Breath of fresh air: Chinese nationals with a tour guide making the best out of Labour Day holiday to visit Penang Hill. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: This is the “Golden Week” in China – a time for Chinese nationals to take a much-needed break, its beginning coinciding with International Workers’ Day.
And many of them are doing just that in Penang.Making up a large number among international tourists in Penang, they thronged tourist attractions such as Penang Hill.
Project manager Jerry Chen, 42, from Suzhou, said his colleagues are spending three days in Penang to celebrate their break from work.“Visiting Malaysia is now visa-free, so we took advantage of it.
“We had visited Malaysia in the past, but never to Penang so this is an eye-opening trip for us.
“The food, especially, is our favourite,” he said yesterday.Another tourist from Beijing, engineer Ming Xingshi, 32, and his wife Li Jiumei, 30, decided to leave work for a week.“Since there is a day off in the middle of the week, we decided to take the whole week and travel.“This is my third time in Malaysia and we are familiar with most of the food and culture here.“This time, we are putting up at a homestay nearby,” said Ming.Another group from Taiwan, comprising retirees, is spending 10 days in Malaysia and are caught up in the Labour Day crowd.
Their tour leader Sylvia Chen said the group is more into visiting places of historical significance.“The group of 16 was in Singapore and Melaka prior to coming to Penang.
“They are taking their itinerary at a slower pace and the crowd on Labour Day added to their excitement.
“So far, the food and culture in Penang is suitable for them and they are blending in well,” said Chen.
Apart from tourists from various countries, many locals also took the opportunity to spend the Labour Day in various places, including shopping malls and eateries.
Long queues were seen at famous eateries in George Town.There was a large crowd visiting attractions such as street murals, heritage clan houses and private attractions within the heritage enclave, with heavy traffic at busy roads coming to a crawl.
It was reported that Penang recorded a 370% increase in tourists from China within the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said this is thanks to the visa-free policy and direct flights between Penang and China.
He said between January and March this year, Penang International Airport has received 22,420 visitors from China, compared with 4,768 arrivals in the same period last year.Wong said that these are only those who arrived via direct flights from China, while those who came via other means, such as through domestic flights from other states, were not factored in.
Travellers from Indonesia and Singapore, which stood as the highest number of arrivals, recorded an increase of 30.44% and 74.33% this year. This translated to an increase from 75,141 to 98,012 for Indonesia and from 22,310 to 38,890 for Singapore.
There are now 21 direct flights between Penang and China on a weekly schedule, with four more flights to be added at the end of May.
