By V. Sivaji
With the reopening of international borders tomorrow, Penang hopes to welcome tourists from the ASEAN region in the interim period.
Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy Yeoh Soon Hin said that among those who might travel here are those from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and also the Middle East.
“Meanwhile, we are negotiating with the different airlines to restart their direct flights here. Even during the pandemic, we have been talking to the various airlines.
“Eventually, we have a high level of confidence that they will come back to Penang. they also have their business plans to move forward,” said Yeoh after officiating the “Crime & Safety Consciousness For Tourism Related non- governmental agencies (NGO) in Penang at the Komtar Auditorium here today.
Also present was the chairman of Crime Consciousness & Public Safety Society, Dato Mohamad Anil Shah.
“I congratulate the organisers for bringing together all of these NGOs for this forum. It is not an easy feat. This is a very meaningful forum in view of the reopening of the international borders tomorrow” said Anil Shah.
Meanwhile, Yeoh also expressed his gratitude for the organisers in holding this meeting as sometimes there are legalities involved for the safety and security when dealing with travellers and tourists.
“We have also installed AED kiosks all around Penang fitted with emergency defibrillators to assist cardiac arrest victims. This is a “first” in Malaysia. The project is part of the “Responsible Tourism” promoted by the state of Penang,” added Yeoh.
He later presented souvenirs of participation for the participants in the forum.
Others present were Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) chief executive officer, Ashwin Gunasekeran, Jamil Abdullah from the Fire and Rescue Department, State Welfare Department’s Noraziana Ibrahim, Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang Chapter representative, John Kim among others.
