LANGKAWI: Langkawi's selection as the host for at least three major Asean meetings this year is a golden opportunity to elevate the island's global profile.
Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) chief executive officer Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid said such opportunities were rare and must be fully leveraged by local tourism players.
"There will be three key events in Langkawi, the Asean Financial Track Meeting from Jan 14 to 15, the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat (Jan 18 to 19), and the Special Asean Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (Jan 21 to 23).
"As the coordinator for the Asean Logistics Secretariat (SILA) 2025, Lada will seize this chance to showcase Langkawi's unique offerings to the delegations," she said at a press conference here today.
Earlier, Haslina led a welcoming event here for 152 Batik Air passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur.
The group, among the first visitors to the island in the Visit Kedah Year 2025 campaign, landed at Langkawi International Airport at 11.05am.
Haslina added that Lada had allocated RM2 million to the Langkawi Tourism City Municipal Council for landscape enhancement projects in preparation for the Asean meetings.
"This aligns with Lada's commitment to ensuring that meeting facilities and the surrounding environment are well-maintained, from the arrival to the departure of attendees," she said.
Previously, the Foreign Affairs Ministry announced plans for approximately 300 meetings at the official and ministerial levels, including two summits involving heads of state, as part of Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship this year.