By V. Sivaji
As part of Penang State Government’s initiatives to rejuvenate and reignite the tourism sector, Penang Global Tourism (PGT) and Klook, a world-leading travel and leisure platform signed an MOU.
The partnership dubbed, “Raise Your Heartbeat in Penang” will see a series of marketing initiatives taking place to encourage Malaysians to visit the must-see destinations.
On hand to witness the MOU signing was Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy, YB Yeoh Soon Hin.
Signing on behalf of PGT was its chief executive officer, Ooi Chok Yan while Abigail Ngai (Klook Marketing Malaysia) representing Chuan Sheng Soong, Vice President, Corporate Development, Klook.
Also present were stakeholders from the industry namely, Penang Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Jonathan Freddy Bagang, Siti Hajar deputy director Tourism Malaysia, Khoo Boo Lim VP MAH National, Ken Tan AirAsia Penang, Joseph Goh, Datuk Seri R. Arunasalam from Entopia among others.
“I am pleased to see the collaboration between PGT and Klook which will entice more visitors and uplift the local business community.
“This partnership hopes to diversify Penang’s offerings and showcase off-the-beaten-path and less visited areas,” added Yeoh.
He also encouraged travel and leisure businesses to digitize marketing capabilities to reach new target audiences and enhance experience.
The collaboration will also see consumers standing a chance to redeem up to RM150 worth of travel vouchers as part of the campaign.
In a related development, with regards to the shortage of manpower for the hospitality industry, Yeoh added that the state is encouraging more locals to take up positions in the industry.
“We recently held seminars and workshops to train more locals, particularly for the front office department. In the meantime, we also encourage automation on check-in and similar sections in hotels to alleviate the dependence on workers.
“Nevertheless, we stress visitors and travelers to adopt “Responsible Tourism” at all times.
The occasion also saw the symbolic release of butterflies courtesy of Entopia.
