Langkawi Oriental Village Upgraded For GGN
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BREATHTAKING… Tourists enjoying a panoramic view of Langkawi atop the Mat Cincang mountain after a cable-car ride. Pix: Anuar Isman |
By Mohd Azril Mohd Annuar
LANGKAWI, Nov 14 (Bernama) -- Langkawi's Oriental Village is being upgraded with additional facilities and improved services in line with the island being part of the Global Geopark Network (GGN).
Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) general manager Datuk Kamarulzaman Abdul Ghani told Bernama that one of additional major attractions would be the Langkawi International Fashion Zone.
"The Fashion Zone's soft opening will be held before the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (Lima) Exhibition next month and God willing, we will launch it during Lima. Our first retailers will be from Italy, where we will bring in Italian branded products," he said.
"We have also added new retail outlets selling jewellery, souvenirs and other items, along with improved basic facilities such as the toilets, ticketing booths and the main office to make the Oriental Village more aesthetically pleasing for visitors."
Currently, LADA is in discussion to create a camping site within the village compound near a river where tourists can enjoy the natural beauty of the surroundings.
Safety is a major concern for LADA and the operators of the Langkawi Cable Car and the curved suspension bridge that connects two points of the Mat Cincang mountain range.
"We've closed down our hiking trail leading up to Gunung Mat Cincang's highest point for the time being due to some soil erosion that happened there.
"And if there are major problems involving the cable car or the suspension bridge, we will shut down all operations. We may lose business, but safety always comes first," said Langkawi Cable Car general manager Sarjankan Md. Shariff.
He said as part of its continuous improvement and planned preventive maintenance programme, Langkawi Cable Car would begin repainting the slightly rusty grilles along the 125-metre suspension bridge in January due to the peak tourist season.
"We've talked to our consultants and experts and they've informed us that the rust is merely an eyesore. It is not a danger to the public.
"To ensure the safety of our guests, our security officers are always there to keep an eye on the public and we also do maintenance on a daily, weekly and monthly basis whereby we shut down all operations for two days every month.
"The rust on the bridge occurred because of the heavy moisture on top of the mountain range due to mist, rain and moisture that collects on the bridge which is suspended at more than 600 metres above sea level.
Another slight annoyance that occurs at the cable car rides and on top of Gunung Mat Cincang is vandalism by irresponsible visitors who want to leave their mark there.
Langkawi Cable Car deals with this problem by placing security personnel and repainting the vandalised spots to protect the Geopark status.
-- BERNAMA
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