What does the future hold for tourism operators in Malaysia?

Incoming international passengers and flight crew waiting to be screened at KLIA on March 24. Many people were not practising social distance. — Photos: LEESAN

Recently, our ship was stranded in the Atlantic, somewhere off the coast of South America, while on the way back from our 16-day Antarctica expedition. We were stranded because many nations started to impose lockdowns and close their borders, and we weren’t able to dock anywhere.

Our calm, positive-minded and sharp-witted captain kept reminding everyone on the ship to help one another during the stressful ordeal. At the same time, he was also busy negotiating with the authorities of several countries to let our ship dock. After seven days of getting turned down and seemingly sailing aimlessly at sea, the captain finally managed to send 191 passengers (from 15 nations) aboard the ship safely back to their home.