LANGKAWI WELCOMES CRUISE HOLIDAYS
Cruises boosted tourist arrivals in last two years, says agency
THE Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) is confident that the resumption of cruise holidays will boost the island’s tourism industry, which has been hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lada senior principal assistant manager (Tourism Division) Azmil Munif Mohd Bukhari said cruises had been an important contributing factor to tourist arrivals in Langkawi in the last couple of years.
“Tourist arrivals in 2019 stood at 3.9 million. It dropped by 54 per cent last year to 1.8 million due to the pandemic.
“We are happy and welcome the resumption of cruises as it will help the industry.
“In 2018, cruise passenger arrivals in Langkawi numbered
183,189 and rose to 219,907 in 2019.
“It had been climbing steadily up to February before the pandemic broke out,” he told the New Straits Times.
Last year, the island recorded 65,443 cruise passenger arrivals.
Azmil said cruise tourists would normally spend money during their eight-hour stop at the island.
“They will visit attractions as well as duty-free shops. So we very much welcome the announcement by Genting Cruise Lines.
“Langkawi has 99 islands and the water is calm and safe for cruises.”
Genting Cruise Lines and Penang Port Sdn Bhd last week announced plans to restart cruises in Penang, with Star Cruises offering Langkawi itineraries beginning May 13, at the start of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays.
The cruise will be on Star Cruises’ 40,053-tonne Star Pisces cruise ship, which can accommodate up to 1,600 passengers.
“Star Pisces will become the first ship to resume sailing in Malaysia, and one of the few in the world.
The two-night Langkawi Escape
Cruise departs from Penang every Friday and Sunday and passengers can have 10 hours of port time to explore Langkawi.
Meanwhile, Azmil said Lada was confident about Genting Cruise Lines’ experience in ensuring standard operating procedure (SOP) compliance on its cruises.
“They have relaunched their cruise operations in Singapore, and we are confident that with that experience, they will follow the SOP and ensure that passengers comply with the SOP.”
He said the island’s tourism sector had gradually improved after the government declared it a green zone.
“Since March 10, we have seen an influx of tourists, ferry service operators have added more trips, and flight services are picking up.
“We are expecting more tourists to visit Langkawi during the school holidays.”