M’sia Tourism Board & S’pore Tourism Board Show Bromance on Facebook

Singaporeans and Malaysians have a complicated relationship.

Even though our accents are very similar, we live near each other, and both enjoy cross-border trips, there’s still a little rivalry.

This mostly takes the form of debates over which country invented certain dishes, like Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak, or Roti Prata.

Malaysian Reader: Roti Canai, you mean. 

Let’s not do this right now, dear reader. 

But at a time when Covid-19 is wreaking havoc all around the world, even adversaries have to come together to help each other out.

And that’s why a little bromance has formed between our two tourism boards.

M’sia Tourism Board Urges Malaysians to Visit Singapore

A Facebook post shared by Tourism Malaysia has gone viral for an unexpected advertising campaign.

“Take a Singapoliday,” the post said.

Yes, Tourism Malaysia has encouraged its citizens to visit Singapore once it’s safe to do so.

“We would never have imagined encouraging you to spend your holiday in Singapore, but our friends in the tourism industry could use your support at the moment,” the post read.

It added that while many Malaysians are dreaming of soaking under the sun in Pulau Redang, “Sentosa is just as good for now.”

The board also acknowledged that it never thought it’d be promoting vacations to another country, but took inspiration from a Burger King advertisement.

“Just like Burger King never thought they’d be promoting a Big Mac, we too, never thought we’d be asking you to do this.”

For those who don’t know, Burger King UK urged its followers to “Order from McDonald’s” or any of the “sister food chains (fast or not so fast)” to support the restaurants who are struggling during the pandemic.

We know, we never thought we’d be saying this either. pic.twitter.com/cVRMSLSDq6

— Burger King (@BurgerKingUK) November 2, 2020

2020 – a year where we learned kindness and solidarity from Burger King.

According to CNA, the post has garnered 2,300 reactions and nearly 2,000 shares.

Singapore Tourism Board’s Response

The Singapore Tourism Board did not leave this kind act unreciprocated, as they quickly responded to the post:

The comment read: “Thanks for the love, Tourism Malaysia. Thinking of you too – stay safe and keep well. (Written on the sandy shores of Sentosa while remembering the awesome times at Pulau Redang.)”

Tourism Malaysia’s popular post has since been updated to three simple emojis, but with a lovely sentiment:

Covid-19 Spike Preventing Leisure Travel Arrangements

While the Singapore government recently said it’s keen to open up more travel bubbles, this is only if the country has a similar incidence rate of Covid-19 infection as Singapore, meaning it’s low-risk.

However, Malaysia has been experiencing a second wave of infections that has dwarfed its numbers in the first wave.

On 6 Nov, the country recorded 1,755 new infections, the highest daily tally since the virus made its way to Malaysia.

And daily infections have not dropped below 900 since then.

We must consider, however, that Malaysia’s population is around six times bigger than that of Singapore’s, which means this number isn’t as worrying as it would be here.

Still, it means that discussions for leisure travel between the two countries will likely stall.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy the bromance between our two tourism boards, and dream of a time when we’ll be able to cross the border for a vacation again.

Featured Image: Facebook (Tourism Malaysia)