More than 200,000 visitors from Singapore have entered Malaysia through the Johor land checkpoints since the full reopening of countries borders  on Apr 1.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Nancy Shukri said that the gradual increase in arrivals has given a ray of hope to Malaysia’s tourism sector, showing that the industry is on the path to recovery.

“Singapore tourists are expected to increase with the upcoming Hari Raya celebration," she said on Tuesday (Apr 26). 

"They want to visit relatives in Malaysia and it is good news for the Malaysian economy."

A total of 204,927 visitors from Singapore made their way into Malaysia via the Woodlands Causeway and Tuas Second Link, and were processed at the customs, immigration and quarantine complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Iskandar Puteri.

Nancy was speaking to the media at the launch of a community ambassador programme, aimed at encouraging the public to adhere to COVID-19 safe management measures.

Such measures include wearing face masks, observing physical distancing and checking in using the MySejahtera application.
 
She said that the first phase of the programme will focus on high-risk tourism spots such as zoos, shopping malls, theme parks, hotels and museums during festive and school holidays.

The ministry will also mobilise all its state offices as well as tourism, art and culture industry players to implement the programme from Apr 26 until Sep 30, she added. 

These ambassadors will be identifiable via their armbands, and will volunteer to be on duty at high-risk locations such as crowded and enclosed venues.

“The ministry is always ready to expand the community ambassador programme to other subsectors under the tourism, arts and culture sector according to suitability and needs from time to time,” she added.