PENANG is bracing for a bumper year for tourism after enduring the nightmarish Covid-19 lockdowns that almost drove the industry to the brink of bankruptcy between the years of 2020 and 2022.

Now, two years later, Penang is regaining its status as a preferred tourism destination not only for the northern region but the country, state exco for tourism Wong Hon Wai noted.

With the expansion of the Penang International Airport underway, with now 15 direct international flights flying in as well as plans to tap more outbound locations for airliners to fly to, Wong said that the state hopes that the momentum for tourism can be sustained through the remaining months of the year.

Wong said this ahead of the Malaysian Association of Travel and Tour Agencies (Matta) annual trade fair in George Town.

The fair will be held at the Setia SPICE Arena and Concourse area next weekend on April 27 and 28, respectively.

Although a few hotels remained closed as a result of Covid-19, Penang has also witnessed the opening of five more hotels since 2022, especially from the Ascott and Citadines brands under the Singaporean real estate group CapitalLand Investments.

Business travel has also now emerged as a focal drive in bringing trade visitors, who are also tourists, to the shores of Penang.

Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) chief operating officer Ashwin Gunasekeran said that business trade travel is on the rise and it is now considered among the top contributors in terms of tourist arrivals into the state.

He said that there is room for more convention facilities to be set up in the state.

Apart from the major SPICE convention centre, there is the Butterworth Arena and the major spectacle which is now under construction – the Penang Waterfront Convention Centre off the Penang Bridge.

Ashwin pointed out that business travel will keep the convention centres occupied for major chunks of the year.

Matta Penang chapter chairman Carolyn Leong said some 40,000 visitors are expected to throng their annual event next weekend.

“Registration for exhibitors has concluded. We extend our gratitude to all exhibitors for their unwavering support. They will be fully utilising both the arena and concourse areas,” she said.

In another development, the audio visual equipment segment is experiencing a compound global growth rate of 3.9% annually, with its global market size expected to reach US$169 billion by this year.

Penang would be keen to tap just 5% of the global market for starters, as the audio visual world is rapidly growing in the country, said the organiser of the annual northern international audio & visual show and exhibition here.

The event will be held next weekend too at the SPICE convention centre. – April 24, 2024.