Tourists flock Penang for Christmas holiday

GEORGE TOWN: Thousands of tourist throng Penang island on Christmas Day as the holiday is in full swing over the long weekend.
Major roads in city centre saw traffic bumper to bumper with holidaymakers were seen roaming the city with cameras snapping pictures of popular destinations.
Vehicles bearing mostly non-Penang registration plates congested the street to as far as Teluk Bahang.
Penang Hill, one of the attractions in Penang, also saw tourists lining up to get their tickets from as early as 6am.
Nurul Huda Ismail, 35, a mother of three said she chose to bring her family to Penang rather than an overseas holiday.
"I used to take my family overseas every year during the school holidays, but due to our weak currency we opted to spend our holiday domestically and Penang is a good place with a lot of attractions," she told theSun.
Nurul Huda from Johor said this is the first time she and her family came to Penang and they didn't want to miss the chance to visit the famous Penang Hill.
She said she managed to get her ticket at about 11am after waiting for nearly an hour at the station.
Penang Hill spokesperson told theSun the funicular train going up to Penang Hill has been operating non-stop since 6.30am.
She said tourists have been flocking to Penang Hill since early this morning and the crowd has been getting bigger.
"Our operations, however, went smoothly and all tourists manage to get their ticket," she said.
A check by theSun's team also saw a group of foreign tourists arriving at Swettenham Pier near Weld Quay during the afternoon.
The tourists arrived on a cruise ship and were greeted by a group of trishaw riders at the pier.
Another attraction that tourists will not miss during their trip in Penang is a visit to nasi kander outlets.
A check by theSun at Line Clear Nasi Kandar saw customers queuing at the popular nasi kandar shop on Penang Road.
Farid Kasnon from Shah Alam, who came with his wife and three sons, said his trip to Penang will not be complete if they don't stop at the famous Nasi Kandar outlet.
"This is my seventh trip to this island, and every trip this nasi kandar shop is a must," said Farid.