GEORGE TOWN: Penang has seen a sharp rise in direct flights and movement of passengers since the reopening of international borders in April.
The number of international direct flights has increased from 12 weekly flights in January this year to 106 weekly flights this month, an increase of 783 per cent.
As for the arrival of international passengers, it rose from 1,453 in January this year to 58,553 in June, an increase of 3,929 per cent.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said these statistics clearly showed that Penang remained one of the preferred destinations by international travellers.
It also ensured Penang had the highest number of international direct flights after the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).
"Penang tourism has certainly bounced back strong since the reopening of international borders after a series of initiatives and campaigns taken at the domestic and international platforms.
"We will not be contented by these numbers and will continue our efforts to position Penang as one of the top tourism destinations on the global stage," he told newsmen on Penang's tourism recovery since the reopening of international borders.
Elaborating, Yeoh said most of the international arrivals at the Penang International Airport were from Asean countries, namely Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
"We have 52 weekly flights from Singapore, 21 weekly flights from Medan and 17 weekly flights from Bangkok.
"We are in talks with several other airlines for them to fly directly into Penang. We are now in talks to have direct flights from Hong Kong.
"We are also in discussions to have direct flights from India and the Middle East," he said, adding that it would take some time for it to materialise as Malaysia had just opened up its international borders in April.
There are now 20 flights arriving and departing from the Penang International Airport daily compared with between 26 and 30 daily pre-pandemic, involving both domestic and international flights.
Yeoh also said the state government and Penang Global Tourism had worked hard with its partners and industry players as well as Tourism Malaysia via multiple initiatives amid the Covid-19 pandemic to sustain the industry.
This was in line with the Penang Tourism Master Plan 2021-2030, and involved injecting new impetus to the industry and raising Penang's position as the preferred destination through sustainable tourism development.
"While numerous campaigns and initiatives are in place to boost domestic tourism, we have also taken steps to reignite the marketing strategies catering for the international market since 2020," he added.