By V. Sivaji
Experience Penang Year 2020 was launched at the Hotel Equatorial with much much glitz and glamour where guests from the the travel and tourism industry gathered.
On hand to launch the much anticipated event was Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and state exco for Tourism Development, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Yeoh Soon Hin.
In his opening speech, Yeoh shared that Penang was highlighted by CNN Travel as one of Asia’s best destinations in its article on “Best Places to Visit for the Ultimate Asia Experience”.
“Penang was placed among 17 of Asia’s best destinations alongside Bali, Seoul, Siem Reap, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Maldives and others.
“Penang is hailed as a mecca for food and architecture lovers through its ‘British colonial architecture, Buddhist temples, ornate Chinese manor houses’ as well as a top food destination.
“It showed that our tourism is heading towards the right direction in our promotion on Penang experiences (#EPY2020) for travellers.
He also added that the feature by CNN Travel highlighted Penang’s appeal as a tourism destination in the region and Asia, which is timely with the launching of Experience Penang Year 2020 to further promote Penang’s presence in the region.
“The article reinforces the perception of Penang as a melting pot which made us a vibrant destination due to our culture, cuisine and so much more.
“Experience is now key in the travelling industry, and that is our inspiration behind the launching of Experience Penang Year 2020 at state-level with the tagline The Diversity of Asia, in line with Visit Malaysia Year 2020 to bring in 30 million tourists and RM100bil in tourists receipts to the country.”
Yeoh said the current tourism trend now is that people travel to discover more about the local culture and connect on a cultural level with locals which includes the lifestyle, history, art, culture, heritage and architecture.
“For the coming years, we want to similarly promote our nature and mainland counterpart as one of the focus for #EPY2020 alongside food and architecture to enhance tourist experience in Penang in more ways than one,” said Yeoh.