LANGKAWI - Property developer and hotelier Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal Abu Bakar is mulling over the possibility of setting up a hospitality and tourism school in Langkawi.

Speaking at a briefing here Monday ahead of the opening of his latest hotel venture in Langkawi, Ombak Villa by Langkawi Lagoon Resort, he said the proposal was being considered as part of efforts to raise the service levels, including cooking skills, of those involved in the local tourism industry.

"I know what it is like since I have been operating hotels for quite some time. There has been too much staff pinching in the industry.

"Staff pinching actually adds to the cost of operations because you have to pay more to get your staff. We have to start somewhere to address the issue," said Mustapha, who also runs a nursing college at the Bukit MerahLaketown Resort near Taiping.

He believed that raising the education and skills levels of workers in the hospitality industry would go a long way to help boost Malaysian tourism as there would be more skilled staff to meet the increasing demands of the industry.

"We must remember that we are not competing against ourselves but against others," he said, stressing on competition from neighbours like Thailand and Singapore for the tourist dollar.

In stressing that education was key in terms of employability and higher incomes, Mustapha cited his initiative to provide pre-school classes to Orang Asli children in the Kerian district in Perak some 16 years ago which resulted in many of them receiving tertiary education and becoming gainfully employed.

On Langkawi's tourism potential, Mustapha said areas like cleanliness, fare transparency in the transport system and assistance to tourism-related entrepreneurs in restaurants ought to be given greater attention by the authorities on the island.

For instance, he said many good chefs were operating food stalls on the island but were unfortunately located around not-so-clean surroundings.

He said the authorities ought to examine ways to help these entrepreneurs operate in better surroundings so that they can attract more middle income and higher income tourists instead of just backpackers and locals.

"In the end, you will also help them achieve higher incomes if they operate in clean and appealing environments," he added.

On Ombak Villa to be officially opened later tonight by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mustapha said it was undertaken by MK Land Holdings Bhd's subsidiary, PujaanPasifikSdn Bhd.

The hotel, about five minutes by car from the Langkawi international airport, is the latest phase of the Langkawi Lagoon Resort development, which includes two other hotels, Kuala Melaka Inn and Langkawi Lagoon Beach Front Hotel.

Built at a cost of RM48 million amidst coconut palms and casuarina trees by the beach, the high-end Ombak Villa is modelled along traditional Malay architecture and green building concepts.

All its 79 suites face the Andaman Sea. The list price is RM1,500 a night but a promotional price of RM500 a night is being offered until Dec 19.

To date, MK Land of which Mustapha is its chairman, has invested RM301 million in resorts and hotels. He is also chairman of privately-owned EMKAY Group and in a joint venture, SetiaHarumanSdnBhd, the master developer of Cyberjaya.

source:MJNnews