Tourists visiting Langkawi would be have to pay a levy of between RM1 and RM9 for every day of stay starting July 1.
Bernama reports that the Langkawi Tourism Promotion Levy would depend on the kind of accommodation a tourist uses — one or two-star hotels (RM1 per night); three or four-star accommodation (RM3); five-star accommodation, RM5; six-star accommodation (RM7); and seven-star accommodation (RM9).
This levy is apparently not new, Kedah Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid told the news agency — similar charges are in place in Malacca, Penang and Kuala Lumpur as a way to promote tourism.
Mohd Rawi was quoted further, saying Kedah would benefit from such a levy, as the state depended a great deal on the federal government to promote tourism.
“If we can collect a satisfactory amount of levy, we can implement more tourism-related programmes for the benefit of the tourists,” he reported said.
