ALOR STAR: Tourists visiting Kedah and neighbouring Thailand are advised to practice health and safety measures amid a rise in Covid-19 cases.
State Tourism, Culture and Entrepreneurship committee chairman Datuk Mohd Salleh Saidin said the current figures suggest no reason to restrict holiday travels, however, precautions must be taken.
"The Health Ministry has made the announcement, so everyone is already informed.
"I am confident that everyone will practice precautions and adhere to Health Ministry orders whilst travelling," he said during a press conference after opening the state-level Entrepreneurship Carnival at Jalan Suka Menanti here today.
Salleh said he expects that the recent spike in Covid-19 cases will not disrupt tourism activity in and around the state.
"We are expecting an influx of tourists, especially for Langkawi. In October alone, we had 2.2 million visitors in Langkawi and based on observations the island is packed with tourists now.
"I am confident this situation will not affect tourism activity, we have all experienced the pandemic and know how to act accordingly," he added.
On Monday, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said there has been no talk yet of reinstating the Movement Control Order (MCO) following a surge in Covid-19 cases.
Dr Dzulkefly said Malaysia recorded 20,696 new cases, a 62.2 per cent increase in epidemiological week 50 from Dec 10 to Dec 16, compared with the week before.
He said authorities are optimistic that it will be able to manage the numbers without having to introduce restrictions, as enforced during the early days of the pandemic in 2020.
Meanwhile on a related matter, Salleh said the state government does not discourage any Malaysian to travel to Thailand during the holidays.
"People have been planning international trips since travel restrictions during the pandemic were lifted. We can't stop them, but we're confident that tourism in Kedah will thrive," he said.
In a statement on Tuesday, State Immigration Department director Mohd Ridzzuan Mohd Zain said more than 80,000 Malaysian tourists have travelled to Thailand for holidays via two national border crossings in the state since last Friday.
He said that so far, 78,301 Malaysians have travelled to the neighbouring country through the Bukit Kayu Hitam immigration, customs, quarantine and security (ICQS) complex and 4,379 through the Kota Putra ICQS, in Durian Burung, Padang Terap.
