‘PENANG IS MICHELIN - STAR GLAZED’ CELEBRATION
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW FOR ‘PENANG IS MICHELIN - STAR GLAZED’ CELEBRATION
10 JANUARY 2023
AMARI HOTEL
YB Tuan Yeoh Soon Hin
Penang State EXCO for Tourism and Creative Economy
Dato’ Lim Mee Lee
Chairman of Penang Hoteliers Association (PHA)
Dato Ch’ng Huck Theng
Chairman of Association of Tourism Attractions Penang (ATAP)
Mr Ooi Chok Yan
Chief Executive Officer for Penang Global Tourism (PGT)
Mr Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang
Director of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, Penang Office (MOTAC)
Dato-dato, datin-datin, fellow recipients, members of the media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
A very good evening to everyone.
First and foremost, I cannot contain my excitement to be here this evening and I am truly honoured to be witnessing this momentous time for Penang. Congratulations to all the winners. The blood, sweat and tears infused in the passion that you have for what you served is now being seen and proven to the world. Thank you for setting Penang as an international gastronomic paradise.
Ladies and gentlemen,
This achievement has cemented Penang’s reputation as a true food haven. From Penang’s Assam Laksa being named “The World’s 7th best dish” by CNN Travel, to Penang is “Asia’s Next Great Foodie City” by Condè Nast Traveler, I am proud to say that Penang is now a star-studded city with 47 recognitions by the ultimate food expert, MICHELIN Guide.
Often referred to as the Silicon Valley of the East due to our robust and thriving electrical and electronics (E&E) ecosystem, tourism too plays a major part in generating growth for the city that results in Penang being placed on the ranks of one of the international food paradises to visit.
That is why we are seeing the resilient rebound of our tourism industry since the reopening of international borders in April 2022. This can be shown by the number of passengers movement at our Penang International Airport since the reopening of international border, which has increased by 894.79 percent compared to year 2021.
(2021 – 366,828 vs 2022 – 3,649,178)
Apart from this, we have also been welcoming international cruises to our shore since July 2022. Up until November 2022, we received a total of 604,497 passengers who came to Penang to experience the diversity of a multi-ethnic community living together in harmony – reflected through our myriad architecture, cultural activities, festivities and cuisines.
With this latest accreditation by MICHELIN Guide, it is definitely a much-needed boost to the recovery of the tourism industry. This partnership with MICHELIN Guide is crucial the recognition of Penang as a world class destination and it will directly benefit the tourism industry players, be it the food or attraction operators.
This recognition is most timely, and it is in line with the state government’s LovePENANG campaign where we show support to our food and beverage industry, from our famous street food to lavish international cuisines being a part of our proud multi-cultural heritage. Hence, we must keep them thriving in all effort that we could. So, to all of you who are here, do start on a MICHELIN Guide rated food hunt after tonight.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is going to be an even vibrant and exciting Penang in the coming days. Not only that we are now a world class gourmet haven, but our hospitality industry is further enhanced with the newly opened hotels such as Amari SPICE Penang, Ascott Gurney Penang, The George Penang, Sky Residence Prai and Citadines Connect George Town Penang which are already hosting the arriving guests.
Joining the bandwagon are Holiday Inn and Suites Juru Sentral to commence by the end of 2023 and Crowne Plaza Penang Butterworth that is set to open its doors for guests by 2024.
In terms of infrastructure, we have completed the facelift of the Esplanade and upgrades of our major port, Swettenham Port for better access and convenience. The century old Fort Cornwallis and the much-anticipated Multi-Level Carpark for Penang International Airport are in their final stages of completion. We will also be commencing the Penang Hill Cable Car project in no time in hope that it will meet its completion date at its soonest to provide ease to tourists who wish to visit the iconic landmark Penang Hill.
Before I end my speech, I would like to once again congratulate the winners, the glory is all yours to savor in! But let’s not stop here. Together, let’s work towards achieving higher excellence, putting our best efforts in showing the world that we have much more to love Penang for. Thank you.