Ex-LADA Ceo To Promote 'Ikigai' Tourism Through New Appointment

By Hamdan Ismail LANGKAWI (Kedah, Malaysia) Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Former Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) chief executive officer Khalid Ramli has returned to the island in a different capacity and is eager to pursue the Japanese concept of ‘Ikigai’ in his new appointment. Khalid, who retired as the LADA CEO in December 2016 and took a year’s rest before agreeing to become the chairman of Tropical Charters Sdn Bhd last January, said Langkawi was very close to his heart and he felt that he still had something more to contribute to the island. “(Before) I was on the other side of the fence (as LADA CEO) but now I am in a different role (as Tropical Charters chairman) and intend to bring this company to another level of excellence,” he said in a media introduction session Monday. He said the Ikigai or Japanese concept that means ‘ a reason for being’, would suit Tropical Charters, a tour services company formed in 2009, to transform its business plan that would include the introduction of new products and re-branding existing ones. “We are going to incorporate the Ikigai experience in our products and values that we think not only will boost the number of Japanese tourists but also tourists from other countries who want to understand more about the concept,” he said Khalid said that in promoting this concept, Tropical Charters, which all the while had concentrated on marine tour services, would start a new eco-tourism product in Tuba, one of the islands under the Langkawi archipelago, which would cater for high-end tourists. “We would also be charting a new plan for our CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities so that the efforts will benefit both the company and the beneficiaries, in tandem with the philosophy drawn up under Langkawi as a Global Geopark,” he added. Meanwhile, Tropical Charters chief executive officer Alexander Isaac said the appointment of Khalid as chairman would transform the company as one of the leading tourism players here to a new level of excellence. “He (Khalid) brings with him a vast amount of experience and knowledge that we will never achieve on our own, especially when he led LADA to enable Langkawi to experience a big leap in tourism development during his tenure,” he added. -- BERNAMA