Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir said the state government has agreed to waive hotel room fees for all hotels in Langkawi for six months, effective today. — Picture by Choo Choy May
ALOR SETAR, March 4 — Kedah state government has agreed to waive hotel room fees for all hotels in Langkawi for six months, effective today, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
He said the initiative was to boost the tourism sector in the state, particularly Langkawi which has seen a drop in the number of international tourist arrivals in the wake of the Covid-19 infection.
“Hotel and restaurant operators in Langkawi have been complaining their businesses are affected by the declining number of tourist arrivals on the island. Therefore, for the next six months, tourists staying at hotels in Langkawi will be exempted from paying the room fee.
“There many flights from China into the state before, but nowadays the number of visitors from the country has been reduced. However, we are currently looking at other markets to boost our tourism sector,” he told reporters today.
Muhkriz also said that the state government would seek allocation provided under the 2020 Economic Stimulus Package from the Federal government.
“We are also considering allocating additional fund for promotional activities,” he said.
The 2020 Economic Stimulus Package was launched on February 27 to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 in the country.
The RM20 billion economic stimulus package is underpinned by three strategies that address the impact of Covid-19, stimulate people-centred growth and encourage quality investment. — Bernama
