The government aims to open the country's border to boost the tourism industry, according to Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

“We are now working at negotiating with countries such as Singapore, Brunei, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand which have been identified as Green Zones," she said at a press conference.

Nancy said that she was asked by local tourism industry players to consider the matter, so that their business could continue to aflloat.

“However, this matter has to be discussed further with other ministries as well, such as the Ministry of Health (MOH) to ensure that we are allowed to do so (open country’s border) to boost our tourism sector,” she said.

When asked if the green bubble of tourism helped boost tourism, Nancy said: "Yes, even some hotels in Langkawi have been fully booked. It was a positive initiative".

Nancy has also invited visitors from the green zones who travel to other holiday areas to take the standard operating procedure (SOP) completely into consideration, especially maintaining physical distance throughout their travels.

“We do not want the number of COVID-19 cases getting high after the government has approved the green travel bubble because at the end of the day, it will affect the economy, especially our tourism sector," she added.