By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
Ipoh – The Perak Bumiputera Tourism Entrepreneurs Association (PPPBP) calls on the state government to upgrade the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS), Ipoh which is considered to need more competitiveness.
Its Chairman, Zamari Muhyi, stated that with a modern and sophisticated airport, efforts to attract international tourists would undoubtedly be more effective and less challenging.
“Recently, Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke Siew Fook, expressed his willingness to involve the private sector in upgrading underperforming airports through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), including the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport (LTSAS), Ipoh. Several private companies have shown interest and commitment to making substantial investments.
“PPPBP also welcomes the state government’s initiative to upgrade the existing airport, which opens opportunities for local tourism industry players to attract more international tourists.
“We acknowledge that building a new airport is not as straightforward, but the wise approach is to upgrade the existing airport, giving it a fresh look without compromising its original structure,” he, who also serves as the Secretary-General of the Malaysian Budget & Business Hotel Association (MyBHA) said.
He added that the capabilities of a modern, up-to-date, and competitive airport could greatly benefit 95 member hotels across the state.
“If the LTSAS Ipoh upgrading project is carried out, it could attract more than 11 million tourists for Visit Perak 2024 and Visit Malaysia 2026.
“We support the state government’s initiative and the Ministry of Transport in expediting the development and upgrading of the airport to enhance the state’s tourism industry,” he said.
