State looking to restart the MICE sector this week

PENANG is looking forward to resuming the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) sector from this Friday following the easing of the movement control order (MCO) restrictions.

State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said, however, authorities had to ensure a safe reopening of the MICE events through strict compliance of all safety rules.

He said Penang took the lead to become the first state to introduce standardised guidelines for business events last year.

“My office launched several guidelines for the tourism industry including for business events by the Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau.

“This is part of the state initiative to drive economic recovery and keep Penang as a premier destination for business events, ” he said in a statement.

Yeoh said the resumption of MICE events would help resuscitate the hotel industry which suffered a plunge in revenue following the implementation of MCO 2.0.

“We encourage business event organisers and visitors to stay at hotels that comply strictly with the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

“We wish them to avoid staying at unlicensed premises which do not adhere to the SOPs.”

He said his office had also initiated the Covid-19 state accreditation programme to ensure that tourism industry establishments meet strict hygiene standards set by the local authorities.

“We have hotels in Penang vetted by relevant authorities and they received Covid-19 safety accreditation.”

For the full list of the hotels, go to https://penanglawancovid19.com/accreditation.