Tourism blossoming up north post-pandemic

TOURISM continues to solidify itself in the northern part of the peninsula with both Penang and Kedah (Langkawi) making plans to grow the industry post-Covid 19.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are now over six million Covid-19-related deaths globally, with untold economic damage.

The notices to cover up and to self-quarantine if there are symptoms remained as a quick alert to the masses to stay vigilant.

But life must go on, hence the effort by the tourism authorities to position their destinations on a better footing than before Covid-19 struck.

In Penang, it is about opening up new attractions, offering more crowd-pulling events and attracting more investors to boost the hospitality industry.

As the first state to regulate commercial homestays and short-term accommodation services, the state executive councillor here, who oversees tourism, wants more bona fide hotels to establish their properties here.

Yeoh Soon Hin believes that there is room for more hotels to set up shop in Penang.

In the next 20 months, a major attraction will be unearthed with the opening up of Gurney Bay from the reclaimed stretch of Gurney Drive.

Previously known as Gurney Walk, it is now called Gurney Bay to symbolise the public recreational grounds, the eateries and commercial arcades it will represent.

Yeoh said upon completion, the attraction will be a must-see for both residents and tourists alike.

Speaking of hotels, a new Holiday Inn & Suites property is expected to be fully opened by mid-December this year on the mainland (Seberang Prai).

Offering some 332 rooms, the hotel will be the first Holiday Inn brand on the mainland – a testament to the growth of tourism on the state's hinterland of Prai.

The other Holiday Inn Resort in Batu Ferringhi closed down in 2020 during the lockdowns.

The new one in Seberang Prai will also offer a pillar-less ballroom to accommodate 1,000 guests and cater to business – events near Bukit Mertajam.

While a new property comes, an old one has just undergone a major renovation with the premise to offer better services, food tasting and staying experience to its guests.

The Singaporean-owned G Hotel has rebranded itself as a chic and food-craze hotel with several food and beverages outlets on offer within its compound.

It also relaunched its Tree Bar outlet recently with new food and drink concoctions.

Several metres away is the local Hunza developer Group-owned Gurney Paragon Mall.

It had announced the arrival of new tenants, as it tries to stay relevant in the highly competitive retail scene, which has suffered from both the pandemic and online shopping.

The tenants are Decathlon, Nitori, MST Golf, MST Golf Arena and BoomGrow-Solarvest.

Meanwhile, one of the state's vigorous tourism-related agency is the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) business-related events with over 2,500 worth of meetings, conventions, incentives and exhibitions (MICE) to entice travellers over.

Its chief executive officer, Ashwin Gunasekeran, remains confident of Penang's stature as a leading MICE destination despite the earlier concerns over Covid-19.

For this year, PCEB is forecasting about 2,500 events with 260,000 delegates gathering and generating RM1 billion in its estimated economic impact.

For this month, there is the Province Wellesley Gold and Silver Trade Fair 2023 (PWGS), which will be held at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre from Friday to Sunday.

Some 100 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors from across the country are expected.

On hand to announce the inaugural event was Yeoh Soon Hin, Ashwin and the Federation of Goldsmiths and Jewellers Association of Malaysia chairman Datuk Chiah Hock Yew and Law Chin Hui, president of PWGS Association.

"Penang’s gold and jewellery industry has a rich history spanning over 100 years, and it is a significant contributor to the precious stones national industry," said Yeoh.

To ensure that tourists do not get overwhelmed by the heatwave, the Penang Hindu Sabah (PHS) was inspired to plant 111 trees on Penang Hill to mark the 100th anniversary of the hill's funicular train service.

The non-government organisation will embark on the project dubbed “1 Tree, 1 Life”.

Among those present at the launch were state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, PHS president M. Kirubanandan, secretary, Arvind Poobalan and Penang Hill Corporation general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Lean.

Phee spoke passionately of the environmentally induced green wave to counter the heatwave, which is triggered due to the rapid effects of climate change.

To escape the heat, tree coverings are now more important than ever, said Phee.

Meanwhile in Langkawi, the island's development authority (Lada) is making plans to ensure it is successful in the revalidation of its status as a Unesco geology (geo) – park.

It is a huge appreciation and achievement for the island to be certified as a global geopark, said LADA tourism division manager Dr Azmil Munif Mohd Bukhari.

The geo-park status allows the island to further promote and cement its status as a leading destination for ecology-related tourism.

It also promotes green tourism and sustainable practises, while ensuring that the local population is wired into the concept of conservationism and preservation.

Over at the Yellow Cafe in Langkawi, its Luxembourg-born operator Thierry Phal spoke of how a vegan diet is the way to go in dealing with the heatwave.

"We want to promote a vegan diet as an alternative to traditional cuisine and snacks. We want our bodies to deal and heal better when facing the adverse temperature."

Phal said that in view that the younger generation is now more conscious of healthy living, which comes with eating right and maintaining a fitness regiment, his beach cafe along the Chenang beachfront, has become the first outlet to be innovative.

It has become the first along the tourism belt here to offer a vegan menu as an alternative to the traditional potatoes and meat cravings.

Phal has spent much effort preparing the dishes with the help of his Ukraine and French partners to promote a vegan menu. – The Vibes, June 7, 2023