Ferry services from Langkawi to Satun in Thailand will resume with effect from Oct 1, while on Oct 20, to Koh Lipe.
This was highlighted following a fruitful engagement session was held between the Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah/Perlis and Langkawi ferry operators to improve connectivity and passenger movement.
The meeting which was held at the Dash Resort Langkawi was to look into initiatives for the mutual benefit of both parties.
Among the matters highlighted were the frequency of ferry connections between Kuala Perlis and Langkawi and Kuala Kedah to Langkawi.
They also discussed short term and long term initiatives to improve the services.
The ferry operators highlighted that there are situations where for weekdays, the ferries are not full however weekends and for long holidays ferries are running at full capacity.
They also added that ferry operators are bound by rules and regulations of the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
They also highlighted that the recent increase in ticket prices was to cover their operating cost which has not been increased for the past 15 years.
They added that they do not get any fuel subsidy from the federal government which adds to their burden.
Other matters of interest were the dredging of the sea and around the ferry terminal were also discussed.
MAH Kedah/Perlis requested more frequent ferry connections so that more people can come in and in the way help room occupancy.
Present at the discussion was MAH Kedah/Perlis chapter chairman, Eugene Dass, vice chairman Razmi Rahmat, Effendi Ramley (Dash GM), Leslier Perara (Holiday Villa gm), Reginald Pereira (Tg Rhu Resort) among others.
Representing the ferry operators was Langkawi Ferry Lines Ventures Sdn Bhd management consultant, Lau Ban Hoo, Wong Sie Kiong from Ekspres Bahagia among others.
However, the dialogue session served to understand the situation of both parties and also look into ways to work together to overcome them.