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PETALING JAYA: Former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has expressed concern about the fate of Langkawi’s economy, particularly the tourism industry, due to Covid-19.
In a blog post, the Langkawi MP said that although the island is a Covid-19 green zone, the situation was grim due to travel restrictions.
He said there had been signs of recovery in recent months, but an increase in infections had caused the number of incoming tourists to drop recently.
“Merchants complain, many stores are closed, some close only for a time, but there are those who have closed permanently.
“Tourist attractions (including restaurants) are quiet and many rental vehicles are idle because there are no passengers,” he said.
In 2019, Langkawi recorded around 3.92 million tourist arrivals, providing an estimated income of RM 1.7 billion to the island’s 4,900 businesses. About 70% of the 110,000 inhabitants of the island depend on the tourism industry.
Mahathir said there were many ways and ideas to improve Langkawi’s economy, but until now, the government has not given the green light to these ideas, perhaps due to Covid-19.
“But if it is planned properly and taking into account the SOPs, the tourism industry can be improved,” he said, without specifying the ideas to improve the local economy.
He said it may not be possible to eradicate Covid-19 in the near future, but people needed to make a living.
“They need opportunities or the country’s economy will suffer. Maybe someone in the government can hear the cries of small businesses and take them into consideration, ”he said, adding that it would help give more ideas.
