Accolades for Penang

Posted by Unknown On Friday, February 18, 2011 8 comments
Gary McKechnie of Budget Travel wrote an article on 10 Islands to Explore Before You Die that was featured in Yahoo! Travel. There, Penang was ranked No. 8 ahead of Galapagos and Palm Islands Dubai. Bali is No. 1 in the list. Himanshu Bhatt of The Sun also reported it HERE.

Image from Photobucket

As a true blue Penangite, I am really so happy to read about this. Hopefully, the Penang government will step up its efforts to promote Penang in the international tourist market without incurring high costs.

I still believe that there is no need to develop expensive buildings such as the proposed RM300 million sPICE project which you can read HERE. What tourists look for would be the innocuous charm of Penang, its heritage buildings and culture, the awesome food and the unique fusion of all that it has to offer just because of what it is - a beautiful, idyllic island in the sun!

However, much has to be done to tackle its inherent problems such as traffic congestion and cleanliness. All must work diligently to preserve the natural beauty and character of Penang and to ensure it continues to keep its World Heritage Site status bestowed by Unesco.

So if you have never visited Penang for a long time, swing by for a weekend! Take care and have a nice day! Next post will be up after lunch.
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8 comments to Accolades for Penang

  1. says:
    February 18, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    Cat-from-Sydney Aunty Paula,
    We just did that, didn't we? purrr....meow!

  1. says:
    February 18, 2011 at 11:28 AM

    Unknown Hi dear Angelina

    Yes!!!! But it was a lightning trip...please swing by again and for a longer time!!

    Miss ya!!! Take care and have a great weekend. Hope to see you soon!

    Salam

  1. says:
    February 18, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    Stanley Goh With LGE helming the State Government, it is indeed possible to have a cleaner, less traffic jammed and beautiful Penang. After many years of neglect, it is heartening to see the State's money flowing to make the lives of Penangites better instead of flowing into the pockets of the few "deserving" people.

  1. says:
    February 18, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    michael Penang indeed is cleaner and public transport has improved tremendously. With Rapid Penang, it is a breeze to travel. More people should use Rapid in order to solve the constant traffic jams which is getting worse.
    The environment is greener and cleaner under the present state govt. LGE and his team has done well.

  1. says:
    February 19, 2011 at 3:44 PM

    semuanya OK kot These are factors that can be tackled to improve Penang as a tourist destination, from what I can remember. Most of them also apply to the rest of the country, and relect long-term incompetence, CBT and corruption.
    - Branding problem: Georgetown is called Penang.
    - Lack of funds and promotion for the ferry service - to justify another bridge.
    - Bias for the triad industry of private cars, roads and petroleum. Lack of emphasis on comprehensive, reliable, clean public transport including buses and taxis.
    - Destruction of heritage buildings, and illegal renovation. There is a general lack of appreciation for history, and even frequent attempts to rewrite it. Even when the administative body taking care of a site undertakes renovation, it may not consider the importance of authenticity.
    - Continued licencing of the bird nest industry. There are enough abandoned buildings elsewhere.
    - Witholding and (supposed) direct disbursement of state funds by the federal government.
    - Failure to supervise (the cleanliness of) and support food outlets.
    - Failure to maintain cleanliness in public places, e.g. drains outside food outlets and tourist spots. The incidence of certain diseases like typhoid, cholera and dysentry logged at the local hospitals is a good guide to oveall effectiveness of measures taken.
    - Failure to supervise beaches for bad weather, sharp drops, jellyfish, rubbish, sewage etc. The last reflects a major abdication of responsibility.

    Is another "study tour" of foreign resorts the answer?

  1. says:
    February 19, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Unknown Dear Stanley

    Thanks for your encouraging comment for the state government led by LGE. It is indeed heartening to see how $$ is flowing back to the people e.g. the RM100 payment to the elderly, the shuttle service to the mainland and other payments made last Tuesday. Way to go for the State government. However, they must continue to press on and also not rest on their laurels.

    Take care and thanks for your input. Always a pleasure to hear from you. Have a great weekend.

    Best wishes

  1. says:
    February 19, 2011 at 11:00 PM

    Unknown Dear Michael

    Thanks for your encouraging and supportive comments for the state government. It was not easy for them, especially at the beginning but I must say they have done pretty well even though it has not been a smooth journey. Lots more to do so they had better press on, especially if they still want to rule Penang after the next GE.

    Take care. Lovely to hear from you again!

    Have a lovely evening.

    Best wishes

  1. says:
    February 19, 2011 at 11:06 PM

    Unknown Dear Semuanya Ok Kot

    Thank you for caring about Penang to highlight these areas of weaknesses which I hope will be improved by the state government.

    I am truly impressed by your insightful and sharp perspective of the pressing issues faced by Penangites. Are you from Penang by any chance?

    Thanks for sharing these timely observations which, if tackled, will certainly propel Penang forward. If not, it will be to their own undoing...:-(.

    Take care and God bless you for your caring hard and willingness to share your thoughts.

    Have a great weekend!

    Best wishes

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