Haze puts a haze over some Kuching holiday plans

KUCHING: The haze hanging over Kuching has begun reshaping the itineraries of some tourists, with poor visibility forcing visitors to scale back outdoor activities and changing the way they experience the city.

While some travellers have continued with their plans and found the disruption manageable, others have had to abandon activities they had been looking forward to, particularly those dependent on clear skies and good visibility.

The situation has also added an unexpected dimension to visits for tourists arriving from outside Sarawak, who have found themselves adjusting their schedules according to air quality and weather conditions rather than following their original itineraries.

To gauge how the worsening air quality is affecting visitors on the ground, Sarawak Tribune spoke to several tourists in Kuching, who shared mixed views on how the haze had influenced their plans.

Jalalluddin Murad

Visitor Jalalluddin Murad, 26, from Johor Bahru, who is visiting Kuching for the third time, said the haze had not significantly disrupted his trip but had affected the views he had expected to enjoy.

“It has not affected my trip much, but the view is not what I expected because of the haze,” he said.

However, the hazy conditions led him and his friend to change some of their outdoor plans, including jogging and visiting Santubong Beach to watch the sunset.

He said they had originally planned to go jogging during their visit but decided against it due to the haze.

“We also planned to go to Santubong Beach to watch the sunset, but we could not because of the haze,” he said.

Despite having to change some of his plans, Jalalluddin said the haze would not discourage him from returning to Kuching in the future.

“I would definitely come to Kuching again, as long as the haze is not an issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, Erni, 40, from Pahang, who was visiting Kuching for work, said the haze had not affected her trip significantly as most of her activities were related to her work commitments.

“Not much, because I came to Kuching for work. However, I have experienced a sore throat because of the haze,” she said.

Erni

She said most of her activities were scheduled after 5pm, which meant she had not had to spend much time outdoors during the day.

“Most of my activities are after 5pm because of work, so the haze has not affected them much,” she said.

Erni added that she would still consider returning to Kuching, provided the haze was not a concern.

Simone Alabiso

For Italian tourist Simone Alabiso, 36, the haze had affected his trip, although he had not cancelled any activities so far.

He said he had decided to continue with his plans as he was already in Kuching, while also taking the weather conditions into consideration.

“So far, no. Since I am already in Kuching, I might as well continue with my plans, but it also depends on the weather,” he said.

Despite the hazy conditions, Simone said he would still like to return to Kuching.

“I would love to visit Kuching again,” he added.