KOTA KINABALU: Sabah carried out a dry run exercise for international arrivals at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here, in preparation for the reopening of borders on April 1.

       Tourism players and enforcement authorities took part in the simulation to experiment and detect potential difficulties before actual arrivals begin next week.

       State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister and Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai was also on hand to observe the process throughout the drill on Thursday (March 24).

       “I had an opportunity to review the standard operating procedures (SOP) simulation for the arrival of visitors that we expect to arrive in large numbers at the airport.

       “This exercise is necessary and crucial, as it allows us to gauge the preparedness of the various quarters involved and make improvements where necessary,” he said.

       Among those present were Sabah Health Director Datuk Dr Rose Nani Musin, Immigration Director Sitti Saleha Habib Yussof, and KKIA senior manager Sunif Naiman.

       During the simulation, Joniston said representatives of tourism-related associations shared their input for improvement.

       Among the critical improvements is that international visitors are only required to undergo Covid-19 saliva tests and not RTK-antigen tests, as previously decided.