Johor has seen a consistent increase in Singaporean tourists since the Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) came into force on 1 October.
Although company owners report an increase, the total number of Singapore users has yet to recover to pre-VEP levels.
Roland Lim from the Johor Bahru Business and Hawker Association stated that although the number of tourists is increasing every day, the number is still lower than before.
According to Jimmy Leong from the Johor Tour Guide Association, the number of tourists visiting businesses and restaurants popular among Singaporeans is decreasing, although many vehicles from Singapore are reported to be passing through ground checks.
Johorians working in Singapore may also contribute to increased traffic at the checkpoint, especially on weekends.
The hotel industry, represented by Jarod Chia from the Budget Hotel and Business Association of Malaysia, reported a significant drop in bookings when VEP was first introduced.
However, things have slowly improved since then.
Meanwhile, Hussein Ibrahim from the Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association feels that things have returned to normal, pointing out that any reduction in the number of people may be due to seasonal holidays.
However, Transport Minister Anthony Loke also pointed out that the number of vehicles has largely returned to normal levels after the first two days of VEP implementation.
