Langkawi Case Study

Introduction

Langkawi Island is one of the famous tourism places in Malaysia. Every year more than a million tourists came for vacation and other purposes. It located at west peninsular Malaysia, the island riches with myth and legendary story to make it special to people who visit this island.

Many Malaysian argues that Langkawi underwent rapid development ever since our former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohamed assumed his position in 1981. Prior to this, there were a few attempts to develop Langkawi. Firstly, after the inclusion of the Langkawi Islands as a prospective tourist destination in the 1975 Malaysian Tourism Master Plan, an international consultant Marwick Mitchell and Company was appointed to prepare a master plan for tourism

Destinations must be sold with correct information and not hype (Palumbo and Herbig, 2000), as this increases loyalty and WOM. Brand netnography helps understand a tourist’s interpretation of the place (Martin et al., 2007). Another important strategy to build brand image is harnessing the power ofword of mouth (Wangenheim and Bayo´n, 2004; Grace and O’Cass, 2002; Ennew et al., 2000; Gremler and Brown, 1999).

Langkawi isn’t just one big island but a collection of around 100 islands that form an archipelago. While most are uninhabited, a few have been designated for tourism so that visitors from all over the world can admire and appreciate the magical beauty of Langkawi. Sightseeing attractions are scattered literally around: the island’s most developed beach is Pantai Cenang and its sourthern appendage of Pantai Tengah but it is in Kuah that you will find most sightseeing spots, from Lagenda Langkawi Dalam Taman to Al-Hana Mosque. Besides that, Padang Matsirat and Pantai Kok also house some interesting sights, specifically Mahsuri’s Tomb and Oriental