Johor to welcome Raya shopping surge from S’pore

JOHOR BARU: Tourism players in the state are expecting a surge in Hari Raya shoppers from Singapore ahead of the school holiday in the island republic.

Tourism Johor director Sharil Nizam Abdul Rahim said that based on statistics from the state Immigration Department, about 22 million foreigners visited Johor last year – with the bulk of them being Singaporeans.

“Last year, more than 17 million Singaporeans visited Johor.

“In 2023, about 13 million Singaporeans crossed the two land borders to come here

“Now that it is already the second week of Ramadan, we are expecting many Singaporeans, especially those celebrating Hari Raya, to come here for their festive preparation shopping,” he said.

Sharil Nizam added that with over 400 Ramadan bazaar and Hari Raya locations around Johor, it would surely attract both locals and Singaporeans.

“We are expecting to see bigger crowds at bazaars and shopping malls around here. In fact, we were told that many Singaporeans have started to visit Angsana Mall Johor Baru, which is a favoured destination to buy cookies and other items to prepare for Hari Raya,” he said.

Sharil Nizam expects the trend to continue until the eve of Hari Raya.

Malaysian Association of Hotel Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teoh said traffic congestion in the area over the weekend was a good sign that Singaporeans were still coming despite it being Ramadan.

“It is timely as it will help businesses to pick up as it is a bit slow compared to the recent Chinese New Year celebration.

“After the first week of Ramadan, many people, including Singaporeans, will do their shopping and even break their fast at hotels around here as they will be busy preparing for Hari Raya,” he added.

In a statement, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said those travelling to Malaysia should expect heavy traffic at the Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints ahead of the island republic’s March school holidays and Hari Raya.

The holiday period in Singapore will be from March 14 to 24 while the Hari Raya holiday period is from March 28 to April 1.

ICA said more than three million travellers crossed the Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints during the Chinese New Year period between Jan 24 and Jan 30, peaking at 521,000 travellers in a single day on Jan 24.

By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH