While Malaysians are geared up for the recommence of the travel scene, the biggest challenge everyone faces is the new norm. We’re expecting the world to co-exist with the virus in the long run, but there are a few things about the travelling policy that require our special attention during this period of time.

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions with the latest details. As an online travel agency, it’s our role to ensure the compliance of tourists with precautionary measures. Thus, we want to address the information of Covid-19, vaccination, airport, swab test, and the available SOPs from the tourism aspect here. If you find yourself questioning the travel restrictions in the National Recovery Plan (NRP) but are confused by the ever-changing news and updates from the government, this would be a suitable article for you.

The Latest General Travel SOPs in Malaysia

Before we enter the FAQs, be sure to stay updated with the latest SOPs when travelling within Malaysia.

• The tourism bubble is only eligible for fully vaccinated individuals, except those living in the EMCO areas.
• Children below 18 without vaccinations are allowed to travel with fully vaccinated parents.
• Tourists must present their digital certificate of COVID-19 vaccination whenever asked by the authorities.
• Tourists must bring along the receipts and booking confirmation as evidence that they are visiting for vacation.
• Tourists are allowed to travel by flight and land. However, they are instructed to book the transportations through a tour agency if they journey by land.
• Most travel activities are allowed to resume, such as nature parks, aquariums, zoos, museums, galleries, theme parks, and other activities such as watersports, jungle trekking, hiking, camping, island hopping, and more.
• Hotel facilities and amenities such as swimming pools, gyms, and lounges can resume their operations as usual.
• Everyone still requires to follow the SOPs to minimize the risk of virus outbreak despite the relaxation applied.
• Swab test is essential prior to departure.

FAQ on Interstate Travel in Malaysia During the National Recovery Plan (NRP), As of 2nd October 2021

The Airports

(Photo by Muhammad Faiz Zulkeflee on Unsplash)

1. What are the required documents for interstate travel through the flight? 

While you are required to present yourself with the general documents such as booking information, swab test result, and passport/ IC, you are also instructed to attach an approval letter by MITI and a police permit for interstate travel (everyone).

2. Is interstate travel available for everyone?

Yes and no. Yes, only for those with reasonable circumstances such as business trips, medical treatment, a reunion between married couples, a reunion between parents and kids below the age of 18, students and school staff returning to schools and dorms, travelling to Langkawi (travel bubble), and other family emergencies. All given reasons should come along with the attachment of the necessary documents for justification.

No, as interstate travel is still forbidden in general until 90% of the adult population in Malaysia are fully vaccinated. Apart from the reasons above, everyone is encouraged to stay in their respective state to curtail the spread of the virus.

3. What should we know about the swab test before the departure?

You are allowed to take your swab test prior to your departure in three ways
(i) PCR or RTK swab test (within 48 hours before your departure) and present your test result before entering the flight.
(ii) Bring along your self-purchased saliva testing kits to the airports and do the test at the screening sites.
(iii) Purchase the saliva testing kits at the screening sites and do the test on the spot.

4. What are the applications to enter East Malaysia from the Peninsula?

(i) To enter Sabah, travellers should apply for entry at https://entersarawak.socoe.co/register and attach the E-Health Declaration Form at https://ms.microweb.my/.
(ii) To enter Sarawak, travellers should apply for entry at https://phednp.wixsite.com/website (Processing period: 7 working days) and attach the E-Health Declaration Form and Risk Declaration Form at https://sm.jknsabah.gov.my/HDF/hdf.php.
(iii) To enter Labuan, travellers should bring along the police permit for interstate travel and a negative COVID-19 (RT-PCR) test taken within three days of departure.

5. Are travellers still required to quarantine themselves after transit?

The quarantine necessity and period are determined by the state government. In some states, travellers with MCO-approved travel documents are still required to undergo quarantine at designated quarantine centers for some time. We highly recommend all travellers to visit www.motac.gov.my or www.mkn.gov.my for more information.

6. Are there promotional offers for the flight in this difficult time?

The price offers vary from airline to different destinations. As of today, there are discounts available for those who are travelling to Langkawi with rates as follows:
(i) Malindo Air (up to 50% flight tickets discount)
(ii) Firefly (up to 50% flight tickets discount)
(iii) Malaysia Airline (RM89 for one-way travel)
(iv) AirAsia (RM59 for one-way travel)
Remember to look out for the airlines’ safety measures before your departure.

Additionally, we also provide travellers a hassle-free direct airport transfer to and from any airport personalized according to different preferences. From 13th September 2021 to 31st December 2021, we are offering KUL Private Airport Transfer service at the flat rate of RM60 (No toll fees apply) for those who wish to travel to Langkawi by flight. Check out our campaign webpage for more details.

7. Are there any changes to the public transportation services to and from the airport?

All public transportations services (buses, taxis, e-hailing vehicles, and private charters) are still operating as usual, that includes KLIA Ekspres (better known as ERL) and KLIA Transit as a combined service at hourly intervals (resumed since 13th September 2021). However, passengers are encouraged to clarify the service frequency with the service providers respectively.

8. Where are the screening sites in the airports if I want to perform a self-test?

The areas that we are aware of at the moment include:
(i) KLIA: Level 5, Departure Level
(ii) Klia2: Level 3, Departure Level
(iii) Penang International Airport: Level 2, Public Concourse
(iv) Subang Airport: Mezzanine Floor
(v) Kota Bharu Airport: Public Concourse
(vi) Ipoh Airport: Public Concourse

(This information are leveraged from Malaysia Airports)

Travel Bubble (Langkawi)

(Photo by Manish Tulaskar on Unsplash)

9. What is a travel bubble?

Travel bubble, or also known as a travel corridor, is an initiative to connect two or more places with lower Covid-19 rates where quarantine isn’t needed for travel purposes. As of today, Langkawi is the only destination in Malaysia that participates in this initiative, and it’s still an experimental process by the government. If everything goes well, other places such as Melaka, Genting Highlands, Tioman Island, and Sabah will join the travel bubble as well, given that the majority of the citizens have received their vaccinations.

10. How does a travel bubble work?

Just because it’s quarantine-free, it doesn’t mean that people can just come and go as they wish. There will be some testing requirements before the entrance of the travel bubble destinations. Refer to point 3 for the information on the swab test.

11. Do I still need a police permit to enter Langkawi?

While a police permit is still necessary when you cross to other states in Malaysia, entering Langkawi by air doesn’t require police permission at the moment. Nonetheless, you still need the permit if travelling by land, and please do it with a travel agency. If you are looking for a travel agency to help you with travelling, you may consider reaching out to us.

12. Any requirements that I need to fulfill before entering Langkawi?

Be sure to check all the boxes below:
(i) Fully vaccinated and passed the vaccination maturity period.
(ii) Your MySejahtera shows that you are at low risk or at least “Casual Contact with No Symptoms”
(iii) You don’t come from the EMCO areas
(iv) Accompanied by fully vaccinated parents for those below 18 years old.
(v) Travel permit by the PDRM if by land.

13. Can I still enter Langkawi if tested positive?

Absolutely not. And unfortunately, that applies to your family members and friends who are going on the same trip as you OR have close contact with you within a short period of time.

14. Are we allowed to stay overnight in hotels outside of Langkawi?

You may stay overnight in hotels in Kedah and Perlis before getting the ship passenger service upon entering Langkawi, but you need to bring along your booking confirmation, receipt, police permit, and Covid test result in case you are approached by the authorities.

15. What are the leisure activities that are allowed in Langkawi?

Most of the hotel amenities, beach activities, special interest activities, eco-geological tourism activities, arts and heritage sites, theme parks and family entertainment centers, and school trips are allowed in Langkawi under the travel bubble initiative.

16. Any travel discounts in Langkawi other than the flight offers?

As far as we know, many hotels are providing room voucher discounts up to RM50 and RM100 for 3 days and 2 nights. You may want to check out more information about your preferred hotels in Langkawi. More information about other available discounts can be found at https://malaysia.travel/ and https://www.tourism.gov.my/.

Tourplus

17. Why Tourplus when you can travel with other agencies?

While it’s true that other travel agencies are exemplary at their services, we prioritize your safety and health concerns in Tourplus. Our drivers for charter services and airport transportations are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Not only that, we’re a licensed travel company (code KPL/LN9747), which means that our receipts are recognized by the authorities if you need the police permission letter upon travelling. Of course, if you demand friendly assistance from your driver, we can cater to that as well. Read more about our transportation services here.

18. How to make a reservation for a transportation service to and from the airport with Tourplus?

As we are an online travel agency (OTA) you are entitled to enjoy our services anywhere and anytime. All you need to do is to download our mobile application and do it from there. We’re available at the Apple app store, Google Play, and AppGallery. Keep scrolling down to “About Tourplus” for our mobile application’s services information.

19. Can we find travel details from your mobile application?

While we still encourage you to perform external research, our mobile application does offer some information that you need to know about the travel spots. We serve as a social travel application, which means that you can read other users’ reviews on places they have been to before and make your consideration from there. Apart from that, our microsite publishes weekly blog articles and travel recommendations for your reference. You may also follow us on Facebook (English), Facebook (Chinese), Instagram, and Twitter for more updates and campaign opportunities.

20. Comprehensively, what do we get from Tourplus?

We offer private tour arrangements, social travel applications, travel information, and airport transportation services. So we can assure you of an easy trip at Tourplus.

About Tourplus

Tourplus, a personalized travel platform, is an online travel agency (OTA) that provides a digital local travel guide (certified driver guides and customizable itineraries with reviews available to ease tourists’ user experience) to tourists.

Itineraries such as flights, F&B outlets, shopping malls, hospitality and accommodations, tourist attractions, and more are inevitable items on a trip. Hence, Tourplus came in handy by collating merchants into the list of choices for users to browse through before making decisions.

Currently, Tourplus is moving towards becoming a social travel app that doesn’t only serve as a catalog for users to browse through recommended places, but also a place for social networking among travellers, which makes it more interesting to be acquired, and it’s manufactured in Malaysia. We hope you enjoy using Tourplus for your travel discovery in this multiracial country.

(Featured Image Credit: Photo by Ross Parmly on Unsplash)