Speaking to FMT, Malaysian Inbound Tourism Association (Mita) president Uzaidi Udanis said it was also important for the state government to further protect Pahang residents from the spread of Covid-19.

“Although we (tourism players) would like for everything to open up, it is still up to the jurisdiction of the state government to reopen Pahang’s tourism,

“What’s important is that clear and detailed SOPs should be created to keep everyone safe. Also, another lockdown cannot happen in the country as it will cost too much money for operations to restart again,” he said.

Uzaidi said the tourism industry could also hold on a little longer until 90% of adults are fully vaccinated and interstate travel is allowed again.

He urged the public to be patient. Those who had made bookings should not worry as tourism companies are open-minded about letting customers switch their booking dates.

However, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) secretary-general Nigel Wong was critical of the sudden U-turn by the state government. Businesses should have been given time to make adjustments as they had already prepared for the reopening of domestic tourism.

“Last-minute changes should be avoided. In general, it is unhealthy for businesses to deal with all of these uncertainties,” he told FMT.

Wong added that Langkawi should be used as a benchmark for what a travel bubble should look like.

It was time for the federal government to create a clear roadmap on reopening borders. “Domestic tourism is a good starting point but it is not sustainable in the long run as we rely on foreign tourists,” he said.

Recently, tourism Pahang general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim said the tourism bubble at Tioman Island and Genting Highlands, scheduled to begin on Oct 1, has been suspended indefinitely following a federal government statement that island resorts, tourism centres or destinations, and interstate travel would only be allowed when 90% of adults had been vaccinated.