“There has been no drop in bookings reported so far after the outbreak,” said Eugene Dass, Kedah-Perlis chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH).

“We all know that Langkawi is in Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan where businesses are allowed to operate and movement will increase on the island,” he told FMT.

He said a total of 38,748 visitors had entered the island in the two weeks after the launch of the Langkawi travel bubble on Sept 16.

Last week, 59 workers and their family members had tested positive for the virus, which led to the temporary closure of the resort. It was learnt that the guests were transferred immediately to another hotel when the cases were first detected.

Dass reminded travellers not to be complacent and urged them to comply with the SOPs placed on the island.

“Measures are already in place from the time a customer boards the plane or ferry. With that, many potential cases were prevented from entering. We would like to remind everyone to stay safe as the nation moves towards an endemic state of Covid-19.

“Local authorities must review certain SOPs and make sure visitors entering the island are properly vetted. There is also a need for further studies for new SOPs to suit the endemic environment and MAH is willing to offer its input if needed.”

Tourism, arts and culture minister Nancy Shukri said the travel bubble project involving Langkawi had been a success with more than RM15 million worth of tourism receipts.

“We are working towards allowing international travellers to visit Langkawi,” she said.