A mutually beneficial collaboration between the Penang State Government and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) was forged today.
The Letter of Intent (LOI) is to promote both tourist destinations and complement each other as a complete tourist destination.
On hand to sign the LOI was Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, YB Yeoh Soon Hin and LADA Chief Executive Officer Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib.
The ceremony was witnessed by the Penang State Governor Tuan Yang Terutama Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak.
“Penang and Langkawi are amongst the popular tourism hotspots with the former being steeped in cultural heritage and the latter offering pristine nature and splendid beach activities.
“People always see Penang and Langkawi as competitors but in reality, we are the perfect duo that complement each another to make a complete package” said Yeoh after signing the LOI at the Langkawi Skycab station.
He also added that this initiative is a major step forward in Penang’s island-tourism agenda where collaboration between islands is formed for mutual promotion, enticing travellers to also make the surrounding islands part of their travel itinerary.
“In fact, Penang and LADA has principally agreed to establish a joint-working committee for cross promotion, specifically on our UNESCO listings, namely: the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark and Penang Hill UNESCO Biosphere Reserve,” he said.
Yeoh said that the LOI is a testament of Penang’s efforts in building connectivity with other major tourism players in the nation such as Sabah, Melaka and Langkawi whereby each destination is armed with varied tourism assets that can enhance and boost the overall experience of a traveller.
While explaining his rationale behind mooting the idea of working alongside other tourism powerhouses, Yeoh said that the collective effort by these players will beef up competitiveness to fight foreign destinations such as Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
“If we work with other states and entice travellers to visit other Malaysian destinations, we will see the traveller’s expenditure and spending being retained within Malaysia, which will then spur economic effect for our tourism ecosystem and the local communities,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to Nasaruddin, the ceremony held 708 meters above sea level makes the signing-ceremony the first to be organized at this altitude.
