North Meets South: Langkawi Extends Tourism Sector Networking with Johor and Singapore

Prior to the MATTA Fair Johor Bahru 2022 which took place from 5th to 7th August 2022 at the Austin International Convention Centre (AICC), the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) held a Busines to Business (B2B) Tourism Networking Programme with Langkawi, Johor and Singapore industry players.

Chief Executive Officer of the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) NasaruddinAbdul Muttalib said LADA had brought a total of 21 Langkawi tourism operators consisting of 6 travel agents, 10 tourism products and 5 hotels in Langkawi to participate in this session.

“The state of Johor is the main domestic market for Langkawi with the convenience of direct air flights every day (7 times a week). This advantage should be used to boost the tourism industry on both sides,” said Nasaruddin.

“Meanwhile, Singapore is an air traffic hub for the Southeast Asian region and can be a gateway for international tourists to Langkawi. Currently, there are eight (8) direct flights between Langkawi and Singapore every week. It is hoped that after this B2B Session, many interesting packages can be produced and offered to tourists,” he added.

LADA has also launched the Langkawi Charter Flight Incentive Programme (LCFIP) 2022 which offers incentives to airlines that want to make special charter flights directly to Langkawi. Airlines can get a return reward of up to USD20,000 under certain conditions.

Various travel packages with special offers were offered including honeymoon packages, family packages and group travel packages in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) category. The incentive is expected to increase the arrival of tourists to the island, especially in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

As of 31st July 2022, Langkawi has received 1,402,221 tourists and the arrival target from August to December 2022 is 1 million tourists.

The Tourism Networking Programme intends to strengthen the current network between tourism operators in Langkawi, Johor Baharu and Singapore, as well as to act as an effort to revive Langkawi’s economy, particularly in the tourism sector.

“We believe that efforts to revive Langkawi’s economy are on the right track as the island was recently ranked 5th in the Asia Best Awards 2022 for the Top 10 Islands in Southeast Asia by Travel + Leisure Magazine,” he concluded his statement.