There’s a reason Southeast Asia enjoys massive tourism demand. There’s beauty, there’s value, there’s cultural fascination and for some, above all else, there’s food worth traveling for.
From culinary delights in Penang to stunning beaches in Langkawi and jaw dropping luxury in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia offers more wow factor than most, and after what’s felt like forever and a while, the country is reopening travel without quarantine.
It’s not going quite as far with the care free travel free feelings of Europe, where testing is being dropped entirely, but if you don’t mind — or actually prefer — places that still test visitors for Covid-19, starting April 1st, you can visit once again!
Malaysia Opening Quarantine Free Travel
The Malaysian Government has officially confirmed a full tourism reopening from April 1st, 2022 as the country looks to ring in a new era of visitors.
Fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to quarantine and are free to roam from place to place at will, unlike some countries in the region which have effectively cordoned off areas just for tourists.
Entry protocols for those hoping to visit Malaysia under the April 1st reopening are relatively straightforward, with a PCR test required within 48 hours before departure and rapid test after arrival, in addition to a singular health form, but very little else.
Unvaccinated visitors will still be subject to quarantine, and or additional testing.
A Big Step In The Right Direction
As health situations improve, travelers are eager to get back out into the world and a trip to Malaysia is as good as it gets. The risk of post arrival quarantine however, is not.
All hopes are that a positive and sustained reopening under the current conditions will help pave the way to test-free travel, or at least testing limited to departure only.
Malaysia is keen to pick up where it left off in the times before the Covid-19 pandemic, challenging neighboring incumbent, Singapore, as a key business hub and transit stop. With Hong Kong slipping further into travel obscurity, there’s marketshare to gain.
Daniel Bainbridge, a Regional Director of Malaysia Airlines offered GSTP his take.
“We are thrilled to hear we now have an official date for the full reopening of Malaysia’s borders across all its destinations, which has been long-awaited by all.
As the only airline to fly non-stop from London to Kuala Lumpur, we look forward to welcoming passengers onboard and helping them discover the diverse flora and fauna, glorious beaches, tantalising cuisines and vibrant cities of Malaysia.
We have been preparing for this significant milestone for a long time and have already increased our flight capacity to provide better connections across Malaysia and onwards to Southeast Asia and Australasia.”Daniel Bainbridge, Regional Director of Malaysia Airlines for UK and Europe
A key factor in the now endemic return to travel remains visitor confidence. The fewer potential trip snags, the better, as cases become less of a meaningful metric for health outlooks.
Malaysia’s reopening plans are welcome news for travelers all over the world who now have an opportunity to visit one of the most delicious and inviting countries again, and with hope, the rules for getting there will ease over time, too.
Great news. Can’t wait to enjoy a proper nasi lemak and see Langkawi again.
Only flown with Malaysian Airlines a couple of times and found them to offer a good service, however that non-stop comes at a premium compared to some of their competitors offering a one stop.
Not the whole Europe is open for “care [test]-free” travel. Poland for example requires having a negative covid test within 24 hours before arriving to Poland, even when transiting, even when someone is triple vaccinated, has EU passport, and has EU covid certificate but coming from the US. Just unbelievable…..
East Malaysia (Sarawak) is yet to comment on their border opening requirments. A call to the hot line elicited “waiting to hear from govt”.
Will somebody please clarify what Malaysia means by Time of Departure. For most travelers from USA it takes an average of 3 Fights and 30 hours of Air Travel. So is your Departure, The First Flight or Last Flight with obviously the First Flight concept falling apart if say you need to Overnight/Transit en-route. Finally requiring the RT-PCR Test which can take 24 hours to get your result does not help anyone other then Asian Originating Visitors.