Lima '23 set to draw 300,000 tourists

ALOR SETAR: The Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) is targeting about 300,000 tourists to visit the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2023 (Lima '23) in addition to the side events that will take place in Langkawi from May 23 to 27.

Lada deputy chief executive officer (Planning and Development Sector) Wan Kamarul Faisal Wan Kamardin said Lima is an event that is looked forward to by domestic and international tourists, especially for the air show by teams from various countries in addition to the static exhibition.

"Langkawi is also now actively implementing the final preparations for organising Lima '23. Lada, as Chairman of the Lima Infrastructure and Hygiene Secretariat, is responsible for ensuring that the main facilities of the Lima Hall and the management of hygiene matters for this prestigious event can function well throughout its duration.

"Lada in cooperation with various local agencies such as the Langkawi District Office, Langkawi Tourism City Municipal Council, SWCorp, Langkawi Police Headquarters, Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department and others will ensure thorough preparations are carried out for the smooth running of LIMA'23," he said in a statement on Thursday (May 11).

He said previously side events in conjunction with Lima '23 had been held including Langkawi Ultra on May 6 and 7.

Meanwhile, Wan Kamarul Faisal said Langkawi is expected to receive 790,000 tourists in the third quarter of this year.

He said that in April, a total of 200,337 tourists arrived at the resort island, a huge increase compared to 108,000 tourists in the same month last year.

Lada is also targeting 21 percent of tourists arriving in Langkawi this year are international tourists. Therefore, Lada is actively promoting at the international level in collaboration with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry and Tourism Malaysia," he said.

He said Lada will also continue to streamline domestic and international promotion strategies to ensure that the target of 3.2 million tourists this year can be achieved.

In the meantime, Wan Kamarul Faisal said Langkawi will also face a re-evaluation mission of Langkawi's status as a UNESCO Global Geopark (LUGGp) this July.

He said, as the agency responsible for the management of LUGGp, Lada has made preliminary preparations since last year to ensure that Langkawi can maintain its green card status for the fourth time in an international assessment by representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

"More than 100 evaluation criteria have been set and Lada is confident that Langkawi is ready to face this evaluation mission. This recognition will also give added value to Langkawi which is already known as the Asia Pacific Geopark reference centre and raise the image of this island in the eyes of the world," he said. - Bernama