Abdul Karim speaking to reporters during his visit to Sarawak Cultural Village today. – Photo by Roystein Emmor
KUCHING (Oct 3): Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah hopes there will not be too many restrictions on interstate travel once it is allowed in the state.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to Sarawak Cultural Village today, Abdul Karim, said the flight frequency to Sarawak now had already been increased from 22 flights to 87 flights weekly.
“Although I sit on the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) myself, I have to admit sometimes there are too many restrictions. One is the need for police permit as well as the requirement to apply online before entering Sarawak,” he said.
Abdul Karim also questioned whether the relevant department will be able to handle thousands of online applications if visitors to the state are continued to be required to submit online applications before entering.
“As for the swab tests, well, if the visitors have already completed full Covid-19 vaccination, we should just let them come in. Why we must make it difficult for visitors to come in?” he opined.
Abdul Karim hoped such matters concerning visitors’ entry into Sarawak will be further finetuned by SDMC once interstate travel is allowed.
Last week, Abdul Karim urged authorities to be less restrictive in permitting travel into and within Sarawak as the state opens up its tourism industry for Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) on Oct 1.
He had also asked for the requirement for a police permit for inter-district travel to be scrapped in order to be more practical as the economy gradually reopens.
Abdul Karim was accompanied by federal Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Dato Sri Nancy Shukri during the visit to Sarawak Cultural Village today.