LANGKAWI – The Malaysia Airlines MH1432 flight which carries the first group of travel bubble tourists has arrived at the Langkawi International Airport at 10.36 am this morning.
The flight that carries 159 passengers departed from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 9.35 am.
The arrival of the flight was welcomed with water salute, marking the reopening of the Langkawi as the pioneer domestic travel bubble project in the country.
They were welcomed by the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri and the Menteri Besar of Kedah, Muhammad Sanusi Md. Nor.
Musicians and buskers from the capital city also performed at the arrival hall to welcome the tourists.
The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) has estimated that the holiday island would be receiving about 400,000 tourists in three and a half months from the reopening of Langkawi that begins today until the end of December and rake RM165 million of income for the island.
PIX: HAZROL ZAINAL / MalaysiaGazette / 16 SEPTEMBER 2021
Kumpulan pertama pengunjung yang tiba sempena gelembung pelancongan Pulau Langkawi dengan menaiki pesawat MH1432 di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi, Kedah. Foto HAZROL ZAINAL, 16 SEPTEMBER 2021.
Yesterday, Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said that all tourists in Langkawi must go for their Covid-19 screening and tested negative before they are allowed to depart to the island.
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar of Kedah, Muhammad Sanusi Md. Nor said that the arrival statistics to Langkawi in 2019 is 3.92 million individuals, the highest record of the island.
However, in 2020, only 1.8 million arrivals were recorded.
“The sudden decrease of 54 percent was caused by the global Covid-19 outbreak that has affected public health and global economic growth.
“In 2020, Langkawi suffered a loss of RM700 million, compared to its income in 2019 of RM1.7 billion,” he said during the launch of the Tourism Initiatives in Conjunction with the Reopening of Langkawi Island at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), Kedah last night.
PIX: HAZROL ZAINAL / MalaysiaGazette / 16 SEPTEMBER 2021
Kumpulan pertama pengunjung yang tiba sempena gelembung pelancongan Pulau Langkawi dengan menaiki pesawat MH1432 di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Langkawi, Kedah. Foto HAZROL ZAINAL, 16 SEPTEMBER 2021.
On 9 September, the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) announced the standard operating procedures (SOP) on the reopening of the first domestic travel bubble in Langkawi beginning 16 September.
Its Minister, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said that the destination can be visited by domestic tourists nationwide, including those under Phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan (PPN).
“Only domestic tourists who have completed two doses of vaccination can visit the island.
“Besides, that, there is no age limit for the arrival into Langkawi. Individuals under the age of 18 must be accompanied with fully vaccinated guardians,” she said. -MalaysiaGazette
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