Tourism is bouncing back in Penang with all sorts of events

WITH Covid-19 on the downside, fortunately tourism is on the upswing.

There are now more activities involving crowds held to indicate an upturn to some sense of normalcy, though the healthcare authorities continue to preach caution.

In data from the Health Ministry website, hospital admissions in Penang for Covid-19 cases was only 19 as of March 18, with 129 cases in the first two weeks of this month with no deaths reported in the past week.

While the former Penang Medical Practitioners Society president Dr Parmjit Singh preached abiding by safeguards, as there has been no official shifting from pandemic to endemic status yet – the private sector of tourism is promoting a return to big or niche events.

Safeguards include the recommendation to don face masks in crowded settings, personal hygiene from washing hands constantly to general wellness, and to test if one begins to exhibit the basic symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

One of the remaining events to take precedence in the recovery of tourism, is food and beverage tasting as well as awards recognition events.

The organisers of such shows had to wait for the sector to reflect strong momentum before resuming their own events.

This became evident when Penang executive councillor in charge of travel, Yeoh Soon Hin exclaimed that the return of tourism was going better than anticipated.

"What was initial thought as a revenge form of tourism (where people cooped up for some two years obtained a travel itch), it is now quite sustainable. Domestic tourists continue to be around after 18-months while foreigners are also returning in droves," said veteran travel agent Eric R. Sinnaya.

But Sinnaya said that the level of inbound tourism has yet to be the same as before the pandemic struck in 2020.

"It will require time to instil full confidence, so anything we can do to stimulate travel and demand is welcome," said the Langkawi-based Sinnaya.

Wine tasting returns

This has inspired one of the reputable distributors of wines and spirts up north, AsiaEuro Sdn Bhd, to partner with producers to bring back niche wine tasting events.

One of them was held recently when AsiaEuro partnered with the Park Royal Resort in Penang to bring in the Italian brand Ricasoli, whose wine history reportedly began in 1141.

Brand ambassador Diego Sebastian Todone was in Penang to explain its range to invited guests at the event held at the Gustoso by The Beach outlet of the resort.

Ricasoli comes from the Chianti Classico area. Its soil is resplendent in its gentle hills, velvety valleys and thick woodlands of oaks and chestnuts, of almost 240 hectares of vineyards and 26 olive groves.

The vineyards reside near the Brolio Castle, which is located within the town of Gaiole in Chianti, which is a locality in Siena, within the region of Tuscany. It is about 40 km southeast of Florence.

Todone disclosed that while he is proud of Italian cuisine, many people do not know that the country is the top producer for wine globally.

"Our (Italian) wines are impressive if given a chance to showcase our range. We're not just about food, do explore our wine."

For example, he says that some Italian red can also be consumed like white wine for starters and deserts.

Ricasoli wines are being marketed domestically by AsiaEuro.

As for Malaysian's grasp for wine, he said that the demand for wines is robust.

"I think Malaysia is coming on strong after Thailand and Singapore."

And now with Covid-19 on the decline, Todone hopes that there are more wine tasting events to showcase Italian wines.

Awards season for top businesses

Meanwhile, the awards recognition season for last year's achievements and exploits, among the business community, was held with great fanfare here.

One of it was the northern edition of the Small Medium Enterprise Entrepreneur Business Awards (Seba) annual awards at the Setia Spice Convention Hall.

It was graced by the presence of the Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak and state executive councillor Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein.

Under the theme of unity, Seba seeks to recognise the engine of growth in the macro economy though small medium enterprises (SMES) and budding entrepreneurs.

Some of the SMEs recognised in Seba are on the trajectory towards becoming large local corporations (LLCs), with one day the big aspiration among them is becoming a multinational corporation (MNCs) to compete on a global marketplace.

Seba founder Nitesh Malani said that the theme of unity was suitable in view of the diverse backgrounds that the country's business community hails from.

He singled out the entrepreneur of the year Chan Kee Siak of Rxabytes Group, Lifetime Achievement Recipient Datuk Seri Barkath Ali and Datuk Seri Kadhar Shah Abdul Razak from Nasmir Holdings for their philanthropic work.

Then, there is Datuk Wira Ong Choon Heng of Foundpac Berhad for his entrepreneurship skills, which Seba was inclined to recognise.

Radium Development Berhad, Nextglass Technologies Sdn Bhd and Universal Peak Sdn Bhd were among the winning recipient companies too, Malani said.

Such events generate spill over to tourism in terms of food, hotels, transport and the engagement of the sound visuals operators, many of whom had suffered extensively during the onslaught of Covid-19.

Among those honoured at this year's Seba, were MM Century, Al Ridzuan Travel & Tours, Cattospace Consultancy, Putramed Clinics, VS Logistics & Shipping, Universal Pearl, M-PE Industry, Intracore, Greentech Axis, Radium Development, Meraque Services and Sushi Kitchen Group.

The entrepreneurs recognised were Muhammad Ridzuan Shuhaimi, Rudy Andrew Jeyaraj, Datuk Dr P. Vesnathan, Andy Eu, Datuk Dr Kingston Chang, Mohd Al Shazwan Mohamad Khairul, Datuk Sri Dr Mohamad Feardaus Khairuddin, and Tan Yee Chin (Jing Tan).

Among the board of advisors recognised were Chuah Choon Bin, Lam, Chee Hong, Datuk Wira Ong Choon Heng, Datuk Dr Marina Lalitha David, Zoey Rahman and Nextglass Technologies. – The Vibes, March 26, 2023