On 15 November 2022, Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI), through a letter to MPC, agreed to evaluate the applications for a special Approved Permit (AP) for tourism vehicles on a case-by-case basis. The greement is expected to facilitate the recovery of Malaysia’s tourism industry impacted by the pandemic. The tourism industry players had been requesting the special AP for tourism vehicles for many years to enable them to import and buy good quality tourism vehicles. The move is also expected to elevate Malaysia’s tourism services, attracting more high-yield tourists.

Post-pandemic, the landscape of global and domestic tourism has changed. Tourists no longer travel in large groups but prefer smaller clusters. Safety, health, and exclusivity are now the prime focus in post-pandemic tourism. In terms of tourism transportation, existing services use 45-seat buses, 20-25-seat mini-buses, and 8-10-seat vans. Most of these vehicles are locally made or assembled. Current tourism transportation does not cater to post-pandemic tourists' needs and is unsuitable for attracting high-value tourists who can bring in significant revenue. Existing tourism transportation services lack quality for high-value target tourists. The current vehicles lack durability and comfort, providing an inferior first impression and experience to tourists visiting Malaysia compared to neighbouring countries. Large-capacity tourism buses are unsuited for the current trend of smaller tourist groups who prefer exclusive travel.

For more information, download the guideline of application here.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18wSdhAxfub3v9fjbnIx4xvyoaAtGs_Ov/view?usp=sharing