Major boost for Langkawi tourism
ALOR STAR: Hotels and travel agents in Langkawi, which faced cancellations following the Dec 26 tsunami, will get a boost to business with two major upcoming events.
The Asean Tourism Forum (ATF), from Jan 21 to 29, and Le Tour De Langkawi bicycle race which begins on the island on Jan 28, will bring in about 2,200 participants and officials from all over the world.
Some 1,700 delegates from 62 countries will attend the ATF while about 500 racers and officials from 14 countries are to start arriving in Langkawi from Jan 24 for the bicycle race.
Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah chapter chairman Noel C. Vendawall said most major hotels in Langkawi would be full from Jan 24 to 28.
He said the ATF provided a good opportunity to show foreign tour operators that Langkawi was not badly affected by the tsunami.
“It will also give us the chance to showcase new attractions on the island,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Vendawall, who is Langkawi Village Resort manager, said cancellations had not only gone down but there had also been enquiries from European operators looking for alternative destinations for their clients who were originally bound for Thailand.
He stressed that everything was back to normal in Langkawi which had recorded only one tsunami fatality, that of an 80-year-old local.
Langkawi Tourism Association president Teoh Cheng Kung described the ATF as a “blessing in disguise” for the island.
“It will help us very much for the future while delegates can see for themselves the actual situation,” he said.
He said 14 travel agents from Hong Kong, who were now in Langkawi, were surprised to find that all was well on the island.
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