Langkawi is on course for reopening in line with the newly announced regulations and the ramped up vaccination process.

The latest announcement by the Prime Minister on the privileges for those with double doses of vaccines augurs well for the hospitality industry there.

“The announcement is in line with the Malaysian Association of Hotels chapter’s earlier requests with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) to allow double dose people to patronise the hotels as a getaway holiday or dine in. 

“However, we have to wait to move to Phase 2 which the chapter is confident will be achieved by September as targeted by MOTAC,” said MAH Kedah/Perlis chapter chairman, Eugene Dass.

He added that they are ready and confident for the industry to open up in Langkawi with 85% of their workers being vaccinated.

In the meanwhile, 50% of the workers have already received two doses.

The hospitality industry in Langkawi has some 5,000 to 6,000 employees whose livelihood has been severely impacted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We hope for the best and look forward to the authorities giving us the green light for the re-opening.

“The various hotels are also ready with all of the safety measures and SOPs in place,” said Dass.

MAH Kedah/Perlis Chapter is a 53 -member strong association consisting of hotels and resorts.

Recently, Kedah state exco for Tourism, Arts   and Culture, Mohd Firdaus Ahmad had also told the Vibes portal that Langkawi is scheduled for reopening next month (September).

He said that more than 65,000 of the people in Langkawi have received their first dose, while more than 29,000 have received their second dose.

Firdaus also added that Langkawi is on target to reach herd immunity by September, which means 80% of its population will be vaccinated.