Kedah exco blames federal govt for Langkawi’s tourism woes

 Salleh Saidin says key issues affecting visitor arrivals, including ferry services and international connectivity, fall under federal control.

Kedah tourism exco Salleh Saidin said the state government has done all it can to promote and strengthen Langkawi as a tourism destination. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:

 A Kedah exco has pushed back against DAP’s Teresa Kok over Langkawi’s lagging visitor numbers, insisting that the federal government controls most of the factors shaping the island’s tourism performance.

Salleh Saidin, who chairs the state tourism, culture and entrepreneurship committee, was responding to Kok’s comparison of Langkawi’s 3.2 million visitors in 2025 with Phuket’s estimated 13 million and Bali’s 33.56 million.

The Seputeh MP said Langkawi was falling behind regional competitors, noting that Bali’s tourist arrivals increased by 17.16 million from 2024 to 2025, while Phuket saw a rise of 4.35 million.

In a statement late last night, Salleh said the comparison was “simplistic, structurally unfair, and intellectually dishonest”.

He said Bali and Phuket had been developed as major tourism destinations since the 1920s and the 1970s, respectively, both backed by aggressive central government development and extensive international air connectivity.

“Langkawi operates in an entirely different ecosystem, with a smaller scale, lower capacity, and a much higher dependence on federal-level policies,” he said.

Salleh also maintained that the Kedah government had done everything within its jurisdiction to strengthen and promote Langkawi as a tourism destination.

“We have no problem cooperating with the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada). They also work hard within their mandate.

“But Lada is only an agency. The bigger question is: where is the federal government’s role?” he asked.

Salleh singled out Langkawi’s long-running ferry service problems as one of the island’s biggest barriers to tourism growth, saying he had raised the matter during last month’s state assembly sitting.

Ferry operations and other matters such as flight approvals, airport expansion, international route incentives, customs and taxes, cruise tourism, visa policies, and international promotional campaigns fall under federal jurisdiction, he added.

“If YB Teresa is sincere about helping develop Langkawi, please raise this with her colleagues in the federal government,” he said. - FMT