LANGKAWI: Seventy members of the Malaysia Budget Hotel Association (MyBHA) are ready to offer best accommodation prices for tourists who are expected to throng Langkawi island again after the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) in Kedah ended yesterday.
MyBHA (Langkawi Chapter) chairman Datuk Noorazly Rosly said in just two weeks after the CMCO was imposed, almost all bookings were cancelled, putting the association members under a lot of pressure.
"Actually, during the Recovery MCO, members of MyBHA Langkawi have offered interesting discounts for visitors with room rates between RM50 and RM150 per night, but due to the CMCO, many bookings were cancelled.
"As the CMCO has ended, association members will continue to offer discounts similar to what was given during the RMCO, besides conducting promotions outside Langkawi. The public who wish to come to Langkawi can visit the website https://golangkawi.com.my/ for the price list of MyBHA member hotels," he told Bernama today.
Describing the government's decision to lift the CMCO in Kedah as a very positive move, Noorazly, who is also the owner of The Cabin Langkawi, was confident that the island's economy would recover.
Meanwhile, Warisan Saju Enterprise manager Normilawati Noor Muhamad, 41, said her family business of gamat (sea cucumber)-based products had been impacted by the CMCO as the market mostly depends on visitors from outside of Langkawi.
"Traditional medicine entrepreneurs in Langkawi faced a hard time when tourists weren't allowed to enter the island during the CMCO. This industry is 100 per cent dependent on outsiders...yes, there are local residents who buy gamat-based products but not in large quantity.
"Apart from tourists, wholesalers too couldn't enter the island because movements were restricted. This has also affected my family's business. I am very thankful for the government's decision to lift the CMCO in Kedah as this will help us to rise again," she said.
On Friday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the CMCO in Kedah (except in Kulim district), Melaka, Johor and Terengganu would be lifted yesterday (Nov 21), earlier than its scheduled end on Dec 6.- Bernama