KOTA BARU: The Kelantan government is exploring the possibility of relocating the Rantau Panjang Duty Free Zone in Pasir Mas to a more strategic location, says a state executive councillor.
State tourism, culture, arts and heritage committee chairman Datuk Kamarudin Md Nor said the idea was still being studied. It arose because of concerns over the current site’s proximity to local residents.
“Our aim is to find a more suitable location and we are conducting a site survey to facilitate the move,” he said after launching the Kelantan Lantern Festival 2024 on Tuesday night, Bernama reported.
On trips by Kelantan residents to southern Thailand during school holidays, Kamarudin viewed it positively, adding that it reflected the reciprocal flow of tourists from Thailand to Malaysia.
He said statistics from the Immigration Department showed that over 800,000 Thais entered Malaysia through three border points from January to June.
“Initially, I was doubtful about the tourism figures, but the data was confirmed by the Immigration Department,” he said, adding that the data included visitors from Europe and other regions.
According to the statistics, Kelantan welcomed 700,000 air travellers in the first half of the year, contributing to a total of 1.5 million visitors when including other entry points.
This figure does not yet account for arrivals by bus and train.
Kamarudin expressed optimism that, barring any setbacks, Kelantan was on track to reach its target of three million tourists by the year’s end.
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