FOLLOWING last week’s launch of the “Penang Durian Travel Packages” and multilingual durian promotional brochures in Hong Kong, Penang state executive councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy, Wong Hon Wai, has introduced yet another initiative to further promote Penang’s durian tourism.
This time, the Penang government has assisted China Southern Airlines Penang Office in connecting with the Penang Fruit Farmers Association to launch the “Fly China Southern to Penang, Savour Durian and Return with Lasting Memories” durian tourism promotion initiative.
Wong said the initiative aims to attract more China tourists to follow the flight route to Penang, immerse themselves in the aroma of durian upon arrival, and personally experience the unique appeal of Penang’s “King of Fruits”.
He added that under this initiative, passengers holding a China Southern Airlines boarding pass may, upon arrival in Penang, present their boarding pass at participating durian stalls displaying the “Fly China Southern to Penang, Savour Durian and Return with Lasting Memories” promotional poster to enjoy Penang durians at a 10% discount.
Wong said the arrangement is not merely a tourism promotion, but also an effort to integrate air passenger traffic, the durian season and tourism spending into a mutually reinforcing value chain.
“This initiative seeks to attract more durian lovers from China to Penang, to fly with China Southern Airlines during the durian season and personally savour the taste of the King of Fruits. At the same time, it will help enhance the visibility of Penang’s durian tourism in the China market and contribute towards expanding Penang’s durian tourism outreach to China,” he said.
Wong noted that the Chinese market’s love and demand for Malaysian durians has grown significantly in recent years.
He added that in recent years, China social media platforms such as “Xiaohongshu” and “Douyin” are packed with posts by China tourists sharing their experiences of travelling to Penang to enjoy durians, often under the popular idea of achieving “durian freedom”.
“The influence of social media, coupled with Malaysia’s visa-free policy for China tourists, has further boosted interest and demand among Chinese visitors for Penang’s durian tourism. Apart from visiting orchards and tasting durians, many tourists also extend their itineraries to visit nearby attractions, shop, dine and stay in the surrounding areas. This, in turn, generates spillover benefits across tourism, agriculture, retail, food and beverage, accommodation and transport sectors,” he said.
He said this clearly shows that durian tourism is gradually developing into a highly promising niche segment within Penang’s tourism industry, with the potential to generate considerable tourism economic benefits for the state.
Wong also said that to date, more than 20 Penang durian sellers have joined the durian tourism promotion initiative, with participating durian stalls located across both Penang island and Seberang Perai.
He also welcomed more Penang durian operators to respond positively and take part in the initiative.
“The list of participating operators may continue to expand. Other durian operators who are interested in joining this promotional initiative may contact the Penang Fruit Farmers Association, so that we can work together to bring Penang’s durian tourism to a wider China visitor market,” he said.
Pix courtesy of Penang state exco for Tourism and Creative Economy office (Petace)