GEORGE TOWN – Although the tourism industry in Penang is on the rebound, the state needs to introduce more initiative to sustain the momentum, said state exco Yeoh Soon Hin.
As the exco for tourism, he said Penang needs new strategies and attractions to keep its status as the preferred destination.
“I will be pushing for more direct international flights and to make Penang a homeport for international leisure cruises.
“We are in the final phase of establishing the Penang Aviation and Cruise Liaison Committee to help implement the fly-cruise concept here. This should encourage tourists to spend more time here and increase their expenditure, eventually propelling the growth of the local economy.”
He added that Penang was the first state to work with the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents to promote the association’s travel portal as an alternative to foreign-based travel sites.
Yeoh said this yesterday after gracing a dinner hosted by the Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (Atap) at a hotel here.
Before the pandemic, travel was one of the most important economic sectors in the world economy, accounting for 10% of the global gross domestic product and employing more than 320 million jobs worldwide.
Next month, Penang will be hosting the World Congress of Information Technology (WCIT) 2022.
It will shine the spotlight on Penang’s business travel industry as the state welcomes over 4,000 delegates from more than 80 countries, said Yeoh.
Meanwhile, Atap chairman Datuk Ch’ng Huck Theng implored the private sector to enhance their networking and develop new packages to enliven tourism here.
“We are grateful that the state government listened to us during the lockdown and we hope such public-private partnership will continue during the recovery period. We still have a long way to go to see a full recovery.”
Despite the robust numbers of tourists, Penang, like many other major destinations, also suffers from an acute labour shortage, particularly in the food and beverage sector as well as the hospitality industry.
The most worrying factor for the industry is the inflationary pressure which has made living costs higher too, said travel trade veteran Eric R. Sinnaya. – The Vibes, August 10, 2022
