LANGKAWI: The selection of Langkawi as one of the venues for this year's ASEAN Meeting is seen as the best platform to promote the island that is a prominent destination for tourism.

Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) chief executive officer Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid said LADA will do its best to ensure that Langkawi continues to be a destination of choice for foreign tourists, especially the ASEAN delegates who will arrive for the meeting.

"There are three important events in conjunction with the ASEAN Meeting, namely the Financial Track Meeting on Jan 14 and 15, followed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat on Jan 18 and 19 and the Special Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on Energy on Jan 21 to 23.

"In conjunction with the ASEAN Meeting, LADA has a role to ensure and prepare any needs during the programme, settlement and meetings that take place are well coordinated with all agencies involved starting from the arrival of the ASEAN delegation in Langkawi until their return," she told reporters today.

Earlier, she attended the arrival celebration of 152 passengers on Batik Air flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi in conjunction with the Visit Kedah Year (TMK) 2025 at the Langkawi International Airport.

Haslina said LADA had also channelled funds amounting to RM2 million to the Langkawi Tourism City Municipal Council (MPLBP) to implement several landscape upgrading projects in conjunction with the ASEAN Meeting.

"We want to ensure that all aspects are well available, including in terms of cheerfulness, cleanliness and celebration at the ASEAN Meeting. Langkawi is an important place, not only for the programme but also for many other programmes throughout the year.

"We want to ensure that Langkawi becomes the destination of choice for delegates, which is why we need to maintain the natural beauty of the island so that they can have a better experience compared to other tourist attractions," she said.

-- BERNAMA