GEORGE TOWN – The Penang government aims to emphasise domestic tourism in the first half of 2021, in hopes of reviving the state’s tourism industry and stimulating growth of the local economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement today, Penang exco for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) Yeoh Soon Hin said that domestic tourism, focusing on family-oriented vacations, eco-tourism, and creative cultural tourism, was necessary to sustain the tourism industry and fill the void left by international tourists, whose return is still uncertain.
Despite the challenges in reviving the tourism industry in 2021, Yeoh remained hopeful of working towards a V-shaped recovery and rebound when the vaccine is publicly accessible and applicable.
“Although the Covid-19 pandemic has strong impacts on the global tourism industry, we observed that this does not diminish people’s desire for travel and tourism. In order to tap into this, many nations are now formulating strategies and tailoring plans to prepare for its revival and transformation,” he said.
He also said that PETACE will develop strategies for the creative economy aligned with the United Nations’ declaration for 2021 as the “International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development”.
“Creative economy has huge potential in stimulating economic development. We will be launching a series of creative economy activities next year to encourage aspiring Penangites to step forward and unleash their creativity and innovation,” he said.
He added that PETACE and Penang Global Tourism would soon announce a campaign to introduce tourism activities through collaboration with industry players and stakeholders. – Bernama, January 1, 2021
