NORTHERN STATE MULLS HAVING DIRECT FLIGHT BETWEEN LANGKAWI AND IRAN

ALOR SETAR (Malaysia), May 27 (Bernama) -- The northern Kedah-state
government plans to have direct flights between Langkawi and Kish in Iran, to
lure more Iranian tourists to the state's legendary island.

Chief Minister Azizan Abdul Razak said efforts would be made by
the state government to make the flight a reality.

"We want tourists in Kish to also come to Langkawi," he told reporters after
receiving Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia, Mahdi Khandagh Abadi, at Wisma
Darul Aman, here Wednesday.

During the meeting, they discussed, beside tourism, on joint ventures in
agriculture and education.

Meanwhile, Abadi said more than 40,000 tourists from Iran visited Malaysia
every year and that Langkawi was among their favourite destinations.

He said a company in Iran was keen to provide a direct flight between Kish
and Langkawi.

Langkawi and Kish should be promoted as both islands provide a good
destination for tourists, especially from Muslim countries, he added.

Adabi also said he was impressed with the higher learning institutions in
Kedah, which he said was of good quality and located away from the busy cities.

He said the Iranian government was prepared to have exchange programmes
between students and lecturers in Kedah and Iran.

Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah 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