GEORGE TOWN – Penang Hill Corporation today questioned the methodology behind the globally distributed USA Today newspaper’s consensus that Penang’s top tourism landmark is the ninth “tourist trap” and the 14th “most overrated attraction” in its global survey.
Its general manager, Datuk Cheok Lay Leng, said the publication has all the rights to produce the results from its methodology, but it remains to be seen if it is a fair assessment of the hill.
The classification of the hill comes as a surprise as Penang Hill had won many accolades including its designation as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve site in 2021.
The hill had been acclaimed by Unesco for its many natural, historical and cultural attractions and it was known for its artisanal fishing.
The Penang Hill range consists of a series of narrow ridges with the tallest peak standing at 833m tall.
Unesco pronounced that the main objectives of the Biosphere Reserve are conservation, ecosystems services, socio-economic development, maintaining cultural identity, tourism and increasing education amongst many other initiatives.
“We will use any negativity to prove our detractors wrong. I have circulated the ranking by USA Today to all of our stakeholders as a motivation to do better.”
Cheok said that it is also a wake-up call for the service providers including conservationists to improve on their range of services to tourists visiting the peak.
Unlike national parks which are regulated, Cheok said that the corporation needs consent from residents for tour services providers as well as restaurateurs to propose fresh guidelines, aimed at making the hill more interesting while also conserving and preserving nature.
“Perhaps the comments made about the hill came during the peak period when there was a long waiting time. There are many X factors but we will nonetheless take criticism in our stride and hope to improve ourselves,” the former electronics engineer said.
Penangites expressed their dissatisfaction today following the report from USA Today which released its own survey listing the top 100 biggest tourist traps worldwide.
The objective was apparently to provide visitors with the data that they “need before planning to visit a popular tourist destination”.
Penang Hill made it into the top 10 list globally, ninth overall by USA Today, which is distributed in major parts of the country (America) and several locations worldwide, too.
USA Today said it analysed 23.2 million Google reviews of 500 popular tourist attractions in the world, spanning 65 countries in six continents in July 2023, as part of the process of reaching a conclusion to its survey.
The print and digital media had analysed mentions of certain keywords that indicate a common negative sentiment among visitors, such as “tourist trap”, “expensive” and “overrated”, hence the three main categories in the article.
Penang Consumers Protection Association president Datuk K. Koris Atan said that USA Today should have focused on issues confronting the world, from war in Ukraine to distribution to the global supply chain and the global runaway inflation rates.
“It is a waste of time to conduct such a survey as it is subjective in the first place.”
The media should focus on what is hurting people the most, instead of dwelling on sensationalism, said Koris. – The Vibes, September 26, 2023
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