LANGKAWI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants more effort to be made to position Langkawi as a destination for high net worth tourists.
While noting that the island had already succeeded in mass tourism, Najib said high end tourism was still not fully developed.
"Continue to develop the mass tourism here. We want high net worth tourists, people with the capacity to spend more.
"You want those kind. Those who do not ask for discounts, who book the best rooms, and who can spend money," he said in his speech at the Langkawi Tourism Awards (LITA) held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) here tonight.
Present at the event were Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) chief executive officer Tan Sri Khalid Ramli, Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, and state executive councillor Datuk Dr Ku Abd Rahman Ku Ismail.
Najib stressed that Langkawi also needed to develop a strong brand for itself. He cited how Bali had succeeded in this and how it was even more popular than Jakarta.
Najib added that a brand for Langkawi had to be developed incorporating the right imagery for people to recognise and remember Langkawi as a famous tourist destination.
He said positioning the island successfully for high end tourism would spur numerous multiplier effects to the local economy, such as creating high-paying jobs.