PENANG’s tourism is set to benefit after the state has been appointed as one of the official sponsors for the Malaysia International Travel Mart (MITM) Travel Fair 2022.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said they would exhibit the diverse faces of Penang at the three-day fair to be held in Mid Valley Exhibition Centre in Kuala Lumpur from July 8 to 10.
The fair, which was not held for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is organised by the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association (MCTA).
“The MITM Travel Fair, which started in 2001, is one of the most sought-after travel fairs for the tour operators, national tourism organisations and travel trades.
“This is a chance for Penang to present itself as a preferred destination to a wider reach of domestic and international travellers.
“Traveling, to many people, is part of their lifestyle. We want to see a recovery in tourism and we are committed to rebooting our tourism sector in all our efforts.
“Kudos to the Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association for their effort in preserving this long-running platform.
“We are excited about showcasing Penang through this effort,” he said in his speech before witnessing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing ceremony between state agency Penang Global Tourism (PGT) and MCTA at Mercure Penang Beach Hotel in Tanjung Bungah today.
MCTA president Paul Paw welcomed everyone to visit the travel fair to purchase the travel packages and air tickets.
“It will gather the best tourism players and travel trades under one roof. A wide range of attractive travel packages, airfares and travel-related products and services are available.
“We estimate about 80,000 people to visit the upcoming travel fair,” he said.
A similar fair will take place in Penang (July 2-July 3) and Ipoh (July 1-July3).
Meanwhile, Yeoh also said that a new tourism product in the state would be introduced soon.
“We need to capitalise our natural resources to transform it into a new tourism product,” he said.
Among those present were PGT chief executive officer Ooi Chok Yan, MITM Travel Fair 2022 organising committee chairman Patrick Law and Malaysian Association of Hotel (MAH) Penang chapter chairman Tony Goh.
Story and pix by Edmund Lee