As of 1 July 2016, the Langkawi Municipal Council City of Tourism introduced a fee of between RM1 and RM9 on tourists for every day of their stay on the resort island. The fee is charged according to the standard of accommodation. Tourists staying in one-star or two-star hotels are charged RM1 per room per night; three-star or four-star accommodation, RM3; five-star, RM5; six-star, RM7; and seven-star accommodation, RM9.

The increased revenue will help fund improvements to the infrastructure, public facilities and services, all of which have been designed for tourists. Until now the council’s revenue has only come from the population. 110,000 people live on Langkawi, while approximately three million tourists visit the island every year. Kedah Tourism Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid said, “If we can collect a satisfactory amount of levy, we can implement more tourism-related programmes for the benefit of the tourists.”