Fresh insights into state’s charms

Tourists visiting Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi in Cannon Square. — Photos: K.T.GOH, LIM BENG TATT, CHAN BOON KAI and ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

FRIENDLY locals, rich heritage and authentic reasonably priced food are among reasons drawing tourists to Penang like bees to honey.

This is not surprising as George Town has been on the Unesco World Heritage list since 2008.

American tourist Julie Venhaus was among those who got to experience Hari Raya Aidilfitri cheer with the locals.

The 54-year-old finance director, who was here for a working trip, gained precious insights into the festival.

“My visit coincided with the festival and I took part in many celebrations,” she said.

Before that, during Ramadan, she joined about 40 colleagues for dinner at the office with an array of traditional dishes to break fast.

“These are activities that won’t be included in the usual tour packages.

“You won’t get the food at any eateries, as the dishes I enjoyed were mostly home-cooked.

“It was indeed a good experience,” she said, adding that her local friends also brought her to check out some tourist attractions.

Japanese tourist Takeshi Hiro, 32, spent a week in Penang to observe the local way of life.

“I am not interested in tourist attractions. I want to see the people of Penang as they are.

“These are experiences that I cannot gain from watching videos or reading on the Internet,” he said, adding that the street food, clothes the people wore and their daily activities interest him the most.

“It makes me feel like I belong in this place,” said Hiro, who could converse in basic Mandarin.

Food, however, remained the most attractive part of Penang for him.

“We have some shops in Japan selling similar food, but having them freshly cooked by the locals is an experience I cannot get in Japan,” he said, adding that he also checked out the wet markets for raw and fresh ingredients used in the dishes.

Much more to explore

Penang Tourist Guide Association (PTGA) chairman Clement Liang said there had been a gradual increase in tourist arrivals post-Covid-19.

He noted that most of them wanted to immerse themselves in the local culture and lifestyle.

“There is more demand for such ‘experiential tours’ these days and tourists of today prefer to engage with the locals, whom they find are among the friendliest people in the world.

“Tourists find the locals easy to talk to, as most of us are multilingual and exposed to a variety of cultures. Friendly locals is our bestselling point,” he said.

Liang said that instead of arriving together in buses like in the past, tourists nowadays preferred travelling in smaller groups.

“They come in vans and want to experience more depth at a destination.

“They prefer trips that allow them to understand the locals’ way of living instead of the usual ‘touch-and-go’ way,” he said, adding that there was also less shopping and more on-the-spot experiences like eating.

“With them now coming in smaller groups, more tour guides are needed and it has motivated about 700 PTGA members to renew their permit.

“Some are new and they spend between RM6,000 and RM8,000 on courses,” he added.

Liang said Penang’s rich heritage and offerings have continued to woo many tourists from various countries, including China.

“Their return starting the end of last year has spurred the tourism industry as well as the food and beverage sector.

“Our guides are specialised in different fields, from historical to modern attractions, with the focus mainly on Penang’s diverse heritage, street food and nature from hills to rivers and beaches.

“Now, there are some specialising in niche sectors such as cemeteries, wet markets and old residential areas too,” he said.

Liang said there was room for improvement to further elevate the standard of Penang tourism. He said there was much more for tourists to explore and hoped to get them to prolong their stay.

“For them to see the big picture, we need better mapping and description of the places of interest.

“Tour agencies can offer more complete packages as there is potential to upsell the trips if conducted well,” he stressed.

Better public transport needed

Contrary to popular belief that tourists caused traffic congestion in the city, Liang said it was actually Malaysians who made up the majority of road users during holidays.

“Most tourists are either on foot or travelling using chartered or public transportation.

“To reduce traffic on the streets, we need a better public transportation system, as the current one is not reliable enough.

“The use of mini buses will help in tight spaces within the city. Fortunately, we have ehailing services today,” he said.

Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang chapter chairman Tony Goh said many hotels were making good recovery post-Covid-19, assuring that MAH members would continue to promote Penang’s unique features in the hope that tourists would stay longer.

“Depending on guests’ preference, we usually promote food, culture, art and heritage.

“Guests normally allocate a certain period to stay in Penang and then move on to other parts of the country for the remaining days.

“We are trying to broaden the choices and encourage longer stays that will reward them with good experiences,” he said.Many accolades for state

Penang has continued to be among the country’s top travel destinations, with droves of international and domestic tourists arriving each season.

Apart from George Town being inscribed a world heritage site, there have been several notable mentions over the years.

In 2011, Yahoo Travel listed Penang as among the “10 Islands To Explore Before You Die”, promoting George Town as Malaysia’s food capital.

In 2013, British national daily The Guardian reported on Penang’s many murals that had quickly gained popularity among tourists from all over the world.

In 2014, Lonely Planet listed Penang as the top food destination in the world, recommending the state’s hawker fare like char kuey teow, hokkien mee and laksa.Forbes ranked Penang as the number one “Budget Travel Destination” for 2016. The ranking was done in December 2015.

In 2016, travel e-commerce brand Culture Trip named Penang one of the best 15 cities in the world for food, describing it as home to some of the finest street food in the world.

It said many vendors used the same recipes for generations, with hints of Chinese and Indian fusion.

In July 2017, CNN Travel listed Penang among “Asia’s Top 10 Greatest Street Food Cities”.

The same year, the International Living magazine listed Penang as the fifth best city for medical tourism (healthcare), alongside Kuala Lumpur. It said both destinations were serviced by a multitude of international airlines and had doctors trained in the US, Australia or the UK.

International Living also declared Penang, in 2021, the third best island in the world to retire to because of its friendly and helpful populace, after Malta and Mallorca in Spain.

In December 2022, two Penang restaurants were awarded one Michelin Star – Auntie Gaik Lean’s Old School Eatery which serves Peranakan cuisine and Au Jardin which specialises in sophisticated European fare with a subtle local twist.

The list contained 93 other restaurants which made it into the guide, with 32 of them (17 in Penang and 15 in Kuala Lumpur) awarded the Bib Gourmand that recognised “friendly establishments that serve good food at moderate prices.”