KEY TO SUCCESS IS SELF-SUSTAINABILITY

Making LTdL attractive to sponsors is the way to achieve it

MAKING Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) self-sustainable is one of the key goals of its organiser Human Voyage for the upcoming editions.

The race, which entered its 24th season this year, has traditionally been financed by the government, either partially or fully, with major private sector sponsorship being inconsistent over the years.

It’s chief executive officer Datuk Ahmad Mustaffa said there are a number of ways to achieve sustainability without cutting corners when it comes to expenditure.

The eight-stage tour had cost about RM20 million to organise this year.

“Making the race sustainable is

one of the things we are trying to do and there are a lot of ways to do that,” said Ahmad.

“One way is by getting big cities to be excited about the race. When they are, they come in to help and this reduces costs. This way we can sustain the tour much better.

“The effort on our part is to optimise costs and not just look at spending in a thrifty manner.

“If you look at what has happened over the eight days of the race, there have been a lot of expenses incurred. They are not expenses wasted but which have raised the standard of the tour.”

Ahmad highlighted that making the race more attractive to sponsors is among one of their priorities.

He, however, declined to reveal the amount of sponsorship raised for the event this year.

“Of course next year, we plan to attract more sponsors, and our experience this year has given us an idea of how to do that,” added Ahmad.

“For the first time in LTdL, we had hospitality suites for the race, and I think that has set a new standard for the tour. For sponsors to come forward, they need to see what they can get when they move with us.

“We also had good media coverage both locally and internationally.

“This year, we even had sponsors coming in during the course of the race. To me, having sponsors come in during the middle of the tour is a good sign.

“It means they are confident the tour is able to create enough exposure for them.”

Petronas will be the title sponsors until 2021. Other major sponsors this year were Genting Highlands, DRB-HICOM, Malakoff, Volkswagen and Berjaya Hotels.