THAI TOURISTS TO LANGKAWI EXPECTED TO INCREASE BY 30 PER CENT

LANGKAWI (Malaysia), Oct 11 (Bernama) -- The inflow of Thai tourists to Langkawi is expected to rise by 30 per cent compared to the current 500 daily following the increase in ferry services from Satun, southern Thailand to the world famous resort island.

Kedah Tourism Malaysia director Roslan Othman said ferry services of
only three trips daily earlier had now been increased to nine after
Konsortium Feri Langkawi added six more trips to improve capacity.

"The consortium started its Langkawi-Satun ferry service on Oct 1 and raised
the frequency of trips in view of the high demand," he told reporters after
welcoming 100 people representing the media, tourism agencies, and government
officials including Thai immigration officers from Satun and Hatyaim at the Kuah
jetty here Sunday.

The group was given a traditional welcome sponsored by the Kedah office
of Tourism Malaysia, the consortium and Langkawi Development Authority (Lada).

The visit was a follow-up to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between
the consortium and Syarikat Satun Inter Ferry Co Ltd here recently.

Langkawi,is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off
the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state
of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border.

-- BERNAMA