ROMPIN: Reopening the country's borders on April 1 could not have come at a better time, especially for tourism operators in Pulau Tioman near here.
They said with the east coast monsoon season drawing to a close and the previously rough choppy seas getting more calm, there would be uninterrupted ferry services between the mainland and the duty-free island.
Following the monsoon season in October last year, the resorts and chalet operators were forced to close businesses as the ferry services had to stop.
Salang Pusaka Resort owner Abdul Khalid Mohamad, 65, said the resort had been getting bookings consistently over the past few weeks.
"The monsoon season will end this month and the decision to reopen the country's borders is timely.
"Although we see the number of guests increasing during the ongoing school holidays, we hope to see the return of foreign tourists especially from Singapore soon."
He said ferry services from both the Mersing (Johor) and Teluk Gading (formerly known as Tanjung Gemok) jetties had resumed their normal timetables.
"The sunny weather has allowed visitors on the island to participate in beach activities, snorkelling and scuba diving," he said when contacted.
Khalid, who operates 56 units of chalets, said he expects businesses to be a little slow during the fasting month of Ramadan before holidaymakers return during the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.
"Visitor arrival is usually slow during the fasting month but the chalets and restaurants here will operate as usual, so people can still plan their trip to Tioman.
"The past two years have been a real challenge due to the Covid-19 and movement control. I hope businesses will return to normal and there will be no further setbacks," he said.
Damai Tioman Resort owner Syed Rizalman Syed Abu Bakar said the move to reopen international borders next month which coincides with the end of the monsoon season had given much relief to the resort operators on the island.
"Before the monsoon season, domestic tourists have been providing a lot of support for Tioman, with bookings consistent until October this year. We hope to see foreigners returning to the island in stages after April.
"There are about 100 chalet and resort operators on the island and we have been actively doing online marketing to promote our business on social media.
"It would take some time before we can actively participate in tour and travel agent exhibitions to extensively promote the island," he said, adding he hopes to see businesses to return to how they were before Covid-19.
Syed Rizalman, who has been operating his 50-room resort for about 30 years, said resort operators there only had eight and nine months of good businesses on the island before the start of the monsoon season.
Meanwhile, Tourism Pahang general manager Kamaruddin Ibrahim said Pulau Tioman along with Taman Negara in Jerantut would be among the popular destinations for foreign travellers when the international borders reopens next month.