THE OPENING OF 22ND INTER-ISLAND TOURISM POLICY (ITOP) FORUM
SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
AT THE OPENING OF 22ND INTER-ISLAND TOURISM POLICY (ITOP) FORUM
24 OCTOBER 2018
ST GILES WEMBLEY, PENANG
YB Yeoh Soon Hin
Penang State EXCO for Tourism & Heritage Developments, Culture and Arts
Dato' Ar. Yew Tung Seang
Mayor Penang Municipal Council
H.E Perera Marshall Romanis
Governor of Southern Province
H.E LIU PingZhi
Vice Governor of Hainan Province
Mr Yang Gi Cheol
Director General Jeju Tourism
Mr Lee Jae Hong
Director General of ITOP Forum Secretariat
Mr. A. A. Gede Yuniartha Putra
Director of Bali Tourism
Mr. Kenichi Arakaki
Deputy Director General of Tourism Policies Okinawa
Architect Melban Java
Consultant to Vice Governor, Cebu Provincial Government
Mr Ashwin Gunasekaran
CEO of Penang Conventions & Exhibitions Bureau
Distinguished guests
Members of the Media
Ladies & Gentlemen
Good morning.
A big welcome to all delegates from member regions of the 22nd Inter-Island Tourism Policy (ITOP) Forum, where Penang is honoured to be the host for this year. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all the delegates present who joined in the initiative to help us achieve the aim of promoting collective endeavours of island regions with similar structures and policies which will come to benefit us in our effort to reach out to the global tourism market.
As fellow member regions, we may face certain similar challenges and limitations in growing island economies. What we are trying to achieve through this forum is to encourage inter-island exchanges through sustainable tourism development and generate common tourism product and cooperation between member regions present here for common benefit.
There has been a boom in the tourism growth fueled by the diversification of visitor markers. According to the data for early 2018 by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international tourism maintained a strong momentum with a year-on-year growth of 6% in tourist arrivals for the for the first four months this year. UNWTO, in their Tourism Highlights, also reported that international tourist arrivals increased by 7% in 2017, a record high since the 2009 global economic crisis. It brought forth a strong increase in exports generated by tourism, which recorded US$ 1.6 trillion in 2017, making tourism the world’s third-largest export sector.
The tourism growth was driven by strong demand from the tourism source market which are dramatically changing the nature of the international travel market. To tap into the opportunities offered in the global tourism market, ITOP aims to develop tourism policies to generate more wealth for the local communities especially with the emergence of travel and tourism industry into one of the world’s largest industries.
This is especially for islands with limited resources, as the rise in tourism markets contributes to the economic impact of the industry, whether directly and indirectly. Many emerging countries now share a similar interest to tap into the global travel and tourism industry for the positive economic benefits. It is in tandem with the growing purchasing power in emerging economy markets and we have seen an increase in air connectivity and affordable travel.
We have also seen a shift in the Penang's economy as the service sector has overtaken manufacturing as the top contributor to the state's Gross Domestic Product even though the manufacturing industry has been in the lead for the past 30 to 40 years. We are similarly experiencing a boom in tourism market which can become an engine of growth for Penang.
I hope that this forum can facilitate a fruitful discussion on how we can capitalise on our potential to channel more opportunities in tourism especially in the aspect of “Connecting Culture, Arts and Nature” which is our theme this time. The theme is a subject close to my heart as Penang is blessed with a multicultural society and our many communities are host to unique cultural festivals all year round. The showcase of dazzling cultural festivals are a reflection of the rich ethnic origins which made Penang a truly immersive melting pot experience for locals and tourists alike.
Recently, we are also proud and honoured that George Town has become the only Asian City chosen as Unesco pilot project site in regard to intangible cultural heritage and on creating action plan for industries within heritage sites. This year also marks a decade since George Town, our heritage core, was inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our annual George Town Festival to commemorate the occasion since 2008 has become an international event tourists and locals look forward to every August, enhancing further the dynamic art scene in Penang along with other initiatives such as George Town Literary Festival and Butterworth Fringe Festival.
Penang has made a name for our street art murals but we are not stopping here as we want to make Penang a hub for arts and culture. Our vibrant street arts scene has set in motion the state government’s initiative for a Penang Arts District as a catalyst to catapult the creative industry in Penang. It is set to be the largest container city in the world with innovatively designed clusters of containers of over 100,000 square feet in gross floor area. It will house the single largest collection of art galleries and cultural museums, creative boutiques, art schools and workshops in Malaysia. Beyond that, we are looking at making this a must-visit destination for all not only in Penang but in Southeast Asia.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Beyond arts and culture, Penang is also a destination for nature lovers. We hope to get Penang Hill gazetted as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and the area would cover Penang Hill, the Teluk Bahang national park, the marine park and the Botanic Gardens. On our mainland, there is plenty of natural asset which are potential for ecotourism destination to develop Penang as a whole.
When it comes to the environment, Penang aims at becoming a sustainable and green city in line with Cleaner, Greener, Safer and Healthier Penang. The State Government aspires to be the greenest state in Malaysia driven by a green economy, innovative governance with 4P partnership (public, private, people, professional) and sustainability-led development agenda by 2030. The Penang2030 announced on 29 August 2018, themed “A Family-focused Green and Smart State to Inspire the Nation” would take the state to new levels through the state’s four-prong vision to increase liveability to enhance quality of life, upgrade the economy, empower the people to strengthen civic participation and invest in the built environment.
I hope that everyone present here will benefit from the forum and take the opportunity to foster closer relationships with the international community for our collective benefits. We hope that at the end of the 2-day forum, we will be able to strengthen and deepen the existing collaboration so that we could work together for a better future.
Thank you.