Penang tourism sector exclaims in joy after seeing the resilient rebound of the industry, breaking the long spell of pandemic induced hiccups.

The standstill condition on the Penang tourism due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic for the past 2 years is now at its end with the return of the long anticipated buzzling scenes of Penang, particularly during the recent festive season.

During the outbreak of the pandemic, the Penang state government and Penang state EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) spearheaded financial aids and containment plans such the launch of awareness campaign 'Responsible Tourism' and 'Penang Lawn Covid-19 Accreditation' programme to maintain the sustainability of the industry and at the same time, ensuring the livelihood of its players through these initiatives.

The versatility of Penang in catering to different type of travel purposes is further projected through promotional campaigns such as 'The Other Side of the Island - Balik Pulau and Teluk Bahang', 'The Opposite Side of the Island - Seberang Perai and 'Muslim Travel Guide' that showcased the hidden gems of Penang while exploring the potential of Penang in attracting the growing international Muslim tourism segment.

Collaborations with Tourism Malaysia, domestic and international tourism boards, airliners, oversea travel agencies and other strategic partners were carried out in aims to collage ideas and strengthen bonds that align objectives and directions in the long run. MoU and MoC signed have resulted in strategic campaigns like value for money travel packages, affordable direct flight tickets being launched to draw tourists to Penang.

Active participations of oversea trade shows and road shows have elevated the exposure of Penang in the international arena, allowing the opportunities for direct business matching sessions with foreign travel agencies and industry players while first-hand insights of the latest tourism products in Penang were channelled through these sessions.

The latest accreditation from MICHELIN Guide, one of the most notable international food guides on 46 establishments in Penang has further reinforced Penang's status as the food paradise of Asia, tempting gourmet hunters and foodies with the wide range of internationally recognized, cultural and heritage elements heavily infused delicacies that are unique from Penang.

The creative economy of Penang has also generated activities through filming sessions by prominent international film production companies which have chosen Penang as their filming location.

The constant initiatives and effort of the state and the state EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy
(PETACE) during and after the pandemic have contributed greatly to swift recovery of the tourism industry. A sharp rise in direct international flights and the arrival of passengers is one of the significant pointers of the instantaneous recovery. The number of international direct flights has increased from 10 weekly flights in November 2021 to 184 weekly flights in December 2022, marking an increase of 1740%. The arrival of international passengers that rose from 7,367 for the year 2021

to 629,476 in 2022 shown noteworthy increasement of 8445%. The number of passengers movement at Penang International Airport for both arrival and departure of domestic and international passengers too has inclined by 681% compared to the year 2021. (2021 - 543,519 vs
2022 - 4,242,997)

Comparing to data in 2019, the pre pandemic year, the total passenger movement at Penang International Airport in year 2022 has achieved 4,242,997 comparing to 8,331,048 in year 2019, making it a solid 50.93% recovery rate when the borders were opened for only 9 months in year 2022.

The flight frequency has also shown a positive and confident recovery rate where Penang welcomed a total of 184 international flights in December 2022 as compared to 286 international flights in July 2019, generating a 64.34% recovery rate. These exciting numbers are the result of the unremitting effort and initiatives where the recovery is progressing on an unyielding motion even when most of the Asia countries have only loosen up their borders in 04 of 2022.

The state and the state EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE) are confident that the positive vibe of the recovery will continue undoubtably after China reopens its international borders.
The reactivation of marketing programmes and campaigns to attract greater numbers of tourists with the curation of attractive packages and approaches will be shared soon in the near future.