FOLLOWING the success of the Penang Street Food Festival in Bangkok three years ago, the festival is set to take place in May this year.
Datuk Jojie Samuel, the ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand, shared this when he paid a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today at his office.
“After receiving an overwhelming response during the inaugural food festival in Bangkok in 2021, the Penang Street Food Festival 2.0 is expected to be held in early May.
“We hope to get support from the Penang government for the festival.
“The vendors who participated in the previous festival were Malaysian diaspora in Thailand. This year, we would like to include chefs, vendors and cultural troupes directly from Penang,” he said.
Jojie also extended his invitation to Chow to attend the Penang Street Food Festival 2.0 in Bangkok.
“My office had contacted Penang Global Tourism (PGT) to work together in organising the festival and we will be also inviting all the other tourism players to take part as well,” he added.
In response to Jojie’s request, Chow said that the PGT would look into the matter.
Apart from that, Jojie said that Thailand has proposed a common visa arrangement for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia.
“For instance, any tourist holding a Thai visa can travel to any of these six countries and I think Penang stands to benefit from this.
“For Myanmar, the current situation puts it on hold, but maybe in the future, they can join us,” Jojie said.
Among other matters discussed were trade and investment, Penang-Thailand international flights, tourism, and education.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi