EXPERIENCE PENANG YEAR 2020 LAUNCHING
SPEECH BY PENANG CHIEF MINISTER CHOW KON YEOW
ON EXPERIENCE PENANG YEAR 2020 LAUNCHING
2nd JUNE 2019 at EQUATORIAL HOTEL
A very good evening to everyone. First and foremost, it’s a great honour for me to be here and be part of this joyous occasion for the launching of the Experience Penang Year 2020.
George Town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008 and Penang has been experiencing an influx of tourists since then. In 2006, two years before the said listing by UNESCO, our Penang International Airport received a mere 1.5 million total passenger movement. In 2018, ten years after the listing, it received a staggering 7.8 million total passenger movement.
The UNESCO World Heritage site listing has benefitted Penang tremendously. Our streets have come alive with boutique hotels, quirky cafes and recognizable street art as Penang steps into the tourism spotlight. George Town was listed as the only Asian destination in Lonely Planet's book "Street Art" in 2017 while CNN Travel listed Penang, one of the only two Asian cities, as one of the 19 best places to travel for the Spring of 2019’ list.
Ladies and gentlemen,
With the manufacturing sector in Penang overtaken by the services sector as the top contributor to the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), we are working to make the tourism industry, which comes under the services sector, as the engine of growth for Penang to replace manufacturing which had been in the lead for the past decades.
The introduction of the Experience Penang Year 2020 is aligned with the aim to position Penang in the competitive international travel market for years to come. Following the overtaking of the manufacturing sector by the services sector, it is crucial to rebrand Penang’s tourism by incorporating elements of heritage, culture and arts. Such measures are in line with our concerted efforts to create a variety of quality tourism products across the island and mainland of Penang for the purpose of upgrading the economy to raise household incomes, one of the four major themes under vision Penang2030 by the state government.
I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate PETACH office, especially YB Yeoh Soon Hin and his team members for working hard in preparing the happening events and celebrations for all of us. PETACH office will continue to create an eye-opening and truly memorable experience for both local and international celebrations-goers.
I personally look forward to joining the events in line with Experience Penang Year 2020. With this, I thank all of you for coming to this launching ceremony, and I am very much pleased to officially launch the Experience Penang Year 2020. Thank you.