Malaysia's tourism industry has not been badly affected by the haze, said Tourism Ministry secretary-general Dr Victor Wee Eng Lye.

"The impact (due to the haze) is minimal. From the looks of it, the effects have not been any dramatic to date," he said, when contacted today.

Wee said this was based on minimal cancellation of hotel reservations since the haze began affecting the west coast of Malaysia.

Forest fires in Sumatra have been pinpointed as the source of the smog that has blanketed peninsular Malaysia for more than a week, disrupting transportation services and sparking alarm over public health.

Last Thursday, a haze emergency was declared over Kuala Selangor and Port Klang after the Air Pollutant Index (API) for both areas surpassed the 'hazardous' 500 mark, but it was lifted on Saturday.

Wee said hoteliers, tour agencies and airline companies have been providing feedback, which indicates that it is business as usual. However, he has yet to receive the updated number of foreign tourists.

He also said that, although Penang and Langkawi are currently experiencing haze, "it is not as bad (as in the Klang Valley)".

"Tourism is not going to be put off (because of the haze)," he said, adding the need for more responsibility for the environment, as the haze could affect millions of people.

In May, more than 1.3 million tourists visited Malaysia, the majority of whom were from the Middle East.

Clear of haze

An official of the Malaysian Meteorological Department weather forecast centre said there will be no haze in the Klang Valley for the next couple of days.

He said the wind has changed its direction to the north of peninsular Malaysia. The API readings are at the moderate level (51-100) and visibility at about four kilometres.

According to the official, who did not want to be named, windy conditions are not expected in Sabah and Sarawak for the next two to three days.

The API reading in Miri rose to an 'unhealthy' level of 116 yesterday, as reported by Bernama.

"The haze will be there as long as there are hot spots. It is just the (API readings) levels - moderate, unhealthy or hazardous - that will differ," he said.

"Open burning should not be conducted at all, while factories should reduce smoke emission."

The Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, meanwhile, is of the view that the government should use the Asean forum "to push for more concrete commitment and action to prevent this annual recurrence of haze".

"The haze should be treated as a regional environmental problem that must be addressed by all member-countries within the spirit of Asean," it said in a statement.

When contacted today, an official who declined to be named, said that the organisation has yet to receive any feedback from manufacturers on their quantum of losses due to the haze.

In a statement on Saturday, DAP leader Lim Kit Siang had said the public should be provided API updates, in particular a daily report at 7am.

In this regard, he added that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Adenan Satem and the Department of Environment "should end their red tape and sheer laziness in not giving prompt updates daily".