Penang recorded an increase in the number of international flights to Penang International Airport (PIA) by 783 percent this July compared to last January.
Penang Tourism and Creative Economy Committee Chairman, Yeoh Soon Hin said the situation showed that the tourism industry in the state had regained strength since the reopening of the international border last April.
“Based on statistics, the number of international flights to Penang increased from 12 weekly flights last January to 106 weekly flights in July this year, an increase of 783 percent.
The number of international passengers arriving in the state & nbsp; also increased from 1,453 people in January to 58,553 in June this year. The statistics show that Penang has always been the destination of choice for local and foreign visitors,” he said at a press conference at PIA today.
Yeoh said domestic flights recorded 306 weekly flights in January involving 82,391 passengers to 338 flights in July, which was 265,956 passengers.
He said that based on the statistics, Singapore recorded the highest number of weekly flights to LTAPP, namely 52 flights in a week, followed by Medan, Indonesia (21 flights), and Bangkok, Thailand (17 flights).
Various initiatives have been implemented at the domestic and international levels since the COVID-19 outbreak hit to ensure that the tourism industry in Penang can survive,” he said.
He said his party was currently in discussions with several overseas airlines including Hong Kong, India and the Middle East to be able to hold direct flights from those countries to LTAPP.
According to him, his party also started a global advertising campaign by utilizing the Welcome to Penang campaign by using digital marketing schemes through promotions and offers compiled exclusively for travelers.
We also use social media platforms to attract social media users to travel to Penang,” he said.
