The Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has embarked on a preliminary promotional trip to India with the aim to reconnect and revive the tourism and business events industry in Penang and India through press conferences and networking night.

The Preliminary Promotional Trip to India is essential for demonstrating the market readiness in India. Some of the Indian local airlines, have expressed interest in expanding into Penang after attending PCEB’s annual roadshow last year. Following the interest, the PCEB team together with YB Yeoh Soon Hin, the State Executive Councillor for Tourism & Creative Economy had a meeting with a few airlines to discuss direct flights opportunities to Penang from key cities in India. It is essential to maintain marketing momentum in order to keep airlines enthusiastic about the Penang-India link.

“The efforts to ensure tourism is sustainable was taken well into consideration by incorporating the idea of Responsible Tourism into the travel and tourism sector post pandemic. Penang is the first state in Malaysia to launch a well-designed SOS safety APP, making Penang once again the trendsetter in Malaysia’s tourism environment. With your support, we can restore travellers’ confidence to visit Penang and ensure that it remains a top destination for people from all over the world”, said Yeoh Soon Hin, the state executive councillor for Tourism & Creative Economy.

 “PCEB’s dedication has not wavered, and our team is dedicated to fostering mutually beneficial relationships and working closely with the Indian community. The establishment of a direct flight between India and Penang is one of the primary topics of conversation at the moment. We are already in discussion with airlines both in India and in Malaysia about the possibility of establishing additional direct flight routes between Penang and key cities in India,” said Ashwin Gunasekaran, the chief executive officer of Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau.

“Penang has historically seen a healthy inflow of travellers from India: for leisure and business travellers as well as corporate events. As Malaysia’s national airline, we are constantly working towards making Malaysia a preferred destination and are committed to help enhance Malaysia’s market share for the MICE industry. With the collective goal to strengthen connections and reinvigorate the Penang economy, Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB). We are confident that this alliance will prove to be positive for both PCEB and MAG in many ways. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial business relationship with PCEB.” Amit Mehta country manager- South Asia, Malaysia Airlines.

India, the largest country in South Asia has been one of the top 5 visitors to Malaysia for a decade and shows no sign of hitting the brakes. India’s outbound tourism market is only second to China’s. With the Indian market being a key focus area for PCEB, the bureau is gearing up for its annual roadshow to the country in the early months of 2023.