GEORGE TOWN: More tourists from the Middle East are heading to Penang and other cities in South-East Asia following political uncertainty in Egypt. Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang Chapter president Marco Battistotti said many of them normally frequented Cairo for their holidays but were now giving the Egyptian capital a miss.
He said 89,000 tourists from the Middle East had visited Penang from April to August this year compared to 81,000 in the same period last year. “Hotels in Penang received 16,000 advance bookings this month and next month compared to 11,000 in the same period last year.” Battistotti said most of the tourists preferred to stay by the beach to enjoy watersport activities apart from shopping.
A check showed that Middle East tourists made up between 70% and 85% of foreign visitors staying in hotels in Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi from July to September. Parkroyal Hotel marketing manager Saw Wei Wei said the hotel was expecting more Middle East tourists to arrive next week after Hari Raya. Flamingo Hotel senior sales and marketing manager Sharene Ng said September and October were popular months for Middle East newlyweds to come to Penang for their honeymoon.
Penang Global Tourism (PGT) manager Karen Koo said Penang was a popular destination among Middle East tourists because of the easy availability of halal food. She said PGT had aggressively promoted Penang at the Arab Travel Mart in Dubai from May 2 to May 5. “We had over 400 enquiries about Penang. We have been promoting Penang as a destination that has a little bit of everything – culture, heritage, eco-tourism and beaches,” she said.
-thestar online.
The credits also must be given to Tourism Malaysia which include their office in Dubai and Jeddah in promoting and marketing Malaysia including Penang as a preferred destination for family and honeymooners. Tourism Malaysia's close relation with the tour operators and airlines really boost the packages offered and sold in the gulf region.
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