The first plane carrying tourists in more than four months has touched down on the Malaysian island of Langkawi, reports Reuters.

The travellers were greeted by a twin water cannon “salute”, in the launch of a programme to revive a travel sector frozen by the pandemic.

The first batch of 159 travellers from the capital, Kuala Lumpur, arrived eager for a vacation after a months-long, nationwide lockdown imposed to address one of Asia's highest per capital coronavirus infection rates.