Date: 3rd December 2023 (Sunday)
Time: 7.30 pm(Arrival of Guests)
10.00 pm(Speech by Deputy CEO of LADA)
Venue: Rimba Sky, Ambong-ambong Resort, Langkawi

SALUTATIONS

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OPENING REMARKS

Alhamdulillah, all praises to Allah, the Merciful, the All-Beneficent, by whose Grace and Blessings made it possible for us to gather here today for the launching event of Coffee Table Book namely Cosmic Connections: Langkawi.

TOURISM OF LANGKAWI AT GLANCE AND LADA COLLABORATION WITH THE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES MALAYSIA

Ladies and gentlemen,

First and foremost, I would like to thank and welcome everyone present today to celebrate the foundations that build Langkawi as a true island paradise, which is the people who are directly or indirectly involved in the tourism of Langkawi. Besides that, Langkawi is blessed with naturally pristine beaches, secluded islands, tall mountains, running waterfalls, exotic wildlife, tropical plants and rock formations as old as the Earth.

Langkawi is a stunning tropical island renowned for its remarkable rock formations and rich natural heritage. Since 2007, it has been recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark. Additionally, I am delighted to inform you that Langkawi has recently been granted a four-year extension on its green card status.

LADA and the Academy of Sciences Malaysia have collaborated to create a Coffee Table Book titled Cosmic Connections: Langkawi to showcase the island’s beauty. We are proud to be a strategic partner in producing this book, a labour of love from three prominent figures of Malaysia. The project is spearheaded by Academician Professor Emerita Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Mazlan Othman. It features contributions from Professor Emeritus Dr. Muhammad Haji Salleh, who wrote special poems in both Malay and English for the book, and Dr. Jailani Abu Hassan, Malaysia’s renowned contemporary artist, who created cosmic-themed artistic sketches using bitumen and acrylic techniques. By combining astrological objects with poems by Malaysia’s prominent writers and astrologists, the book offers a unique marketing perspective to showcase the island’s charm.

PERFORMANCE OF LANGKAWI TOURISM AND WAY FORWARD 2024

Taking this opportunity, I would like to share that as of October 2023, Langkawi welcomed 2.2 million tourists, representing 70 percent of the targeted 3.2 million.
Notably, Langkawi is set to be the host destination for Routes Asia 2024, from February 27 to 29. This event will serve as a platform for the region’s airlines, airports, tourism authorities and aviation stakeholders to meet and share best practices.
The air connectivity landscape will be enhanced with Flydubai’s daily flights to Langkawi starting in February. AirAsia will begin direct flights from Kualanamu, Medan to Langkawi in quarter one of 2024.

ABOUT COSMIC CONNECTIONS: COFFEE TABLE BOOK

Ladies and gentlemen,

ASM and LADA started collaborating in 2021 to publish a coffee table book for the LADA Tourism Economic Stimulus Package 2020-2021 initiative. The Langkawi National Observatory (ONL) was used to collect space photographs for the book called “Cosmic Connections: Langkawi.”

Langkawi is blessed to have ONL as one of the observatories in Malaysia that provides international-class observation facilities for research in the field of optical astronomy in Malaysia. I was informed that The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States also referred to the ONL to obtain a collection of very rare space photographs.

This coffee table book is a valuable addition and a unique approach to the promotion and marketing strategy of Langkawi Island. It combines stunning space imagery, beautiful poetry and artistic sketches to showcase the island’s beauty. In the coming years, LADA will focus on promoting Langkawi Island as a top destination for sky observation in Malaysia and encourage more tourists to visit.

Before I end my speech, I once again take the opportunity to thank the Academy of Sciences Malaysia for its willingness to enter into strategic cooperation with LADA. I hope this collaboration will continue to flourish and that this Coffee Table Book, Cosmic Connections: Langkawi, will serve as a means to promote, uplift and position Langkawi further in the eyes of the world.

Wabillahitaufik Walhidayah Wassalamualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh.

Terima kasih.