LANGKAWI: The sailing industry can become a catalyst in further enhancing Langkawi’s potential to be a world-renowned tourism destination as well as a sailing hub in the region.
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) chief executive officer Datuk Haslilna Abdul Hamid said the economic spillover from the industry, which includes shipping activities, maintenance, repair and overhaul as well as boat manufacturing, is capable of generating job opportunities and driving local and national economic development.
“Langkawi is an island, so as an island, it definitely has a marina. So, with this facility, the sailing industry will have a positive impact on the local economy.
“If the sailing sector can flourish, a lot of economic spillovers can be enjoyed by the local community,” she told reporters here today.
Earlier, she delivered the keynote address at the Malaysia Yachting Conference held in conjunction with the 2025 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA’25) here today.
Haslina said Langkawi currently has three marinas, namely Langkawi Yacht Club, Telaga Harbour Marina and Rebak Marina Langkawi, which are quite limited and can only accommodate yachts of a certain size.
“We receive many requests from super yachts that want to enter the facility, but we can’t because only yachts measuring 80 metres in length are allowed to dock.
“So, there is a need to expand the marina if we want to further stimulate the economy from the yacht industry... we need to see what needs to be done at the existing marinas, if we want to add a new marina it may be a little complicated,” she said.
Meanwhile, she hopes that the Malaysia International Boat Show 2025 (MYBOS’25) and the Malaysia Sailing Conference could become annual events that could further enhance Langkawi’s identity as a regional sailing hub.
