THE Ministry of Transport intends to make the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) the home port for the cruise industry in an effort to bring more tourists to Penang. 

Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said Penang has great tourism potential and he planned to improve the industry. 

“Under the Ministry of Transport, our plan is to implement Fly & Cruise in Penang where SPCT will be used as a home port while the Penang International Airport (PIA) will be upgraded to allow more tourists to visit the state,” he said. 

He said the PIA expansion project would be implemented soon and would act as a catalyst for attracting more tourists to the state. 

In addition, Loke said the new Penang ferry service would start operating Monday, connecting Pengkalan Raja Tun Uda with Pengkalan Sultan Abdul Halim in Butterworth. 

He said apart from the ferry project and PIA expansion, his ministry would also implement the light rail transit project in Penang, which could take longer to be realised. 

“All these plans will be successfully implemented, if Penang remains with the unity government after this state election,” he said. – Bernama, August 5, 2023.