The Kedah state government has decided to waive hotel room fees for all hotels in Langkawi for six months, said Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir. The waiver will begin effective today, 5 March 2020.

According to Datuk Seri Mukhriz, the initiative is intended to boost the tourism sector in the state. Langkawi in particular has seen a drop in the number of international tourist arrivals amidst the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic. The number of flights into the state have gone down compared to previously, when there were many visitors arriving from China.

“Hotel and restaurant operators in Langkawi have been complaining their businesses are affected by the declining number of tourist arrivals on the island,” said Mukhriz. “Therefore, for the next six months, tourists staying at hotels in Langkawi will be exempted from paying the room fee.”

Earlier in February, a total of 45 hotel operators affiliated to the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) announced that they would be offering 30-70% discounts on room rates in Langkawi. The move by the Kedah state government to waive all hotel room fees can be seen as another step up in the island destination’s efforts to revive demand for tourism.

Mukhriz said that the state government would seek allocation provided under the national Economic Stimulus Package and is considering allocating additional funds for promotional activities. He added that the state government is currently looking at other markets to boost the tourism sector.

The economic impact of the sharp decline in tourism caused by Covid-19 was duly acknowledged in the Federal government’s Economic Stimulus Package 2020. As such, the stimulus package introduced several initiatives to assist businesses in the tourism sector as well as travel incentives for domestic travel amongst Malaysians.

(Source: The Edge Markets)

• TAGS:
• Covid-19
• Economic Stimulus Package 2020
• Hotels
• Langkawi