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'Geopark' Status Broadens Langkawi's
Horizons |
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7th August 2007 | Langkawi | TTG Asia
Media Pte Ltd | By S Puvaneswary |
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CAPITALISING
on Langkawi's Geopark status awarded by
UNESCO on June 1, the Langkawi
Development Authority (LADA) has
launched a tactical campaign to use its
unique status as the first Geopark in
South-east Asia to bring in more mid-
and long-haul tourists.
Mid- and long-haul tourists make up
about 30 per cent of visitors to the
island.
The campaign is to reach out more to its
traditional markets which are China,
Australia, the US and Europe, and
increase them by another 10 per cent
next year.
LADA and Tourism Langkawi will also
organise a one-week road show to
Finland, Sweden and Denmark in
September. "This is the first time we
are organising our mission to the
Scandinavian countries and we will be
accompanied by inbound travel agents,
hoteliers and staff of various
attractions in Langkawi," LADA General
Manager, Datuk Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani
said.
"Last year, we received 34,141 visitors
from these three countries, which is
about two per cent of our total
arrivals. We hope to grow this market to
about eight per cent next year by
encouraging more charter flights to
Langkawi and by encouraging Thai
outbound agents to help package
Langkawi.
"We are jointly organising a road show
with Tourism Malaysia to Bangkok in
October, and we are inviting Thai
AirAsia and travel agents in Thailand to
see what Langkawi has to offer. We have
to use Bangkok and KLIA (Kuala Lumpur
International Airport) as our hubs, as
SilkAir is the only foreign airline
flying to Langkawi International
Airport."
LADA will jointly participate with
Tourism Malaysia at international trade
events such as World Travel Market and
ITB Berlin, to promote Langkawi as a
Geopark and to attract more charter
flights from Europe. |
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Mek Mulung Wows South Korean Crowd |
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12th October 2006 | Jeju Island, South
Korea |
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 A 13-member
Mek Mulung Langkawi traditional theatre
that depicts the tragic killing of the
fair maiden Mahsuri enthralled the crowd
during the islands Tourism Fair 2006 at
Jeju Island.
Accompanied
by officers from LADA, the group from
Kota Mahsuri performed to a huge crowd
of Koreans and other nationals on an outdoor
stage from the 12th till 15th October
2006.
 The
Mek Mulung theater is among the main
attractions at Kota Mahsuri in Kampung
Mawat, Langkawi. The
show is staged daily (except wednesdays) at the
air-conditioned theatre
within the historical complex.
The polished
performance of the tragedy of Mahsuri is
highly-recommended for visitors to the
complex. |
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Langkawi Geopark Symposium: 'What is
Geopark' |
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29 Aug 2006 | LADA Complex Auditorium |
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KUAH:
A
symposium entitled "Langkawi Geopark:
What is a Geopark?" was held in
Langkawi on August 29. The event, aimed
at increasing awareness about the rich
and diverse natural heritage that only
existed in Langkawi was attended by
academicians from Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia (UKM), Institute for
Environment and Development (LESTARI) of
UKM, ministries, UNESCO and NGOs.
The one day
symposium, which was officiated by the
Menteri Besar of Kedah, saw eight papers
being presented by the participants.
Subjects ranging from Langkawi Heritage,
Geology, Bio-diversity & Conservation to
Promotion and Marketing were discussed
at length.
The
symposium also saw the official
launching of Langkawi's official tourism
web portal, "Langkawi Showcase". |
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Not many aware of prehistoric stone
in Langkawi |
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6 Aug 2006 | Langkawi Geopark | Source:
The Star
| Story & Pix by Sira Habibu |
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LANGKAWI:
A granite dropstone, said to be dating
back a billion years, exists in a
mudstone at Pulau Tepor, southwest of
Langkawi.
Two British geologists, who used a
radio-metric system to determine its
age, discovered the stone 30 years ago.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s
Institute for Environment and
Development (Lestari) deputy director,
Prof Mohd Shafeea Leman, said it was one
of the geological treasures found here.
Not many people are aware of the stone’s
existence, he told The Star, adding that
it was the oldest dropstone found in
this region.
“It may appear dull but it has a very
interesting story behind it,” the
professor said.
Explaining dropstones, he said they were
pebbles or blocks of rock brought by
glaciers millions of years ago and
dropped on the seafloor.
The presence of the dropstone implies
that the Langkawi islands were once
joined with other continents and
sub-continents such as Australia, India,
Africa and Antartica, in a
super-continent called Gondwanaand
during the late carboniferous to early
Permian time (about 280-300 million
years ago).
“This particular stone (measuring 25cm
by 16cm) once drifted along in a glacier
before it was dropped in Langkawi, which
was submerged in water a long, long time
ago.
“How did the glaciers come near
Langkawi?
“Langkawi, parts of Sumatra, Thailand,
Burma and a small part of southern
China, were part of the Gondwana
super-continent that included
Antarctica, South America, Africa,
Madagascar, Australia-New Guinea, New
Zealand, Arabia and India,” said Prof
Mohd Shafeea, adding that Langkawi later
drifted away to its present position.
Another geological treasure in Langkawi
comes in the form of an ancient seabed.
“We can now walk on this ancient seabed
in Pulau Ular.
“The seabed was exposed about 5,000
years ago when the sea level subsided in
this part of the region,” he said.
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