James Kon
“We are aware of the issue concerning the Brunei-Malaysia border. There is a need for further collaboration between both countries at the border to facilitate the public,” said Director of Tourism Malaysia Brunei Hazrina binti Azman yesterday during an interview regarding issues of long queues at the border between Brunei and Malaysia, especially during the festive season or long holiday period.
She said, “We had an engagement with Miri City Council Mayor Adam Yii Siew Sang who contacted the Immigration and Customs Departments to seek solutions for the issue experienced by Bruneians. The Malaysian immigration has opened more counters during the festive season with the assistance of RELA personnel to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
“Meanwhile there are also plans to upgrade facilities at Sungai Tujoh. But this will take some time.“
She said, “As compared to last year, tourist arrivals to Malaysia is picking up this year. It’s looking positive. We hope it will continue to grow.”
With the upbeat trend, she added, “We are going to aggressively promote Malaysia as a travel destination for all. We will work with airlines, travel agents as well as boost promotions via social media and print media to build awareness of what Malaysia can offer to Bruneian visitors. In 2019, the average stay for Bruneian in Malaysia was 2.9 days. We are hoping that Bruneians will stay longer.”
“We hope that an increased collaboration can be forged between Tourism Malaysia and local travel agents as well as airlines. We are looking forward to the ‘Visit Malaysia year 2025’. Therefore, we need to have more engagements with local travel agents.”
