GEORGE TOWN: The arrival of a cruise ship bringing in foreign tourists to the shores of Penang after a two-year hiatus was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year for the pandemic-battered business community here.
The tourists, mainly from Singapore, were welcomed with traditional performances and presented with souvenirs by Penang Port Commission (PPC) personnel before they disembarked from the Royal Caribbean vessel, Spectrum of the Seas, which docked at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) here yesterday at 8am.
The vessel that sailed from Singapore had made a stopover at Port Klang on Friday before continuing its journey to Penang.
Taxi driver Jamilah Begum Nor Mohd Ghani, 43, said she and several other taxi drivers were glad that international tourists were finally arriving in Penang.
“We have been suffering financially because of the pandemic, but with the arrival of cruise ships like this, we are hopeful that the tourism industry will bounce back,” she said when met at the SPCT.
The mother of three is looking forward to earning a better income and hoped that more international cruise ships would call on Penang.
Another driver Muhammad Nuh Abdullah, 44, was confident that international tourists would return to Penang.
“The arrival of this cruise ship signifies that our tourism industry is on the rebound and will improve gradually,” said Muhammad Nuh, who has been a taxi driver for the past 10 years.
However, he added that everyone, including tourists, must play their part to ensure there was no new Covid-19 infections by taking all reasonable precautions.
Trishaw riders were as equally delighted as the taxi drivers.
Tan Ah Peng, 70, was beaming after ferrying two Singaporean tourists to Chulia Street, not far from SPCT.
“It has been a while since we received this many tourists. I hope I can make some good income,” he said gleefully.
Tan, who has been a trishaw rider for more than 30 years, said he expected the tourism sector in Penang to return to its glory days soon.
Penang Taxi Associate Association chairman Mohd Shahimi Hadzri described the arrival of Spectrum of the Seas as “opening the floodgates” for Penang tourism.
“We have been waiting for this for such a long time, and we are ready to give our best service,” he said.
Coffeeshop owner William Lee is equally upbeat over George Town’s prospect over the next few months.
“I have been preparing to welcome the tourists, and this is a good sign for us,” he said at his shop here.
Spectrum of the Seas was originally scheduled to arrive in Penang on June 18, but could not anchor here due to several issues with the Immigration Department.
Meanwhile tourist Simon Hilton, 37, from Singapore, who came with his girlfriend Winnie Loo, 37, said they could not wait to try Penang’s food.
He said the first thing he wanted to try was to have a piping hot bowl of laksa and visit Chew Jetty.
“I also want to bring Winnie to hang out at some of the cafes in Love Lane before we get back to the ship,” Hilton said.
Retiree Richard Tan, 66, said he had been to Penang several times before, but this was his first visit in two years.
“I want to go to Lorong Selamat to try the char koey teow there,” he chuckled.
Tan said Penang had always been his family’s second home and their favourite holiday destination.
The tourists were welcomed at SPCT by PPC chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng and general manager Monaliza Suhaimi, Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief executive officer V. Sasedharan, representatives from Penang Global Tourism and officials from state agencies.
Tan said he was happy with the latest turn of events and believed it would benefit the tourism industry in the state and contribute to other downstream industries as well.
“The Spectrum of the Seas stopover is the starting point for the arrival of other cruise ships,” he said.
