SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 16 October 2019 – In conjunction with the Penang State Tourism’s year-long campaign
to usher in the excitement of Visit Malaysia Year
2020, the Penang Global Tourism launched ‘Experience
Penang 2020’ this evening, to a host of media friends, trade partners and
business associates at PARKROYAL on Beach Road in Singapore.
According to statistics from Penang
Immigration, visitor arrivals hit a record high for the period Jan-Aug 2019, with
a 207.67% increase to 89,535 from 29,101 in the same period last year. Of the
visitor arrivals comprising mainly from Southeast
Asia, east Asia, Australia, the UK, and the US, Singapore registered as the
second highest.
The ‘Experience
Penang 2020’ campaign, with the tagline The
Diversity of Asia, encompasses diverse elements of beauty, fun,
amusement, excitement and satisfaction. With the rise in demand for experiential travel, the campaign aims to
highlight all of Penang’s splendour to visitors locally and abroad showcasing
every aspect of Penang’s amazing diversity in culture, heritage, arts, food as
well as its natural surroundings of sandy beaches, breathtaking hills and
cityscapes.
Shining spotlight on
some of Penang’s local attractions and festivals, the event brought together a
diverse mix of partners across retail, hotel, travel, dining, nightlife,
culture and entertainment itineraries. Amongst the highlights are some of the
world’s first, including the World’s Highest Ropes Course Challenge, World’s
Longest Water Slide at 1,111-meter-long, World’s Highest Altitude
Stressed Ribbon Bridge, World’s First Tower Curved
Skywalk, World’s First Free
Standing Vertical Drop Slide, and World’s First Tropical Butterfly
& Insect Sanctuary. From
luxurious city-highs to unconventional adventures, epicurean and cultural
delights, guests had the opportunity to witness some of Penang’s unending
excitement.
Officiating the launch event, Guest-of-Honour, YB Yeoh
Soon Hin, Penang State EXCO for Tourism, Arts, Culture & Heritage (PETACH)
shared a series of exciting plans for Penang in 2020, “The tourism sector is one of the state’s economic main
contributors that is progressing well each year and have hit an all-time high
of 7.79 million passengers last year, an increase from 7.2 million passengers
achieved in 2017. Penang has been enjoying renewed adoration both by local and
foreign tourists, and Singapore has always remained in the top 3 among total
international passenger arrivals in the past 5 years. Adding to this unending
excitement, visitors to Penang can also experience the amazing new attractions,
festivals and happenings all year round – presenting an ideal destination for a
truly unique experience of Asia’s diversity.”
Ooi Chok
Yan, CEO of Penang Global Tourism said, ” Most visitors to Penang are familiar
with Georgetown’s history, culture and accolades, but there is more to Penang
than that. Apart from the expansive tourism business, Penang is also ho me to a diverse
mix of cities, islands and entire countries for adventures — and one of the
major developments for 2020 is centred on global connectivity. Plans in place
include new flights and frequencies, expansion projects at main tourist arrival
gateways at Penang International Airport and Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal;
improved transport infrastructure at Penang Sentral (comprehensive public transportation hub integrating
bus, railway and sea transportation), Penang LRT project across a 30km route,
new hotels and more.”
From time-honoured recipes to heritage trades
and arts, Experience Penang 2020 aims to engage
local and foreign visitors through sharing more about the unconventional
experiences in Penang – broadly organised into the three key pillars of:
1. Culture / Heritage: Showcasing Penang’s
local heritage and rediscovery through Malaysia’s best-restored and re-adaptive
traditional architecture and heritage trades.
2. Nature / Adventure: Explore the
fascinating world of Penang’s lush greenery and landscapes, from the more laid-back walking trails, to an
adventure throve up in the hills.
3. Food / Art / Lifestyle: Featuring
Penang’s most immersive experiences evolving on the modern pursuit of foodie
culture, street-art, entertainment and nightlife.
For more information, please visit: http://mypenang.gov.my/ .
Hi-res images:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7b3l3ag45fjfblc/AABMZ13_sUBw8jMPZmAL0hIUa?dl=0
Penang Global Tourism
Set up to promote, market and generate tourism for the Penang State in
Malaysia, Penang Global Tourism (PGT) is a tourism bureau which serves as a
focal point for coordinating all tourism activities. PGT works closely with
various key tourism industry players locally and abroad. PGT participates in
overseas sales missions at world-renowned trade shows, and the exposure has
contributed to Penang’s popularity as a destination, investment and home of
choice for many from around the world. For more information, visit: http://mypenang.gov.my/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penangglobal.tourism/
Instagram: @penang.experience
Hashtag:
#ExperiencePenang
TikTok ID:
experiencepenang
Experience Penang 2020
Experience Penang 2020 (EPY2020) is a campaign by the
Penang State Committee for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage to promote
enriching, authentic and immersive local experience for visiting travellers. The campaign showcases every aspect of Penang’s
amazing diversity through its culture, heritage, arts, food as well as its
natural surroundings. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, culture and
heritage is at the root of everything in Penang’s capital city, George Town.
Amid the city’s fascinating colonial buildings and century old trading shophouses,
you will find its characteristics of past and present, places of worship
displaying the peoples’ rich and diverse spiritual faiths, clan houses and its
much raved about culinary cuisines. With one of Asia’s greatest culinary
traditions living on in Penang’s coffee shops and fine dining establishments,
an exciting escapade awaits!
