16/05/2026

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SATURDAY | MAY 16, 2026

Aloft Langkawi woos visitors from Uzbekistan, Central Asia

Ű BY JOHN GILBERT sunbiz@thesundaily.com

KUALA LUMPUR: Langkawi could soon see a stronger influx of visitors from Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region, driven by collaborations between Aloft Langkawi Pantai Tengah and travel agencies in that market. General manager Shanmugam Thangavelu said the hotel is tapping Uzbekistan and neighbouring markets to broaden its tourist base, stepping up collaborations with travel agencies and the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) to widen its international reach. He said arrivals from Central Asia are still modest, but early signs are encouraging, particularly with the introduction of direct connectivity. “Recently we had a direct flight from Uzbekistan coming, and you can see some of them from Eastern Europe coming here as well,” Shanmugam told SunBiz , noting that the trend, while gradual, points to a broader diversification of Langkawi’s visitor mix. The hotel’s market development strategy is closely tied to joint efforts with Lada, especially in tapping regional travel flows. Shanmugam said recent initiatives in cluded outreach trips to southern Peninsular Malaysia to attract visitors from Johor and neighbouring Singapore. “Regional travel remains important. We recently visited Johor, where we are trying to attract more people from Johor and Singapore to come to Langkawi. This is done together with Lada.” Beyond domestic and regional pushes, Aloft Langkawi is also aligning with Lada on international promotions, including parti cipation in major travel trade events. “Most of our travel efforts – for example, when the first flight from Uzbekistan came in – we worked together with Lada on sales calls,” Shanmugam said. The collaborative approach, he added, allows the hotel to extend its marketing reach while managing costs, particularly in new and emerging source markets where awareness of Langkawi is still developing. Elaborating on outreach to Central Asia, Shanmugam said the hotel is already in discussions with partners in Uzbekistan and conducts periodic reviews to assess how to grow the market. He added that Langkawi is also seeing seasonal connectivity from Europe, parti cularly Poland, which supports inbound travel during the winter months. “We have seasonal direct flights from Poland. This year, they are expected to start towards the end of December and run for about three months, until March 2027. This

attractive rate,” Shanmugam said. He added that the focus is shifting towards more lifestyle-driven bundles rather than conventional room-and-meal deals. “We are trying to package these as lifestyle experiences, not just accommodation. So we are still working on bringing in more partnerships to support that approach.” On tourism spending patterns, Shanmugam said travellers are becoming more cautious, particularly in the current environment. “There is a noticeable shift. People are more conscious about what they spend on now,” he said, adding that the hotel has adjusted its offerings in response. In the food and beverage department, for instance, the hotel has introduced more affordable meal options alongside its regular a la carte menu to cater to value-oriented guests, especially families. “We have come up with reasonably valued meals so that larger groups and families still have accessible dining choices. The idea is to make sure more guests can enjoy a proper meal with us, even if they are watching their budgets,” Shanmugam said. On whether new flight routes are translating into higher spending, Shanmugam said it is still too early to draw conclusions. “We do not have firm statistics yet. The flights only started recently, around late February, and operations picked up in March. There is not enough data yet to assess spending patterns.” For now, he said, the focus remains on positioning the hotel to capture demand from more value travellers. “We are preparing for what’s ahead and making sure our offerings are flexible enough. If some guests feel the a la carte options are on the higher side, they will still have alternatives that suit their budgets,” he added. On the stronger ringgit, Shanmugam said the currency’s strength has had a limited impact on the hotel segment so far. “We have not seen any significant change in our segment. The currency movements, including the ringgit strengthening against the Singapore dollar, have not affected us in a meaningful way. Travellers are still travelling.” To help affected businesses manage the challenges, he said, the domestic financial sector remains committed to supporting SMEs and responding to their financing needs. As part of these efforts, BNM has opened applications for the RM5 billion SME Stabilisation Relief Facility, aimed at assisting businesses impacted by the current conflict. SMEs can apply for the financing facility through participating financial institutions starting yesterday, Abdul Rasheed said. Beyond short-term relief measures, longer term structural reforms will be important to improve SMEs’ resilience going forward, the central bank governor said. “In line with this, the central bank is working with Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd to roll out a RM10 billion guarantee scheme for SMEs. The scheme is scheduled to be available from June 1, 2026, with further details expected to be announced later,“ Abdul Rasheed said.

o Hotel steps up up collaborations with travel agencies and island’s development authority to widen international reach

Shanmugam says arrivals from Central Asia are still modest, but early signs are encouraging, particularly with the introduction of direct connectivity.

collaborations beyond tourism bodies to include banks and local businesses. “We work quite closely with banks as well. Guests using Visa or Mastercard, for instance, can enjoy certain discounts,” he said. At the same time, the hotel is building joint offerings with on-ground partners to enhance the overall guest experience. “We also partner with local businesses. For example, with our spa, we have value-added packages where guests can book a room together with spa treatments at a more first-quarter economic performance yesterday. At its meeting earlier this month, BNM’s Monetary Policy Committee kept the Overnight Policy Rate unchanged at 2.75%, saying Malaysia’s strong economic fundamentals should help cushion the domestic economy against external uncertainties, particularly developments in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the ringgit continued to show signs of strength in the first quarter. Abdul Rasheed said the Malaysian currency appreciated 1.4% against those of the country’s major trading partners, based on the nominal effective exchange rate. It also gained 0.5% against the US dollar over the same period, he added. Further, Abdul Rasheed said the central bank acknowledged that some SMEs, particularly in certain sectors, may be more vulnerable to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and its spillover effects.

coincides with their winter period,” he said. According to Shanmugam, the arrange ment typically involves one flight a week, with a steady rotation of arrivals and departures. “There’s usually one flight per week. The group that arrives will depart the following Friday, and a new batch comes in on the same day,” he said, adding that such efforts reflect Lada’s continued push to improve connectivity into Langkawi. Commenting further on partnerships, Shanmugam said the hotel is widening its PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s economy got off to a firm start in the first quarter of 2026, expanding 5.4% on the back of resilient consumer spending, steady investments and continued demand for electrical and electronic (E&E) exports as well as information communication technology-related services. The strong performance came amid rising geopolitical tensions and lingering uncertainty in the global economy, but growth is still expected to stay within the official forecast range of 4% to 5% this year. Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Datuk Seri Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour said Malaysia’s inflation this year is expected to average between 1.5% and 2.5%, with prices likely to trend towards the higher end of the range. “The uptick is largely tied to rising global energy prices and broader cost pressures following the escalation of conflict in the Middle East,“ he said at a press conference on Malaysia’s

Malaysian economy holds firm, expands 5.4% in Q1’26

Abdul Rasheed speaking at the press conference on Malaysia’s first-quarter economic performance.