GEORGE TOWN, Dec 22 — Hotel occupancy rates in Penang have increased over the last two weeks, said state exco Yeoh Soon Hin.
The Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman said beach hotels recorded 82 per cent occupancy rates over the last two weekends.
“City hotels recorded 51 per cent occupancy rates and hotels on the mainland recorded 62 per cent,” he said during a press conference today.
Earlier, Yeoh launched the “Experience it all in Penang, Responsibly” and “Penang Responsible Tourism” campaigns at the E&O Hotel.
He said the campaigns were an extension of the state’s “Jom! Experience Penang” campaign launched in June.
“This campaign is to spur local tourism and allows visitors to experience Penang’s diversity responsibly,” he said.
Yeoh said it kickstarts the year-end festive season as a way to boost the state’s tourism economy.
He said the campaign encourages domestic tourism in support of local businesses and the community.
It runs in tandem with the state’s “Penang Responsible Tourism” to ensure visitors adhere to Covid-19 SOPs.
Yeoh said the state will be promoting Penang through digital advertising, social media advertising and other outdoor advertising to attract more visitors.
“These initiatives are part of Penang’s long-term ongoing plan since the MCO to go strong on digital and strengthen cooperation outreach to help revive the state’s tourism industry in the new normal,” he said.
He said a promotional video titled “Experience It All in Penang” featuring 14 key experiences will be used to promote the state.
Yeoh said there will be year-end deals for buffet spreads, room packages and entry tickets to attractions in Penang available on penangtraveldeals.com.
“This website is a one-stop shop for all your vacation needs such as attractions, hotels, tours, food and lifestyle and the newly added ‘best year end deals’ for festive promotions,” he said.