IT is a shame that Langkawi International Airport is not getting direct international flights other than from Singapore via Silk Air, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

Calling on Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia to look into providing direct international flights or transit flights via Langkawi, she said:

"The airport, which is an international one, is not getting international flights other than from Singapore."

The ministry would write to MAS and AirAsia to provide direct international flights to Langkawi, Azalina said after this listening to a briefing on Geopark attractions in Langkawi on Monday.

She said Langkawi needed more direct international flights to attract more tourists.

She also said the ministry had allocated RM10mil to implement tourism projects in Langkawi last year and this year.

The projects include upgrading the pedestrian walkway in Pantai Cenang and upgrading public toilets at tourist attraction sites such as Pasir Hitam.

Azalina said that having Langkawi declared as part of the Unesco network of global geopark was something to be proud of.

"But we need to package the product and make it saleable.

"This is in line with our objective to sell unique attractions in Malaysia," she said.

She also said that although Langkawi was a duty free zone, "people are complaining that there are no new products."