DOUBLETREE RESORT BY HILTON IN PENANG’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
SPEECH CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
ON THE OCCASION OF DOUBLETREE RESORT BY HILTON
IN PENANG’S FIRST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
27 MARCH 2019
YB Yeoh Soon Hin
State EXCO for Tourism Development, Heritage, Culture and Arts
YB Zairil Khir Johari
State EXCO for Public Works, Utilities and Flood Mitigation cum Tanjung Bungah State Assemblyman
Mr Jason Chong
CEO of Cornerstone Partners Group
Mr Jamie Mead
Regional General Manager Malaysia, Hilton Worldwide
Mr Jonathan Freddy P. Bagang
Director of Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC), Penang Officer
Mr Zulkifly Md Said
Deputy Director General (Planning), Tourism Malaysia Promotion Board
Investors and Shareholders
Business Leaders
Member of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
A very good evening to all of you.
First of all, I would like to extend my heartiest congratulations on the occasion of the 1st anniversary celebrations of the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton in Penang.
Since becoming Chief Minister last May, despite the many challenges that we face in government, I am constantly reassured by the strength and impact of the hospitality and tourism industries here in Penang. I think no one doubts that Penang is a key destination that contributes to the appeal of Malaysia as one of the world’s most popular countries in terms of tourist arrivals and receipts. In fact, it was reported this week that Penang made it to the CNN Travel’s best spring destination alongside other popular tourist destinations such as Spain and Greece, as well as various cities in the United States.
At the national level, tourism is in fact our fifth largest industry which contributed RM84 billion to the national economy, with nearly 26 million tourist arrivals in 2018. The industry is expected to continue to grow, with tourist arrivals projected to reach 30 million by the year 2020.
Aside from generating the number of tourists, the job opportunities created by the hospitality and tourism industries are helping the state of Penang to develop its human resources by retaining & training talents as well as enhancing overall human capital value in the state. I am delighted to see that DoubleTree Resort has also contributed to this by providing jobs and training for over 200 Malaysians in its workforce.
Complementing these tourism and GDP numbers are laudable achievements which we cannot take for granted. With so many external factors at play such as international relations, financial markets, and environmental issues, what can we do to protect ourselves against them?
I have no doubt that we must continually ask ourselves what contributes towards the appeal of Penang to the international and domestic visitors. Part of the answer, of course, is Penang’s rich heritage and strong cultural presence which resulted in George Town being inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008. Penang is an exceptional example of a multicultural city in Southeast Asia forged from the mercantile and civilisation exchanges with Malay, Chinese, Indian and European influences. All these resulted in a modern and vibrant Penang that offers unique and colourful experiences centred around food, architecture, lifestyle, art and culture.
However, I also believe that in addition to the range of experiences available to tourists, it is vitally important that there is existing infrastructure to support the growing number of visitors.
For example, the Penang International Airport currently had already surpassed its maximum capacity of handling 6.5 million passengers per year. The airport has recorded 7.78 million total passenger movement last year, representing 7.6% year-on-year growth. In this regard, the government and Malaysian Airport Holdings Bhd have agreed for an expansion of the Penang International Airport. The expansion project, which nearly doubled the airport’s capacity to 12 million passengers a year, is scheduled to start work in June 2020 and to complete in three years’ time.
Another area where the Penang State Government continues to welcome new development concerns hotels on the island. We are thankful for companies such as Cornerstone Partners Group which believes in the potential of Penang and is willing to invest over RM100 million to cover the cost of property acquisition. With this investment and commitment, Cornerstone Partners Group has brought the renowned Hilton brand to Penang, establishing their first DoubleTree Resort in Malaysia,
Indeed, since it opened a year ago, the DoubleTree Resort has established itself as a major force in the Penang hospitality and tourism industry, welcoming over 100,000 guests in its premises. These are vital and necessary contributions to the industry and help to position Penang as a major destination on the global tourist map.
I, therefore congratulate both Cornerstone Partners Group and DoubleTree Resort by Hilton, Penang, on the 1st anniversary of the resort, and given the achievements of the first year, we can expect many more bountiful anniversaries in the years to come.
Thank you.