On holiday: Guests checking in at a hotel in Langkawi. Hotels on the island are seeing occupancy rates of more than 80%.
LANGKAWI: Despite facing stiff challenges from neighbouring countries that offer cheaper tourism packages, the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) is confident the island will continue to draw holidaymakers with its own charm and attractions that would not cost a bomb.
Its CEO Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib said despite the challenges, Langkawi should be able to sustain and continue to attract visitors based on its warmth, natural scenic beauty and hospitality.
“News about visitors going to Haadyai is not new. It surfaced even before the pandemic. This will definitely not affect tourist arrivals to Langkawi. We have our own strengths and attractions,” he said.
Kedah tourism committee chairman Mohd Firdaus Ahmad believed that major events being planned during the year-end school holidays would trigger the new phenomenon of “revenge travel” to Langkawi.
He said the state had already achieved its yearly target of 1.4 million tourists in September, including 80% of them being locals.
“We still have more than three months to hit our target of 2.5 million. It will be a boon to hotels and retail industries here.
“We are still fine-tuning certain plans, that is to bring in more foreign tourists via direct flights to the island from Europe and other parts of the world.
“Tourist arrivals from this category haven’t really taken off.
“Some major international events are being planned. It would definitely attract foreign tourists to the island over the next few months,” said Mohd Firdaus.
Before the pandemic, Langkawi recorded some 3.9 million tourist arrivals in 2019.
Nasaruddin said the lack of direct flights has remained a stumbling block in bringing in foreign tourists to the island.
Kedah/Perlis Malaysian Association of Hotels chairman Eugene Dass said hotels were seeing occupancy rates of more than 80%, as locals seem to love the island.
“Thanks to the frequency of the ferry services, more are travelling to the island,” he said.
