PETALING JAYA: The latest volcano eruption at Mount Ruang in Indonesia has not affected travel to Sabah, says Malaysian Tourism Federation (MTF) president Datuk Tan Kok Liang (pic).
Calling it a "brief travel disruption", he said the regional impact was small, with some flights affected for about six to seven hours before things returned to normal.
"Naturally, some will be disappointed by the disruptions, but it was an issue that could be quickly resolved," said Tan, who added that this week's disruption was much shorter than the one that happened in mid-April, where many flights were affected across two days.
Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA) Paul Paw concurred, saying there was minimal impact in travel to Sabah after calling up tour agents there on Thursday (May 2).
"They told me flights have resumed and the weather there is good,” he said, adding that it was business as usual, with little to no threat to safety.
"Those who are more fearful can choose not to travel, but many are willing to continue with their travel plans,” said Paw.
He also noted that many Chinese tourists are travelling during the period from April 28 until May 10, known as the Labour Day Golden Week.
"There is a noticeable increase, especially in Kuala Lumpur, and many restaurants also have more Chinese tourists eating there,” he said.
He added that areas like Sipadan and Semporna are popular spots in Sabah, while Tawau is an increasingly popular destination.
A Chinese tourist from Beijing who wishes to be known as Chun said passengers on her flight on May 1 were initially asked to stay put in the aircraft after it landed in Kota Kinabalu, and were told to remain on board for the plane to return to Kuala Lumpur.
"However, after discussions with the crew, we finally managed to get off the flight in Kota Kinabalu.
"Because of the uncertainties with our (connecting) flight to Tawau, we took a 10-hour bus to Semporna instead, which was quite tiring,” she said.
Two days of her travel plans were affected, and she is worried if her flight home will be delayed as well.
"Fortunately, we have all arrived safely, and the weather here is good,” said Chun.
Another Chinese tourist, known as Xiao, managed to catch her flight to Tawau on May 2, after her flight from Beijing to Kota Kinabalu was delayed for 20 hours the day before.
"My flight journey (to Tawau) was smooth, and there were no disruptions,” she said, adding that she hasn’t received any notification about delays for her return flight.
A tourist known as Jocelyn said she got a replacement flight on Thursday from Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu, and arrived safely on Thursday (May 2).
"I didn’t have too many concerns about safety, but hopefully the airport staff could be more efficient.
"Our plans were only disrupted for half a day, and we are quite flexible with the timing.
"I am just slightly worried about my flight back as I have to return to work,” she said.
