KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government must look into speeding up the opening of the tourism sector to international travellers by putting in place incentives for vaccinated travel lane (VTL).

       State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said VTL routes should be implemented to facilitate the recovery of Sabah’s tourism industry.

       “We have asked the state Covid-19 Disaster Management Committee to conduct a study and further consider the implementation of the VTL initiative with Singapore via direct air link.

       “It is time for Sabah to follow Penang which will start the VTL initiative from March 16,” he said in a statement.

       Jafry said there was an urgent need to revive the economy, especially the tourism sector, which was badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said the ministry would await approval from the committee to initiate the facility.

       “I am confident all the tourism industry operators in Sabah are ready to welcome foreign tourists and adhere to the standard operating procedures strictly to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.