Squash queen Datuk Nicol David was named the Tourism Ambassador for Penang in a ceremony held at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel here.
Present at the unveiling ceremony was Penang Governor Tun Dato Seri Utama Ahmad Fauzi Abdul Razak accompanied by Penang Chief Minister, Chow Kon Yeow.
Also present was Penang state exco for Tourism and creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin along with the Consulate General of Japan, Orikasa Hiroyuki, Penang Global Tourism chief executive officer, Ooi Chok Yan and Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau Ceo, Ashwin Gunasekeran.
Others were Malaysian Association of Hotels (National) VP, Khoo Boo Lim and MAH Penang Chapter chairman Raj Kumar. Also seen was Tourism Malaysia Penang Assistant director Siti Hajar.
Chow in his address hailed the appointment as timely to promote Penang as a safe destination for tourists and hopefully later for foreign tourists.
“We have allocated RM50 million for tourism development projects, tourism destination promotion activities, grants to the state subsidiaries and agencies.
“I am delighted to announce the Penang State Government’s appointment of Datuk Nicol David as the Tourism Ambassador of Penang for the year 2022,” added Chow.
Meanwhile, Yeoh in his address, is part of the state’s efforts to revitalize Penang’s tourism industry in the post-Covid era.
“Nicol will be the face of Penang in boosting the tourism image of Penang both domestically and internationally as we expect more restrictions to be eased next year when a greater population gets fully vaccinated.
“This appointment is also a way for the state in recognizing Penang talents, across different fields and genders. Her illustrious decades of achievement in squash is a feat to be proud of, including winning all the major tournaments in squash and holding the world number one title for a record-breaking of 108 consecutive months. She was also crowned the World Games’ Greatest Athlete of All Time this year,” added Yeoh.
He also added that Nicol will be highlighting places of interests and things to do in Penang, from her own perspective.
“Penang is so rich in terms of its attractions, both on the island and Seberang Prai which are worth to be acknowledged. The state government has been promoting less explored destinations such as Balik Pulau, Teluk Bahang and Seberang Perai, as an initiative to uphold inclusivity in efforts to reach out to more local communities and increase their livelihoods,” ended Yeoh.
