International Travel Might Be A Possibility Again By December 2021, Says Malaysia PM

After months of MCO lockdown, a prolonged tourism drought, and bleak days for many, we're finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel along with the accelerated vaccine rollout in Malaysia.

Over the past few weeks, relaxed SOPs have been introduced for those who are fully vaccinated, including the launch of Langkawi as a pilot travel bubble destination for those who've been dreaming of a getaway for months. The Malaysian government has also mentioned on several different occasions that discussions are ongoing to lift the interstate travel ban once the adult vaccination rate surpasses 90%.

Over the weekend, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob mentioned in an interview that Malaysians will likely be allowed to travel abroad for leisure again by December 2021, or possibly even sooner depending on the country's COVID-19 vaccination rate. Interstate travel borders will be lifted first, followed by international borders after the 90% vaccination rate is achieved. All economic and social sectors are also scheduled to reopen by the final quarter of 2021 if all goes well.

"Malaysia will open up almost completely,", the Prime Minister said during the interview aired on Sunday night, 3 October. In fact, Malaysians will not even have to apply for permission from immigration authorities via the MyTravelPass scheme (which is mandatory for those who wish to travel overseas for study or business trips at the moment) once this happens. "This is good news for all Malaysians," he is quoted as saying, along with a highlight that resumption of interstate travel will be key to boosting the domestic tourism sector that has been suffering since the pandemic hit the world.

Let us wait patiently for confirmed news to come our way - in the meantime, perhaps it's not too early to start dreaming of the first destination you'd like to fly to once the international borders reopen! Who's excited to hop on the plane again?

Over the past few weeks, relaxed SOPs have been put in place for fully vaccinated individuals who are now finally able to enjoy certain activities that have been banned for the past few months, this includes dining in at restaurants, staycations, and heading out to reopened attractions such as zoos, indoor playgrounds, theme parks, and more. You can find out more about things you can now do once you're fully vaccinated and book discounted tickets and fun things to do around Malaysia on Klook!