PENANG- According to data issued by the Penang Immigration Department on April 17, Penang saw 22,420 tourist arrivals from China in the first quarter of this year, up 370% from 4,767 in the same period last year.
Penang Exco for Creative Economy and Tourism The increase, according to Wong Hon Wai, was caused by direct flights from Penang to China as well as the visa-free regime.
“These are the only people who came from China via direct flights; people who came by other routes, like domestic flights from other states, weren’t taken into account,” Wong stated.
Currently, Xiamen, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong are the destinations of 21 weekly direct flights from China to Penang.
Starting on June 20, China Southern Airlines will expand the number of weekly flights from Guangzhou to Penang to 14. Furthermore, starting on May 31, Juneyao Airlines will operate four weekly flights from Shanghai to Penang, Wong continued.
Increased flight frequency between China and Penang has been hailed by several important industry participants, who see it as a positive step that will help other related sectors.
Chairman of the Association of Tourism Attractions Penang, Datuk Ch’ng Huck Theng, stated that more work has to be done to enhance arriving guests’ initial impressions.
This covers the baggage claim area and our immigration procedure. Toilets require modernization as well.
For visitors to tell their friends about their positive experiences in Penang, Ch’ng continued, it is crucial to make sure their expectations are met.
“Because social media is all about speed, we need to be proactive. If we don’t live up to their expectations, we will either receive “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” very quickly.
Vice-president of the Malaysian Association of Hotels Datuk Khoo Boo Lim emphasized the need for more flights to be sustainable and recommended enhancing Immigration and Customs services to make sure that an increase in tourist arrivals does not result in unfavourable circumstances.
“We must make every effort to guarantee that everyone benefits from the higher passenger load. If not, Khoo stated, “it won’t be sustainable and run the risk of being cancelled in the future.” She also mentioned that hotel occupancy had increased.
Because Chinese visitors do not often use Airbnb, there have been more arrivals and thus higher hotel occupancy rates. The next two quarters of 2024 should see significantly higher occupancy rates, in my opinion.
Jessie Ong, director of Overseas Living MM2H Sdn Bhd, stated that while more arrivals would benefit e-commerce and tourism-related businesses, the Malaysia My Second Home initiative would not be significantly impacted.
She clarified that the program is a long-term social visit pass for foreigners who wish to live in Malaysia, saying, “This is because it is still under review and is not open for applications yet.”
