LANGKAWI: Tourists are landing here by the hordes this holiday season, with nearly 100,000 ferry tickets sold for trips between May 21 and June 7, averaging about 5,556 passengers a day.
The surge in travellers came as the two-week school break coincided with the long weekend, which also coincided with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s birthday and Wesak Day, along with the month-end salary period.
To cope with demand, 53 extra ferry trips were added between the Langkawi-Kuala Kedah and Langkawi-Kuala Perlis routes.
Consortium Ferry Line Ventures Sdn Bhd operations manager Norhafiz Abdul Wahid said the extra trips were added on top of the regular 120 scheduled services.
He said ferry frequencies from Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis to Langkawi had been reduced from April 20 following higher diesel prices.
“But from May 23 until June 2, ticket sales online and at counters were so good that we added more trips,” he said.
Norhafiz said the company was cautious about adding ferry trips due to fuel costs.
Langkawi Business Association adviser Datuk Alexander Isaac said hotels, transport operators and tourism-related businesses had been preparing for brisk activity.
“Business has been good and the island is currently very busy.”
Although European tourist arrivals had yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels, Isaac said Langkawi was seeing growth from Indian and Chinese markets.
Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Langkawi sales and marketing director Norsidah Ahmad said hotel occupancy was expected to reach about 70%.
She said European arrivals had declined since March, partly due to higher airfares linked to rising fuel prices.
“Overall, the mix of tourists still looks positive, especially with strong support from the domestic market,” she said.
Rental car operator Ali Hadi Sjamsul Bahari said about 70% of his cars had already been booked, mainly by local travellers.
Langkawi Development Authority recorded 748,569 visitor arrivals in the first quarter of the year.
The island recorded 3.21 million tourist arrivals last year, including 1.93 million foreign visitors.
