The fee, brought into effect on July 1, is charged according to the standard of accommodation, said Kedah Tourism Committee chairman Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid when announcing the fees last month.
Tourists staying in one-star or two-star hotels are charged RM1 per room per night, while three-star or four-star accommodation will charge tourists RM3 per day of stay.
Five-star accommodations will charge tourists RM5 per day, while six-star venues will charge RM7 and seven-star accommodations will charge a daily fee of RM9.
Revenue generated from the fee will help fund improvements to infrastructure, public facilities and services that support tourism, said Mr Mohd Rawi.
Before the fee was introduced, the council’s sole revenue came from fees and taxes levied on the island’s resident population, estimated at no more than 110,000 people who have homes on the island.
However, the island attracts around three million tourists annually.
Mr Mohd Rawi noted that similar levies are already paid by visitors in Melaka, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, and that the levy would be used entirely to support the tourism industry in Langkawi.
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