LANGKAWI: The mask covering Razidi Abdul Rahman's face could barely contain his smile as he attended to his customers in Langkawi's tourist hub of Pantai Cenang.
Razidi has plenty of reasons to smile. Like other water sports and island-hopping service providers at the popular beach, he has been enjoying brisk business ever since the island reopened to domestic travellers on Sept 16.
The domestic travel bubble pilot project is a success, with over 50,000 inbound travellers having visited the island in less than three weeks.
Visitor numbers rose further after the government lifted the interstate travel ban, which had been in place for several months to stem spiralling Covid-19 cases.
The favourable signs of recovery are spelling relief for Langkawi hoteliers and their 5,000 workers, who depend on the tourism ringgit.
A joint research in September between the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) and Universiti Sains Malaysia had forecast that Langkawi may attract close to 400,000 visitors until the end of the year, translating to RM165 million worth of tourism receipts.
Despite brighter days ahead, Razidi is treading cautiously, having learnt a bitter lesson last year.
He was referring to the short-lived reopening of Langkawi at the end of last year, when the country recorded a sudden surge of Covid-19 cases as a result of the reopening of state borders.
"Prior to the pandemic, we had 10 boats operating daily for island-hopping activities. This time, we are only running at half the capacity.
"Almost half of my workers have left for other jobs during the lockdown, so we will only operate at full capacity once the situation returns to normal," he said.
However, domestic tourists are, at best, a temporary reprieve for their businesses. While grateful for the government's decision to reopen Langkawi, Radzi and the island's other tourism players are eagerly awaiting the arrival of foreign tourists.
"They (international tourists) form about 60 per cent of our business so we are pinning our hopes on them returning to Langkawi very soon," he said.
However, the question of when exactly international tourists will arrive remains unanswered.
Last month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had announced that, following the success of the pilot domestic travel bubble project, the government would launch a similar travel bubble for international travellers.
The project officially began on Nov 15 but it has been hampered by uncertainties over the standard operating procedures (SOP), which have yet to be made known to the island's tourism operators.
Langkawi Tourism Association chief executive officer Zainudin Kadir had on Monday said the delay by the National Security Council (NSC) in releasing the SOP has put a dampener on plans.
Zainudin said the association had received complaints from travel agencies that they had to cancel bookings by foreign tourists, pending the release of the full SOP list from NSC on the international travel bubble.
Ardi Bahador, a local freelance tour guide, agreed that despite the overwhelming arrival of domestic visitors, Langkawi needs international tourists to achieve full recovery.
"The peak season for domestic travellers are during school breaks and major public holidays. The rest are considered low season, which are covered by revenue generated from the international tourist segment.
"Apart from the high spenders, Langkawi's tourism sector also depends on foreigners who stay here for a long period.
"Now is usually the peak period for the arrival of international tourists as those from Europe would usually be travelling to escape the winter season," he said.
Ardi added that other than direct flights, cruise ships were also a major contributor to Langkawi's tourism sector as it created a major spillover effect to local tourism players.
Ardi, when asked about fears over the possibility of a fresh Covid-19 wave following the recent spike in the national infectivity rate (Rt), replied that everyone should observe the SOP to protect themselves.
"Despite concerns, for the past two months we have managed to prevent a Covid-19 cluster in Langkawi. This shows that people can travel safely as long as we adhere to the SOP.
"We cannot afford another lockdown. It will be a severe blow to the tourism sector," he said.
He thanked Lada for organising the MySafe Langkawi campaign, which he said had provided crucial exposure on their roles in ensuring safe travel for international tourists.
Ardi, however, acknowledged that it would take some time for international tourists to return in numbers.
"The travel agents need a clear direction on the SOP for inbound international travellers. Without that, they hesitate to proceed with bookings," he said.
He added that tour guides were ready to welcome foreign visitors, thanks to courses organised by Lada under the MySafe Langkawi campaign.
His sentiments were echoed by Langkawi Homestay Association chairman Mokhtar Shabudin Ismail, who said they had received numerous inquiries from foreigners, especially Singaporeans.
"We asked them to refer to the travel agents but the agents said they are also in the dark over the SOP," said Mokhtar, who represents 105 homestay operators in villages here.