One plan is the expansion and upgrading of the Penang Inter-national Airport by the Federal Government, which will allow the airport to accommodate more than 12 million passengers annually.Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the project would help to secure more direct flights to Penang.“We have ‘reconnected’ direct flights with various neighbouring countries that were stopped during the pandemic,” he told StarMetro in an interview.
He said more private hospitals had moved to Penang, while conference and convention tourism brought in plenty of tourists. “The Penang Waterfront Convention Centre will soon be ready for events too,” he said, adding that from his meeting with the Penang Convention and Exhi-bition Bureau, he learned that they had events scheduled up to 2031.Penang boasts two Unesco-listed attractions.“New hotels have started operating while old hotels are rebranding and some that were previously shut have reopened.“As for the beach hotels, they were fully booked during the recent National Day.
Wong said the state would be focusing more on the mainland as its approach had been too island-centric for too long. Guests checking in at a hotel in George Town in 2022 as the hospitality sector recovers from the pandemic. — FilepicInternational delegates mingling at a conference held at Setia SPICE arena. The state’s conference and convention tourism subsector is set to grow further. — FilepicA group of ladies enjoying the Penang International Food Festival 2022. Events like this help showcase the state’s culinary scene.