Kedah Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid told Bernama that the Langkawi Municipal Council will charge a tourism promotion levy on tourists who visit the island starting 1st July 2016.

The levy be charged on a per room per night basis depending on the rating of the accommodation:

• One and two star accommodation – RM1
• Three-star or four-star accommodation – RM3
• Five-star accommodation – RM5
• Six-star accommodation – RM7
• Seven-star accommodation – RM9

The chairman also stated that the money from the levy will be channelled toward promoting tourism in Langkawi by implementing “tourism-related programmes for the benefit of the tourists” who he says are able to afford the minimal amount.

Mohd Rawi clarified that a tourism levy in Malaysia is not a new concept and has already been implemented in Melaka, Penang, and Kuala Lumpur. He also reportedly stated that the levy might eventually extend beyond Langkawi to other parts of Kedah.

For now, The Danna, Langkawi has posted a notice on their website that they will be collecting the levy at a rate of RM5 per room per night when guests check out starting 1st July.

However, there hasn’t been much information about this levy, nor about the ranking system. We’ve looked through the Federal Gazette website but have yet to find an update of the specific Act that the levy comes under, the Local Government Act 1976.

Some details remain vague: who decides how many stars a hotel or resort has? What kind of ‘tourism-related programmes’ will the money be used to finance? Will there be any oversight to ensure the funds are being collected and disbursed appropriately?

We’ll continue researching and keep you posted. Watch this space!