KUALA TERENGGANU: Despite the monsoon season looming and the ‘calm’ wave period about to end, boat and resort island operators are all pumped up making preparations in anticipation of the inflow of tourists to the state.
This follows the opening of interstate travel which is expected to be announced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob soon.
Boat operator Mazlan Ismail, 52, said, he would be doing more frequent sanitation on his boat because the health of his customers is important and he also hoped all parties would adhere to the standard operating procedure (SOP) especially when the crowd grows bigger.
“There are times when things get out of control, especially when everyone is in a rush to go to the islands after a long journey to reach here. The crowd gets bigger and undeniably there are those who do not want to cooperate. That is why control does not involve just SOP but also the preparedness of tourists to exercise patience and follow what had been decided at the jetty and on the boat,” he said to Bernama today.
The islands of Terengganu are often closed beginning November until February for safety reasons, following the monsoon season or the north east monsoon.
Meanwhile, Pasar Payang is a sure bet among batik, silk and ‘keropok lekor’ aficionados. Tourists are expected to throng the market.
Kuala Terengganu branch of the Malay Hawkers and Petty Traders Association chairman Zakaria Yusoff, said the traders at the market have taken all the necessary precautions in particular the safety aspect to avoid the transmission of the Covid-19 virus. In fact, 90 per cent of the 1,800 traders at the market are completely vaccinated while the remainder are waiting for take their second dose at the end of the month.
He said, the association is working together with the Kuala Terengganu City Council (MBKT) to have strict control by beefing up the enforcement personnel to ensure that the SOPs are followed.
In fact, to facilitate the enforcement team, the association is also conducting checks to ensure that all the traders have their MySejahtera registration ready at every premises.
“In fact, we also have special officers at the two entrances to ensure that traders and visitors have temperature taken correctly and to also scan their MySejahtera application.
“This is because there are also those who ‘cheat’ and take security issues lightly by avoiding to follow the set SOP,“ he said.
Apart from that, Taman Tamadun Islam Management Sdn Bhd general manager Ahmad Bukhori Ghazali said all 144 staff at the tourism centre have already been vaccinated for Covid-19.
“And to welcome the influx of tourists, we have already started the sanitation process, and do the social distancing markings at enquiry and ticket counters. We also have hand sanitizers at certain locations.
“We are also offering special ticket prices for children at RM10 for those aged between seven and 12 as well as senior citizens aged 60 and above while adults are charged RM15,” he said.
The monument park, built in 2005, houses 23 Islamic monuments from various countries such as the Alhambra City in Spain, the Qairawan Mosque in Tunisia, Sultan Suleyman Masjid in Turkey, the Taj Mahal from India, the Nabawi Mosque in Saudi Arabia, Kudus Minar Mosque in Indonesia, the Masjid Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddin of Brunei and the Masjid Sultan Singapura.- Bernama
