‘Langkawi losing its lustre’

PUTRAJAYA: Langkawi has lost its appeal, says Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic).

Despite the government having made substantial investments to promote the island as a top tourist destination, the numbers are low, said the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister.

Tiong expressed his concerns about Langkawi, stating that it has lost its appeal in the eyes of the people.

He said he believes that the responsibility for Langkawi’s development lies with the Kedah state government.

He said that although Langkawi has its attractions, modern-day visitors rely heavily on Internet reviews and social media videos rather than truly experiencing the place themselves.

Tiong said even if claims about alcohol consumption issues are not true, people tend to believe what they read on social media.

He said that in the past, tourists had limited options, but today, there are countless destinations to choose from.

“This abundance of choices has negatively affected Langkawi’s tourism industry,” he said in an interview.

When asked about Langkawi’s reputation as a “ghost town”, a term used to describe its struggling tourism industry, Tiong said that while his ministry is willing to assist, the state government needs to take the initiative to help itself.

He proposed collaborating with the state government to improve Langkawi’s promotion strategies.

This would involve addressing sensitive issues related to religion and ethnicity, as well as tackling the problem of drinking on the island.

Although Tiong mentioned a decrease in foreign tourists visiting Kedah, no specific numbers were provided regarding the actual visitor count.

Meanwhile, Tiong stressed the importance of avoiding religious and racial conflicts, recounting instances where locals mistakenly believed he wanted to exclude them when visiting Langkawi.

“It is crucial not to use a divisive approach when dealing with different religions. It’s not that I don’t want to help Langkawi. I find it wasteful when I see the amount of money spent here.

“Just look at the current state of Langkawi – exorbitant hotel prices, expensive food and high taxi fares. The entire industry is at risk of collapsing,” he said.

Initially, the government had plans to promote yacht tourism in Langkawi, given its existing infrastructure, he added.

However, considering the current challenges, the government is exploring alternatives to Langkawi for yacht tourism, particularly in Johor, where there are exceptional coastal areas.

Discussions with government entrepreneurs are already under way, he said.

Tiong said there is a distinction between politics and economics, emphasising that politics should be about serving all people, regardless of their race or religion.

He believes that economic decisions should be made with the welfare of the entire population in mind, rather than favouring a specific group.

In 2023, the ministry received a budget of RM63.4mil to support projects related to maintaining tourism facilities, including the conservation and preservation of heritage sites or buildings.

In Kedah, three projects were undertaken, with an allocated budget of RM545,000.

In the second quarter of 2023, the number of tourists in Kedah reached 11,186, as reported by the Statistics Department.

It further revealed that Johor, Melaka, Pahang, Penang, Perlis, Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya received the highest number of domestic visitors.

Last year, Tiong raised concerns about non-Muslim tourists being harassed in Langkawi.

Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor denied Tiong’s claims, saying that non-Muslims are allowed to wear shorts and drink alcohol in Langkawi.

In November last year, The Star highlighted how Langkawi, the “Jewel of Kedah”, is losing its shine, with the number of visitors to Langkawi shrinking since September.

The island famed for its Mahsuri legend saw a month-on-month drop of almost 20% compared with last year.

The statistics were revealed to The Star by a source in the Langkawi Development Authority.

Many tourism players there also said there is a “great need” to rebuild Langkawi’s image as a global island hideaway.