PENANG is ready to welcome international visitors when the Penang-Singapore Vaccinated Travel Lane by air (VTL-air) officially commences tomorrow (March 16).
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin, who was at the forefront of pushing and advocating for a VTL in Penang, regarded this initiative as a potential benefit not only for both parties but also for the northern states.
“The VTL scheme plays an important role prior to the full resumption of international tourism and it will serve as the benchmark for future international travelling activities.
“As for Penang, we will ensure and adapt transparent communication channels with relevant authorities to facilitate the seamless launch of this VTL,” Yeoh said during the Penang-Singapore VTL-Air press conference at Hotel Malaysia in George Town today.
This initiative will see fully vaccinated travellers given the liberty to travel into Penang and Singapore without being required to undergo mandatory quarantine upon arrival.
It was also reported that airlines such as Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia and Scoot will be participating through weekly flights effective tomorrow.
Earlier this month, Yeoh had visited the Penang International Airport (PIA) to look at the preparations that were ongoing to welcome the VTL initiative.
While he gladly disclosed that PIA was ready and well-equipped to welcome travellers, he reminded all airport personnel, airline staff and incoming tourists to always abide by the safety and health measures at all costs.
In a related development, Yeoh said several recovery programmes that were previously initiated by his office had largely contributed to the approval of the VTL plan.
“Since the outbreak two years ago, we have been instilling the importance of standard operating procedures (SOPs) compliance among industry players and the public, which is evident through our Responsible Tourism campaign.
“We also initiated the ‘Covid-19 Safety Accreditation Programme’, which was aimed at emphasising the importance of safety and hygiene, mainly in public places.
“Other than that, we also organised a vaccination programme for trishaw peddlers and taxi drivers in the state.
“We strongly believe that such preparations have clearly been pivotal and we hope to strike a balance between tourists’ safety and revitalising the state’s tourism economy,” Yeoh added.
He also mentioned travelling in a post-pandemic era is no longer only about comfort and experience, but also about health, safety and hygiene.
“As we welcome international tourists starting tomorrow with Singapore, our goal is to ensure they have a peace of mind while holidaying here,” Yeoh said.
Meanwhile, representatives from participating airlines said flight bookings have been relatively in the past few days.
Also present during the press conference were Penang Global Tourism chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan, representatives from the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Penang), Tourism Malaysia (northern region), Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB), Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Scoot and others.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Alissala Thian