Malaysia to restart tourism first in Langkawi, with a new focus on ecology, sustainability and its Unesco Geoforest park
- Langkawi escaped the worst of the pandemic and Malaysia plans to reopen tourism there in a pilot scheme, but not everyone is aiming for a return of the masses
- Instead, the focus will be on ecotourism and the 550-million-year-old Machinchang Cambrian Geoforest Park
And so the chain known as the Jewel of Kedah’s 18 months of isolation may soon come to an end: Langkawi, which attracted 3.9 million tourists in 2019, is gearing up for a mid-September reopening as a pilot in Malaysia’s Covid-19 Free Destination Programme.
A three-phase Langkawi Tourism Recovery Plan 2021-2022 – introduced by the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) – “focuses on quick wins to prepare and rebrand Langkawi as a Covid-19 free destination, concentrating on safety and sustainability”, says Lada CEO Nasaruddin Bin Abdul Muttalib.
“We have been asked to prepare for reopening,” says Alexander Isaac, CEO of Tropical Charters and the deputy president of Langkawi Business Association. “If all goes well, Langkawi will reach herd immunity by the third week of August, when 80 per cent or more of its 76,400 inhabitants will be fully vaccinated.” At the time of writing, 3,000 islanders are being vaccinated every day.
Isaac, whose Tropical Charters is the largest provider of Langkawi sea cruises, says that the first to return will be fully vaccinated domestic tourists, with international visitors following in December or January.
