Chennai could be the first Indian city to have a direct flight to Penang, a Malaysian state. “Talks are on for a direct flight between Chennai and Penang. Currently, people visiting Penang have to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur,” said Wong Hon Wai, Penang State Minister for Tourism and Creative Economy at the 7th edition of the Penang Roadshow to India 2024 that was held in Chennai.
Talks are also on with few airlines to connect tier-2 towns of Tamil Nadu to Kuala Lumpur. “There are plans to have one more flight from Chennai. And a direct flight from Madurai and Tiruchi to Kuala Lumpur,” said Razaidi Abdul Rahim-Director of Tourism Malaysia (South India and SriLanka)
At present, AirAsia operates 14 flights per week from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur, Batik Air (7/week), Malaysia Airlines (14/week) and Indigo (7/week). And from January to November 2023, total tourist arrivals to Malaysia from India stood at 587,703.
Penang’s Minister for Tourism highlighted the various tourist and business attractions and said: “We are also coming up with a new convention centre and this will be completed in 2025. This will open up more opportunities for business people,” he said.
He also pointed out that the recent announcement on visa-free travel, allowing stays of up to 30 days starting from December 1, 2023 to December 31, 2024 will encourage more Indians to visit Malaysia.
On Friday, the Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) unveiled the 7th edition of the Penang Roadshow to India 2024 in Chennai. The roadshow provides an opportunity for Indian travel enthusiasts and industry professionals to get to know more about Penang.
According to a statement given by PCEB, the ‘Penang Odyssey’ campaign is a strategic initiative by PCEB aimed at elevating Penang as the preferred destination for both business meetings and leisure escapades in the Indian market. With a dual focus on business and leisure, the campaign strives to foster mutually beneficial relationships with India’s travel agents. The Penang Odyssey campaign is poised to explore new avenues to captivate the Indian market, recognising its significance as a key market for Penang.
In 2023, Penang hosted around 600 events with 1,60,000 delegates, signalling a robust event calendar with an estimated economic impact (EEI) of RM1 billion.
