After a months-long lockdown, 159 passengers boarded the first flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi on Thursday for a vacation.

On Thursday, the first plane carrying tourists in more than four months landed on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia, and was greeted by a double water cannon salute as part of a mission to resurrect a travel sector that had been frozen by the pandemic.

After a months-long statewide lockdown ordered to address one of Asia’s highest per-capital Coronavirus infection rates, the first group of 159 passengers from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, arrived eager for a vacation.

Langkawi, a group of 99 islands known for its beaches, geoparks, birds, and stunning rock formations, is the test case in a campaign to allow vaccinated domestic tourists to participate in vacation activities under agreed-upon health guidelines.

“My last holiday was last year… countless months already, I felt like I’ll go mental also soon,” said Beverly Tiew.

“So I’m excited and super, super happy and I’m thankful that the government is open about it and we can come and travel, he added.”

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