Singapore to reopen land border with Malaysia from November 29

Fully vaccinated travellers will be able to take a designated Travel Lane bus.

Singapore.- Singapore and Malaysia will reopen a land border on a limited basis from November 29. Initially, fully vaccinated passengers will take a designated Travel Lane bus. Travellers must also be citizens, permanent residents, or long-term pass holders of either of the two countries.

According to local media reports, the border used to have more than 300,000 travel movements per day previous to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Singapore’s prime minister said: “Singapore and Malaysia aim to progressively expand the Vaccinated Travel Lane land link to include more travellers, including general travellers, taking into account the public health situation.”

He added: “The launch of the Vaccinated Travel Lane (Land) is a big step towards reconnecting our people and economies, and will further enhance our bilateral relationship.”

Singapore will also launch a travel bubble with Indonesia from November 29. The news was well received by the tourism market and the city-state’s two casino resorts, Marina Bay Sands, and Resorts World Sentosa as tourists from Indonesia are key consumers for Singapore’s gaming industry.

Singapore casino revenue may reach 75% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022

A report released by Fitch Ratings has forecast that Singapore’s casino revenue may reach around 75 per cent of 2019 levels in 2022. This year it has recovered to about 50 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.

According to data released by the two Singapore operators, based on the current exchange rate, their total gaming revenue in 2019 was approximately US$3.35bn. Resorts World Sentosa’s gaming revenue for the full year of 2019 was SG$1.62bn (US$1.19bn) while Marina Bay Sands’ revenue was slightly less than US$2.17bn.

Fitch said the living with Covid-19 policy and relaxation of travel restrictions will be key factors in the recovery expectations in Singapore and Malaysia.