LANGKAWI – A group of Langkawi travel trade entrepreneurs have formed an action group called Group 13 to seek help for the revival of tourism here, especially as the nation’s tourism sector struggles to recover in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although the arrival of visitors has been encouraging since the economy fully reopened as of last year, the rate of recovery has been undermined by inflation, an acute shortage of workers, and inefficient ferry services.
The group’s spokesman, Adnan Hasan, said that they have now decided to engage with the office of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over their plight.
Asked to cite their grouses, he said that for starters, the living costs are high here because almost all produce is imported.
“It makes us uncompetitive in terms of pricing offered to the end of the supply chain line: the consumers.
With the way the island was developed, it is only natural that it competes with other destinations in the region, and not just in the country.”
Adnan said that the national inflation rate also drives up prices here more, particularly for food.
The depreciation of the ringgit, for the most part of last year, caused imports of duty-free products such as chocolates to increase, he pointed out.
“Workers from the mainland and neighbouring Thailand who left due to the pandemic have yet to return despite the reopening of tourism,” he said.
Many travel trade services’ providers cannot operate like before, as they are hampered by the lack of workers, Adnan said, adding that labour costs have also gone up due to inflation and the shortage.
There is also an uneven pattern of arrivals where high-end accommodations seem to be enjoying better occupancy rates compared to those categorised as budget to middle-class hotels here, Group 13 said in an interview.
“Those with international links have better access to the tourism market compared to the indigenous enterprises here.”
What can Dr Mahathir do for Langkawi now?
Adnan said that residents of the tropical holiday island are also caught in a quandary as to which party they can reach out to effectively address issues of living costs and tourism.
“Well, for decades, (former prime minister Tun Dr) Mahathir Mohamad was regarded as the ‘godfather’ of the resort island because of what he had spearheaded here, but he lost in the last general election,” Adnan said, referring to Mahathir’s failure to defend the parliamentary seat in November last year.
The residents here are uncertain if Mahathir, who is 97, will return to guide the island to regain its optimum level of tourism and also meet its other needs, he added.
Present Langkawi MP, Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, has not fully networked with the tourism community too, with many promises made in the past gone unheeded now, claimed Adnan, who is a former PKR division head in Langkawi.
Tourism authorities can only offer advice on their sector, but travel trade players need a holistic outlook, from safeguarding the environment to security and safety, as well as (taking into account) economists’ views to keep inflation at bay.
“We do not want to offend anybody unintentionally, but the island needs real help,” he said.
“We need to ensure tourism flourishes at a level at which the majority of its stakeholders reap full benefits from.”
This is unlike now where there may be high operating costs of doing business that affect their ability to grow their revenue, he said.
Airfares for flights connecting to the island have surged exponentially, especially during peak travel periods, he added.
“Domestic travellers are put off by the travel costs and end up opting for neighbouring countries that offer more cost competitive deals,” he said.
Further, there are ferry services from Kuala Kedah and Kuala Perlis affected by siltation, which causes low tides in both jetties located at river estuaries.
The ferries can no longer depart every hour due to the persistent presence of low tides, although for now, the Kuala Kedah river mouth has been cleared of debris due to the completion of dredging works.
Adnan said that the recovery process must be comprehensive, unlike now, where only segments of the travel trade are thriving. – The Vibes, January 24, 2023
