Travel Daily sat down with Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin, Deputy Director General of promotion for the Malaysia Tourism Board, to talk about the beautiful Malaysian island of Langkawi and his plans for its development as a top tourism destination for the UK in 2017.

How did Langkawi’s tourism sector perform in 2016? Did you meet all your targets?

In  2016 Malaysia received 26.4 million tourists, Langkawi itself receiving 3.6 million tourists, of which 1.2 million were international. Our target was about 3 million in total, so we exceeded this by 600,000; this year we are targeting a modest number of 3.8 million. We are looking forward to 2020, which is only three years away, our target will be about 5 million and I hope that we can achieve that with support of agents and airlines.

Which countries are your largest source markets?

The largest is Singapore, for the domestic market, number two is Thailand. For the medium haul we have China and India. We markets we are looking to grow are Australia and the UK. 

How are you positioning Langkawi? Is the focus still on environment?

Langkawi has been recognised by the world UNESCO organisation as a geo-park island and we have to maintain this standard; I should say 90% of the island is still jungle. We are also making sure that the sustainability of the island is taken care of, as I mentioned earlier we have a 16 million year old geo-park, which is home to more that 250 species of bird. All in all, in Langkawi, the strength is still in eco-tourism.

How do you position the island against the competition from Phuket, Bali etc

Of course there is always a question of comparing Langkawi to Phuket and also to Bali but if you look at these three islands, we are actually very different. Bali is Bali, Phuket is Phuket and for Langkawi we have continue to position ourselves as an eco-destination. In tourism I believe that we need to work together and currently we are working with Phuket. We have tourists coming in from Phuket to Langkawi and going from Langkawi to Phuket, so Langkawi is not only a destination but also an entry point for the Northern part of Malaysia and the Southern part of Thailand. Therefore, our challenge is to get more airline routes to increase accessibility to and from Langkawi, such as direct flights from Langkawi to Bali, which I think would make a real difference.

Has the new tourist tax, introduced last year, had any noticeable impact?

It is yet to be implemented but I hope it will help us as we are working on a tight budget and with any support we can get we will be able to do more.

What measures are you taking to target the UK travel trade?

Number one, the presentation we gave today. I would like the media and agents to be more informed about Langkawi and looking at Langkawi as a stand alone destination in Malaysia, rather than as part of a state. It is only 45 minutes by plane to Kuala Lumpur and 1 hour from Singapore, so there are two entry points for international tourists. It is an island where you can stay longer because of all the fantastic events we have planned for the coming year. We also have fantastic water-sports available and culture to be enjoyed but most of all the food is something you should come to Langkawi to try.

What major activities and developments can we expect from Langkawi in 2017?

For 2017, in terms of major developments, we are continuing to upgrade our facilities, especially on the waterfront; that is our number one priority. Number two are the new hotel groups we have coming in, which will take about three or four years to be completed. The other focus for development is cruise, we would like to establish Langkawi as a cruise destination. It is only about one and a half day away from Singapore, which has been well established as a cruise centre.