GEORGE TOWN: Penang's tourism sector is bound to thrive further with increasing announcements from airlines establishing direct flights to the state, subsequently positively impacting tourist arrivals and spending.
Outgoing Penang executive councillor for tourism and creative economy Yeoh Soon Hin (pix) said the state government is working hard to lay the foundation in the hope of connecting Penang with major cities in the world.
“We hope to be able to establish direct flights to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Chennai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Beijing, Chengdu, Tokyo, Seoul, Istanbul and Sydney by year-end.
“As I pass my baton to the next tourism councillor, I hope my successor will continue the pursuit of completing these missions to bring those direct flights to Penang International Airport (PIA),“ he told a press conference announcing AirAsia’s newly-resumed flight from Hong Kong to Penang here today.
He added that creating direct air connectivity with key global destinations would present Penang with immense potential in terms of developing tourism, trade and the economy.
Meanwhile, Tourism Malaysia's senior director for international promotion, Manoharan Periasamy said having more airlines deciding to set up direct flights in other cities to Malaysian destinations besides KL International Airport would be good news for the country as a whole.
“Having another city as another point of entry to Malaysia is always good because this will automatically increase the length of tourists’ stay, translating to additional revenue for us in terms of tourist spending,“ he added.
Also present was Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan and non-executive director of Capital A, Datuk Abdul Aziz Bakar
AirAsia today celebrated its newly-resumed flight from Hong Kong to Penang, which would be operated on a thrice weekly frequency.
Flight AK2280 departed from Hong Kong International Airport and arrived at PIA at 2.55pm with an impressive load of 96 per cent. Guests on board the flight were welcomed with a water cannon salute and were treated to exclusive AirAsia merchandise. -Bernama
