ALOR SETAR: The travel bubble in Langkawi has brought a ray of hope to the island's tourism industry after the pilot project generated as much as RM24.9 million as of Oct 6.

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said a total of 60,504 tourists visited Langkawi, as of Oct 6, with an average of 16 flights a day to the island with two ferry trips daily from Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis, as well as two RORO (roll-on, roll-off) ferry services from Kuala Perlis.

"Looking further ahead, Langkawi is scheduled to open up to international tourists around November or December 2021 depending on the government's decision. I was made to understand by MAS (Malaysia Airlines) that there is a high demand from the international tourism community for entry to Langkawi via Malaysia Airlines," he said.

He said this when opening the Langkawi Great Sales 2021 programme at Langkawi during a virtual broadcast today. Also present was the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.

Muhammad Sanusi believed the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) had diligently laid the groundwork to revive tourism in Langkawi, beginning with the introduction of the COVID-19 SOP Compliance Certification (MySafe Langkawi) to be voluntarily participated by six business segments of the tourism industry which cover hotels and resorts, food and beverage, accommodations, retailing and groceries, tourism agencies, as well as tourism attractions.

"Following this, LADA has set up a travel bubble hotline and an online platform (Market Place) as well as the LGS initiative to help tourism industry agencies resume business operations," he said.

Meanwhile, he said LGS 2021 highlights digital and conventional promotional elements for all sectors of the community.

He said the seamless flow of information via the LGS digital platform will allow tourists to make early plans ahead of visiting Langkawi.

This new initiative, he said, will facilitate tourist entry to the island's tourism attractions without having to queue at ticket counters.

-- BERNAMA