises. The organisation has also been lobbying for Malaysia to have a home-port status

The Tourism Ministry has said that they are holding regular discussions with tourism stakeholders to ensure that all issues raised are looked into

Agoda have shared that they have seen an increase in the number of last minute travel searches for same day and next day check ins for Malaysians vs 2020

The CMCO will be extended in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor and Kelantan until 31 Mar. Perlis, Melaka, Pahang, Terengganu, Sabah, Putrajaya, Kedah, Perak, Negri Sembilan and Labuan will be under RMCO until 31 Mar. Sarawak remains under CMCO until 29 Mar

Ramadan bazaars and mass prayers will be permitted during Ramadan, the government has confirmed

The Sarawak Tourism Minister has said that the Feb 2021 domestic arrivals were just 7,369 vs 199,893 in 2020, and international arrivals 1,600 vs 111,275 in 2020

Kedah has seen an increase in the number of tourists to Langkawi since it was placed under RMCO

Malaysia had its lowest 2021 new daily cases of 1,208 on 15 Mar

The Economics Minister has urged the Tourism Ministry to create a working paper on the issues the tourism industry is facing, and present it to the Economic Action Council

Sabah will allow sea and river recreational activities from 15 Mar

Thai AirAsia will reopen all of its 40 domestic routes in Apr. They will also return their flight frequency and seat capacity to 100% of the pre-2nd wave levels

Putrajaya is aiming to transform itself into a recreational city over the next 25 years

Airbnb’s Meaningful Travel Trends Survey 2021 has shown that: • 82% of Malaysians are more connected to family since the pandemic hit, with 70% planning to reconnect with family once travel resumes • 50% are expecting to spend RM2,000 or less on domestic travel • Family friendly destinations are at the top of the list for travel • Penang, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Johor are the top destinations • 60% consider the environment and sustainability when choosing accommodation

The Malaysia Tourism Council are lobbying to set up a dedicated bank for tourism, which would help local and foreign investment, as well as support tourism players financially

The Malaysian Transport Minister hopes that the Malaysia-Singapore border could reopen to boost economies

The CMCO has been extended in Sarawak until 29 Mar

OYO Hotel and Homes have offered OYO Hotels as accommodation for frontliners working in quarantine centres

After Langkawi was declared an RMCO area from 10 Mar, hundreds of tourists have been seen at the jetties to go to the island

MATTA has said that more time is needed for tour operators to develop special packages for interstate travel between RMCO states

AmBank Research has said that it will create a centralised tourism data bank, to help the industry

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) estimate that 100 hotels have now temporarily or permanently closed, with job losses of 20,000

The Ministry of Tourism has said that they are in active discussions on travel bubbles with China, and are potentially looking at introducing a travel bubble between Langkawi and Indonesia by Q2. Qatar Airways is also in talks with the Langkawi Development Authority to promote the destination to international travel

The Ministry of Tourism has said that they are focusing on creating personalised eco-packages for smaller groups of tourists. Tourism Malaysia expects the number of international arrivals to increase by end of 2021, and predict the first arrivals will be from neighbouring countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei

Sabah Parks have asked UNESCO to gazette Kinabalu Park as a Global Geopark

Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Melaka Chapter said that the latest step, allowing interstate travel for RMCO states, was a step forwards, but it was too early to say if it would have a significant impact

The Tourism Minister urged tourism players to take advantage of the new travel bubbles with RMCO states

Johor politicians are calling to allow vaccinated Singaporeans into the state without quarantine

Malaysia’s 2020 tourism receipts dropped 85.3% to RM12.69 bil, whilst international tourist arrivals dropped to 4.33 million from 26.1 million in 2019. ASEAN countries were Malaysia’s top contributor, with 68.1% share, whilst the top 10 international arrivals were Singapore (1.55 million), Indonesia (711,723), China (405,149), Thailand (394,413), India (155,883), Brunei (136,020), South Korea (119,750), Japan (74,383), Australia (72,680) and Vietnam (64,184)

Tourism Malaysia has said that the county is looking into travel bubbles with Singapore, Brunei, China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Discussions are still ongoing for the proposed RGL with Indonesia

MATTA has said that the move to allow interstate travel amongst RMCO states “won’t have a significant impact” due to the fact that the RMCO states are not major tourism sources. However, the MAH said that it was an indication that the government is taking the industry seriously

The Negri Sembilan government are encouraging their departments to hold events in hotels to help the tourism industry, so long as it was within their budget

Tourism Malaysia has said that the country is in “safe mode”, but remains active, with overseas offices continuing to have B2B discussions, as well as outreach on social media

30 Malaysian organisations took part in the ITB Berlin NOW event

Malaysia is relying on revenge spend domestic tourists to boost the industry once fully reopened

783,654 My30 unlimited travel passes have been sold since it was introduced

Events with live audiences in the creative industries may be held from 10 Mar nationwide. 50% capacity is allowed for CMCO areas, whilst under RMCO is subject to the venue being able to impose social distance

The work from home policy still applies for the public sector and offices. For CMCO areas, offices should operate at 30% capacity, whilst RMCO is permitted to operate fully

The Tourism Minister has said that the industry is now focusing on maximising existing resources, including ecotourism, rural and experiential tourism, and enhancing niche products

The Tourism Malaysia director-general warned tourism players to continue their focus on domestic tourism once the pandemic is under control

The government will allow interstate travel between RMCO states – however, all travel has to be undertaken using a registered tour bus company, who must seek approval from the police. Interstate RCMO travel in private vehicles will not be permitted. Stopping in CMCO states en route is also not allowed

Malaysia’s unemployment rate in Jan increased to 4.9% vs Dec’s 4.8%. The government have said that this increase is due to a review of business strategies in tourism-related industries. Employment in the tourism industry continued to decrease

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that vague SOPs had a role in causing hotels to stop operating during the MCO, after a Minister had said that the government had never instructed hotels to close. They hope the government will extend further support until international tourism returns

Whilst interdistrict travel in all states has been permitted since 5 Mar, the Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners has said that hotels are not likely to benefit from the move

Primary schools fully reopened from 8 Mar

Malaysia has confirmed that those who travel between their 1st and 2nd dose of vaccinations will still be subject to mandatory quarantine on their return. The government are still waiting for official guidance from the WHO for fully vaccinated travellers and quarantine length

The Finance Minister has said that the country has shown signs of economic recovery since the imposition of the first MCO in March 2020, and believes that “the worst is behind us”

The Communications and Multimedia Ministry will support the Tourism Ministry to boost domestic tourism with broadcasts on RTM and BERNAMA

The Melaka state government is optimistic that its tourism can be revived now that interdistrict is permitted once more

The Finance Ministry is looking into more data to develop targeted financial relief measures for businesses. They have said that companies in the tourism sector are among those who need assistance, and that some other kind of help may need to be provided than loans

Langkawi hotels are calling for air travel bubbles from green zone domestic states, to use the island as a test case before reopening domestic travel fully

23 hotels have closed down in Langkawi, including 3* hotels and 15 budget hotels and homestays

A new B2B portal, UPass, to promote domestic tourism niche products will be launched by the Malaysia Tourism Council in Apr. It will have a dynamic pricing feature and instant confirmation

Climbing at Mt Kinabalu reopened on 5 Mar, with 35 climbers

The Health Ministry has said that the interstate travel ban may be lifted by 18 Mar if the infection levels drop to manageable levels. However, it would not be a blanket opening of state borders

The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO) have called for the removal of the interstate travel ban

Foreign workers will be allowed back into Sarawak, but they must undergo a 14-day quarantine

The government is considering whether to allow interstate travel between RMCO states, particularly if travellers have to pass through CMCO states on their journey

For those Malaysians who have to travel to Sarawak, they must do a swab test 3 days prior to departure, as well as undergo a 14-day quarantine, whilst those to Sabah must take a swab test 3 days prior to arrival and are not required to quarantine if they are symptom-free

The Malaysian Retail Association is calling for travel restrictions to be lifted

Hoteliers have welcomed the move to reopen international borders to business travellers

Malaysia launched its first electric bus in Kuching, offering free transportation to locals and visitors to key stops in the city

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) has given the government a 37-point list of ways in which the tourism industry could be helped. Some of the measures include extending the wage subsidy program, loan moratoriums, changes in government policy, training, support for local digital platforms, boosting travellers’ confidence and grants for the digitalisation of tourism companies

Malaysia’s Parliament will not reconvene until the State of Emergency expires on 1 Aug, a cabinet minister has said

The government has said that they will allow business travellers to enter Malaysia, both short-term and long-term. They will need to apply via the Safe Travel portal. Those staying for less than 14 days may be allowed to skip quarantine with approval from the committee. Business travellers include potential and existing investors, board members, executives and associates of Malaysian companies, business customers for product inspection before commercial production and technical experts. Longer-term business travellers will be subject to a 14-day quarantine

Patients who test positive for COVID-19, those are under investigation or close contacts ang those under surveillance will need to wear tracking devices from 11 Mar

The Health Minister has said that Malaysia will issue a smart vaccination certification for COVID-19. It will be ready within a month as they are discussing the details with the WHO to ensure that it is internationally recognised

After complaints over the continued interdistrict travel ban in Sabah, it will now allow travel between certain zones to stimulate the economy. Ranau, the district which is home to the Kinabalu Park, has been include din the same zones as Kota Kinabalu, to allow tourism activities to the area

Sarawak is launching new incentives for MICE, called the Tribe Homegrown, with 2 categories. The convention category will see applicants receive a matching grant for their event, while the corporate meetings and incentives category will offer subsidies starting from RM3,000-RM5,000. Sarawak-based tourism industry partners can apply for a one-off RM5,000 grant for advertising, marketing and promotion under Tribe Collaborate

Zoo Negara will reopen on 5 Mar, with 20% of tickets. The number of visitors will be limited to 2,500

Genting Malaysia is planning to cut employees’ salaries once more until May

Johor hopes that those who are vaccinated will be able to travel between the state and Singapore

Malaysia’s lockdown measures will be eased. From 5 Mar, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Johor and Penang would be put under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), joining Kedah, Kelantan, Negri Sembilan, Perak and Sarawak. The rest of the country is under Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO). Under CMCO, cultural events are allowed but without an audience, tourist attractions are permitted to be opened, weddings and social gatherings are permitted at 50% of venue capacity, and MICE gatherings also allowed at 50% under CMCO areas (100% with social distancing in RMCO areas)

The Tourism Minister has said that the removal of the inter-district travel ban will stimulate tourism

Sabah has created a travel bubble between two private resorts and Mantanani Island off Kota Belud, allowing travel from Sutera Harbour to the island for those booked under a tour package

Interdistrict travel will be allowed nationwide except for Sabah. However, the interstate travel ban will remain in place

The Health Director-General has said that protecting Malaysia’s “green zones” should be a priority when deciding on allowing interstate travel

Travel between Kuala Lumpur and Selangor will be permitted under the CMCO

Cinemas will be allowed to reopen from 5 Mar

Sunway Resort will embark on a $60 mil USD renovation for its hotel. It will upgrade its technological offering, as well as enhanced sustainability offerings. They will also introduce a Premium Leisure Club, designed for parents to enjoy leisure time whilst their children play in a Kids Club

The Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (MACEOS) has praised the government for allowing MICE to take place in MCO areas. A recent survey of their members showed that 64% believed they would not be able to survive another 3 months of MCO with no events

New guidelines have been launched for MICE activities under MCO orders, including limited opening hours, a maximum of 25% of a venue’s participants, with a maximum of 250 pax per event. Programs must be limited to 2 hours, and attendees over the age of 60 are discouraged

The PM has promised to hold elections as soon as the pandemic eases

The Tourism Minister is concerned over the announcement by the Health Director-General that an interstate travel ban could be in place until 70-80% of the population is vaccinated

A coalition of almost 1 mil businesses in Malaysia has warned against prolonging the interstate travel ban, calling for targeted lockdowns instead

The government is looking at rolling out saliva tests at government hospitals

Over 3,500 people have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccination, and 1.2 mil people have registered online via the MySejatera app

Malaysia and the UK are looking into a collaboration which would include reciprocal vaccinations for each other’s nationals, a reciprocal travel bubble and guaranteed access to UK manufactured vaccines for Malaysia

The Ministry of Tourism will prioritise infrastructure in potential tourism destinations, including Sabah and Sarawak. They will also increase their overseas promotions

Tourism associations have said that the tourism industry cannot wait until Malaysia has reached 70% immunity before lifting interdistrict and interstate travel restrictions

The Health Director-General has said that travel restrictions may not be relaxed under Malaysia achieves herd immunity, which could take up to 9 months

The Tourism Minister has said that they are applying for the extension of the one-off incentive under the Domestic Travel Bubble scheme until Dec 2021

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) have urged the government for liquidity and financial assistance for SME travel agents, including a loan moratorium, wage subsidy and grants

Sarawak will remain under CMCO until 15 Mar, with the extension of EMCO in certain areas

Sabah has launched a new book now, travel later campaign aimed at Thai millennials and expats residing in Thailand. Amongst others, it will promote adventure and sports tourism

The Sarawak Tourism Federation is calling for the state government to review its 14-day quarantine requirement for vaccinated travellers

MICE activities will be permitted to reopen in MCO areas from 5 Mar, but will be limited to 25% of the venue capacity, with a maximum of 250 people. New statistics have shown that in 2020 MICE generated RM2.2 billion, a big drop from 2019’s RM9.25 billion

The Department of Statistics Malaysia expects Malaysia to have better economic performance in the coming months

Resorts World Genting is set to open its new themepark, Genting SkyWorlds in Q2 2021. It will have 26 rides and attractions, and will be able to welcome 20,000 visitors. Initially, the themepark will require pre-booking and will implement limited tickets to adhere to social distancing. It anticipates a high level of demand from domestic tourists

The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) has said that more hotel closures is a “harsh reality” of the pandemic, and that the government must provide more financial assistance

Johor hopes that the vaccination program will help to reinstate cross border travel between Malaysia and Singapore

The government has said that Malaysia’s financial recovery is progressing with the start of the vaccination program, and urged tourism players to take advantage of the RM 1 billion PENJANA Tourism Funding scheme. As of 12 Feb, only 282 applications for RM57.1 million had been approved

Many major tourism attractions in Sabah remain closed, despite the easing of its status to CMCO

The government will discuss allowing interdistrict and interstate travel for states under CMCO

The number of active cases in Malaysia has fallen by more than 40% over the past 2 weeks

The government clarified that they did not instruct hotels to close during MCO 2.0, as the restaurants are still permitted to open

The Transport Minister has said that he is discussing a universal certification to recognise those who have been vaccinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He revealed that Singapore has also been in contact to ask if a universal certification would be possible

Tourism Malaysia India has been engaging with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) to brief them on Malaysia’s latest tourism products and situation

The Melaka MATTA chapter has said that 50% of its tourism players have closed down, judging by 2021 membership renewals. Those which are still active have not yet resumed operations due to the interdistrict and interstate travel restrictions

Setia City Convention Centre in Selangor has rolled out virtual and hybrid studios for events, and Setia SPICE Penang is planning a similar rollout in Q1. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre is also offering new studios with production-grade AV equipment and a team of technical experts

The World Bank has said that Malaysia’s economy is expected to return to positive growth in 2021, between 5.6-6.7%

MAVCOM have insisted that airlines should refund their customers for cancelled flights, and has stated that “The manner of refund should place the affected consumers in a similar position at the point of purchasing the ticket”

Sabah recorded its lowest number of daily cases in 5 months on 21 Feb

The government will use the TracVirus app for all individuals entering Malaysia, starting with a 2-week trial at Kuala Lumpur International Airport before being rolled out to other entry points

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) is calling for the government to lift the interstate and interdistrict travel bans, saying that it “does not make sense” for tourist attractions to reopen when these are still in place, making it a “meaningless” move. They warned that tourism businesses would not be able to take another ban, and that the sector “is as good as dead right now.” The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) also made a statement along similar lines, whilst the Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association was of the opinion that tourism operators have to see the bigger picture of the travel restrictions and could find activities in their own districts

The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) have said that there must be strict measures for any Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) arrangements

The Rapid Transit System Link (RTS) between Singapore and Johor should be completed by Dec 2026

Malaysia will start to get 5G connectivity in stages by the end of 2021

Penang state has released the Penang People’s Aid Package 3.1, worth RM8.41 mil. It includes one-off assistance of RM500 for tour bus drivers, registered tour guides and others. And tourism operators will receive a one-off assistance of RM1,000

Schools across Malaysia are set to open from 1 Mar in phases. Pre-school, Year One and Year Two students will resume in-person learning from 1 Mar, Years Three-Six from 8 Mar, and all secondary students in Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will return from 4 Apr, other states from 5 Apr

90% of tour guides in Kuala Lumpur have renewed their tour guiding licences, with the remaining 10% moving to other jobs

The government will consider Sabah tourism industry’s appeal to lift interstate and interdistrict travel bans

Malaysia saw 73,000 new jobs created in 2020, a drop from 2019’s 104,000

The government will allow all restaurants nationwide to seat more than 2 people to a table for dine-in from 19 Feb, subject to social distancing

Spas and wellness centres will be permitted to open under CMCO and RCMO areas

Tourism and cultural activities will be allowed to resume at 50% capacity in CMCO areas

The Tourism Ministry will organise a virtual Chinese New Year Open House on 20 Feb

Malaysia is looking at expanding Reciprocal Green Lanes (RGLs) to Bruei, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, in additional to Singapore and Indonesia