Despite reports from some quarters that several eateries have closed down owing to bad business, the island's tourism sector is not as bad as it has been described.

Assemblyman Amar Pared Mahamud of Kuah stated that it was untrue to say that domestic tourists were no longer favoring Langkawi.

"Please refrain from becoming too euphoric and undermining the tourism industry here, as the majority of them are still getting over the financial blow that the Covid-19 pandemic dealt them.

"We must comprehend the fundamental information that there are four seasons that determine when tourists arrive on this island: the wet season, the dry season, the low season, and the peak season.

"Commonly, visitors (arrival) are lesser during the rainy season and the dry spell, but the numbers will bounce back during festive holidays and school breaks," he stated when reached today.

Amar Pared continued, "The federal government could increase the number of domestic visitors to Langkawi by resolving logistical issues, especially with the ferry services."

"The Langkawi passenger ferry services have been delayed until today, despite the government's pledge to address the problem before the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in May.

"We also hope that the federal government will initiate more direct flights to the island," he stated.

Hazani Hussin, the chairman of the Langkawi Residents Tourism Association (LRTA), noted that the travel industry was particularly vulnerable to unfavorable press.

Actually, according to information recently made public by the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada), Langkawi saw 2.04 million visitors during the third quarter of this year.

"The data clarifies that assertions that the island is experiencing a decline in critical visitor arrivals are untrue.

"Claims that the hotel bookings for Deepavali next week are just at 10 percent is misleading compared to the actual situation on the ground," he stated when reached.

Giving an example, he stated that one accommodation provider informed him that, as of this month's end, the latter had secured almost half of the available rooms.