ATAP does not approve new travel rules by the Malaysian government

Tuesday, August 10, 2021

The Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP) Chairman, Ch’ng Huck Theng, recently mentioned that there is no point to allow hotels in states under Phases Two and Three of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) to reopen for fully vaccinated tourists if tourism attractions in the areas continue to remain closed.

He mentioned that it is “utterly ridiculous” keep attractions close as no tourists will stay at a hotel with local tourist attractions. He highlighted that tourist attractions have imposed even more restrictions at their premises compared to the SOPs listed by the government.

He said the opening of hotels and homestays is a welcomed move but it should also be done in stages to reduce risks for everyone. He opined that the move should be introduced slowly; from within the same state to interstate then lastly to international and it should also be from lower risk to high-risk groups.

He mentioned that any traveller coming back from abroad should be quarantined in designated quarantine hotels and not homes as there is no way to control their movement and they may be bringing in new variants. He also said that it is better to be cautious when reopening and for it to be done in stages so that it will not cause more issues or give rise to more cases.

Malaysian Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin recently announced that fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to dine in again in states that are in at least Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan (NRP). He also announced that those who are fully vaccinated can stay at homestays and hotels within the same state under Phase Two for tourism purposes.

However, the government’s approval for Malaysians and permanent residents travelling back from overseas who have completed their vaccination to undergo home quarantine did not sit well with ATAP Chairman Ch’ng Huck Theng. At the time of writing, states in Phase Two are Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Penang and Sabah, while those in Phase Three are Perlis, Labuan and Sarawak.

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