The 69th Anniversary Celebration of the Penang Hoteliers Association
2026/8/23
On August 23rd, Mr. Shinya Machida, Consul-General of Japan in Penang, attended, upon invitation, the 69th Anniversary Celebration of the Penang Hoteliers Association. Established in 1957, the Association has long contributed to the development of Penang’s hotel and tourism industries.
At the event, YB Wong Hon Wai, Penang State EXCO Member for Tourism and Creative Economy, paid tribute to the Association for its longstanding contribution to the development of Penang’s hospitality industry. He also noted that Penang ranks among Malaysia’s leading destinations in terms of international hotel guests and that the hotel industry has expanded beyond George Town and Batu Ferringhi to southern Penang Island and Seberang Perai, expressing his expectation for the further development of Penang’s tourism industry.
YAB Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, stated in his remarks that future tourism development should focus not only on increasing visitor numbers, but also on enhancing the “value” generated by each visitor through longer stays, richer experiences and greater spending in the local economy. He also expressed his intention to further expand the economic benefits of tourism to hotels, restaurants, retail, transport, cultural sectors and SMEs, while strengthening MICE and cooperation with neighbouring states in order to further develop Penang as an international gateway to northern Malaysia.
During the event, Mr. Machida exchanged views with representatives from the hotel, tourism, aviation and medical tourism sectors on a wide range of issues related to the further promotion of tourism, including attracting more visitors to Penang and expanding international air connectivity. The Consulate-General of Japan in Penang will continue to deepen cooperation with the Penang State Government, tourism-related organisations and industry stakeholders, and to promote further tourism and people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Penang.
At the event, YB Wong Hon Wai, Penang State EXCO Member for Tourism and Creative Economy, paid tribute to the Association for its longstanding contribution to the development of Penang’s hospitality industry. He also noted that Penang ranks among Malaysia’s leading destinations in terms of international hotel guests and that the hotel industry has expanded beyond George Town and Batu Ferringhi to southern Penang Island and Seberang Perai, expressing his expectation for the further development of Penang’s tourism industry.
YAB Chow Kon Yeow, Chief Minister of Penang, stated in his remarks that future tourism development should focus not only on increasing visitor numbers, but also on enhancing the “value” generated by each visitor through longer stays, richer experiences and greater spending in the local economy. He also expressed his intention to further expand the economic benefits of tourism to hotels, restaurants, retail, transport, cultural sectors and SMEs, while strengthening MICE and cooperation with neighbouring states in order to further develop Penang as an international gateway to northern Malaysia.
During the event, Mr. Machida exchanged views with representatives from the hotel, tourism, aviation and medical tourism sectors on a wide range of issues related to the further promotion of tourism, including attracting more visitors to Penang and expanding international air connectivity. The Consulate-General of Japan in Penang will continue to deepen cooperation with the Penang State Government, tourism-related organisations and industry stakeholders, and to promote further tourism and people-to-people exchanges between Japan and Penang.