MALAYSIANS are raring to travel again, with 35% of them planning to travel as soon as the border controls are relaxed and another 26% within the next six months.
However, cleanliness of the accommodation, venues and transport, as well as personal health concerns and being in an enclosed space with other people seem to be their main concerns at the moment.
These are some of the findings from a recent travel survey conducted online last month by Express Rail Link Sdn Bhd (ERL) and participated by 657 Malaysians and expats living in Malaysia.
Interestingly too, only 33% of the respondents would be flying for business purpose. This could be attributed to the new norms of conducting business following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rest are planning to travel for their next holiday, with one third considering domestic leisure destinations.
"Like other businesses in the travel and hospitality sector, our train ridership was greatly impacted during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO). Despite lingering fears of catching the virus, domestic leisure travel will be starting to take off in the coming months, with the government's new initiatives on domestic tourism recovery," said ERL Chief executive officer Noormah Mohd Noor.
"ERL will continue with our value packages, and work with partners to offer promotional fares in order to attract them. From our recent survey, 64% of Malaysians and expats would welcome a promotional offer as an incentive to plan their holiday and business travel," she added.
Together with an e-wallet provider TNG Digital, the company is extending a 15% discount on selected KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit tickets bought using the Touch 'n Go eWallet until end of this year. Launched early this year, the promotion is supposed to end today.
"With many adopting the practice of minimising the handling of physical cash, the Touch 'n Go eWallet becomes a seamless travel companion in this new way of travel by being a convenient mode of payment," said TNG Digital chief executive officer Ignatius Ong.
Customers can enjoy the 15% discount when they buy these tickets using Touch 'n Go eWallet at the ticket counter:
* KLIA Ekspres Standard Single and Return (Adult/Child)
* KLIA Transit Standard Single and Return (Adult/Child)
* KLIA Transit Concession Fares for: Malaysian Senior Citizens aged 55 and above
KLIA Ekspres and KLIA Transit are currently being operated as a combined service from 6am to 11.10pm every day. The schedule will be reviewed periodically and adjusted accordingly to suit the growing passenger ridership.
Any passenger whose body temperature is 37.5⁰C or higher will be denied entry. All passengers must wear a mask at all times when using the train service and those refusing to wear one will not be allowed to board the train.
For the full train schedule, visit www.KLIAekspres.com or KLIA Ekspres Facebook.