Record of sorts: Hotels in Langkawi receive 1,000 bookings in an hour

The hotel sector in Langkawi received 1,000 bookings from domestic tourists following the government’s announcement today to allow the public to embark on domestic tourism activities throughout the duration of the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) from June 10.

Langkawi Tourism Association (LTA) Chief Executive Officer Zainudin Kadir described the development as a positive start for the tourism industry to revive after months of declining business due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

“From 4 pm to 4.45 pm (today) we received 1,000 bookings in an hour.

"This is a record, all our hotels have received 1,000 bookings from domestic tourists heading to Langkawi," he said.

In fact, he said, the LTA is also targeting one million domestic tourists to Langkawi from June 10 to December 31.

However, he said there were still a few things that needed to be explained more specifically about the use of the hotel's facilities.

“From December 10 to December 31, we are targeting 1 million domestic tourists to Langkawi.

"But, we have a bit of a concern, we should answer (the question of) facilities that can be used in hotels such as swimming pools.

"Holidays with children, with families, of course we want to use the pool but in the PM's announcement it was not detailed out. I will meet with the Minister of Tourism for guidelines," he added.

However, resorts such as Langkawi Cable Car, Langkawi Theme Park and Langkawi Park have yet to be opened.

Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in his special address on Sunday announced that the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) ending on June 9 would be replaced by the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) from June 10 to August 31, 2020.

More flexibility is provided throughout the RMCO including state cross-border travel and domestic tourism activities, subject to the SOP.