Langkawi will be the first destination to be opened for tourism. The opening date is 16 September which coincides with Malaysia day.
According to a press statement sent out by the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture on Telegram, Langkawi will be open for domestic visitors who fulfil the SOP criteria, including those from Phase 1 states. However, this is not applicable to those who are living in EMCO areas.
Visitors can travel to Langkawi via air or land. For those using the land route, they will have to use the services of a travel agency to get from their starting point to the ferry jetty to Langkawi.
Local travellers from Kedah and Perlis, and those who are flying into Langkawi do not need to use the services of a travel agency. Daytrips, overnight trips, trips that were booked prior and travel packages bought from travel agencies licensed and registered with MOTAC are allowed.
Here are the SOPs that you will need to abide by if you want to go to Langkawi:
- Visitors must be fully vaccinated.
- The number of passengers allowed in a car will follow the vehicle’s capacity.
- Those who need to adjust their time according to the ferry’s schedule are allowed to stay a night in lodgings registered in Kedah or Perlis.
- Before starting the journey, you will need to get a permit from PDRM with the flight tickets, receipts for the ferry or hotel, etc. serving as proof.
Here are the activities that one is allowed to do when in Langkawi:
- Staying in a hotel and homestay including hotel facilities such as surau, pool, gym, lounge, hall, business events, travel and culture programmes are subject to the National Security Council’s General SOPs for Phase 4.
- Beach activities, water sports, snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing trips, edutainment centres, recreational parks, extreme/adventure/nature park, farms, aquarium, zoo and other leisure, recreational and social activities.
- Special interest travel activities such as golfing, scuba diving, cycling, angling, yachting, etc.,
- Eco geo travel activities such as bird watching, caving, mountain climbing, white water rafting, jungle trekking, camping, etc.,
- Artwork, culture and heritage sites such as museums, libraries, art galleries, cultural heritage art centres, cultural performances, etc.,
- Theme park and family entertainment centres,
- Academic visits such as Geopark Discovery Centre, Balai Seni and Laman Padi.
There is no age limit to enter Langkawi and those who are under 18 must travel with a guardian who is fully vaccinated. Other than that, insurance coverage and Covid tests are not compulsory.
MOTAC will be carrying out surveys and monitor the situation in Langkawi to collect data to be presented in a meeting with the National Security Council. With this information, the decision to permit opening up more travel destinations will be up to MKN.
Lastly, MOTAC hopes that those who are going to Langkawi will abide by the SOPs at all times to make sure that the travel bubble remains green!
Will you be going to Langkawi soon? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: “A sad sight to witness” KLIA2 Now A Quiet & Deserted Place During Lockdown
