By V. Sivaji
The Penang Chapter of SKAL International was relaunched at a gathering held at the Hompton By The Beach Penang here.
Some 40 members and guests gathered to share ideas, explore business opportunities and forge camaraderie at the event.
The new chapter will be led by FC Chong who is an experienced hotelier and also a hospitality industry consultant.
According to Chong, they will play a part in the promotion of tourism and related activities in the state.
“We already have several ideas and proposals in the pipeline and hope to implement them in due process. Among them is the Penang Gourmet, Art and Cultural event that will highlight the state’s rich food heritage, art and unique cultural history.
“The project is in line with the promotion of the national initiative for Visit Malaysia 2026. It is expected to run from November this year to Jan 2026,” added Chong.
They will also help promote Penang as the preferred tourism destination to local and regional markets.
FC Chong – president of SKAL International Penang
Meanwhile, the Vice-President 1 is Eugene Dass who is also the chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah/Perlis Chapter along with Ben Ho as the Vice President 2 who is also the general manager of the Lexis Suites Penang.
Ho is also the VP for MAH Penang Chapter.
Other office bearers include Dato Khoo Boo Lim who will be the Secretary. Khoo is also the Vice President of MAH national. Davidde Ong, general manager of Angsana Teluk Bahang Penang is the Treasurer of the organisation.
Other committee members are Adrian Praveen, Eugene Goh, Paul Choong, Jeremy Clark, Suffian Phang (general manager of Hompton By The Beach Penang ) and Ashwin Gunasekeran (CEO of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau).
Several members from SKAL International Kuala Lumpur were also on hand to end support to the newly formed organisation.
SKAL International is a global network of tourism professionals that promotes tourism, friendship and business all in one go.
It is touted as the only international organisation that unites the entire travel and tourism industry.
