Breath of fresh air: A family enjoying the brand new facilities at Ferringhi Bay. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Penang is bracing for an influx of visitors as the much-anticipated week-long school holidays begin.
Ready for this surge of tourists is Ferringhi Bay – a new attraction built from 53 repurposed shipping containers by the Batu Ferringhi beach.
It offers a vibrant mix of dining, shopping and entertainment.
Cafe manager Chris Chiang, 33, whose two-storey restaurant is made up of four containers, said his cafe opened its doors on Sept 5, just in time for the holiday season.
“We spent four months renovating and preparing for this moment.
“Our opening was timed to coincide with the school holidays, allowing us to train our staff and finalise all the details before the rush begins.
“With a seating capacity of 60 people, this would be a test for us before announcing the grand opening,” he said yesterday.
Chiang said the cafe serves a variety of Western fusion food with desserts.
“We have seating on both levels and some outdoors, suitable for all kinds of crowds from day to night. Due to manpower shortage, we are unable to extend the operating hours,” he said.
Ferringhi Bay digital marketer Christina Kang said several activities have been planned over the weekend, including a stage set-up for beach performances, to kick off the school holidays.
“There will be events such as a beachside concert, picnic and bazaar, as well as art installations, exhibitions and workshops.
“Apart from shopping, visitors may enjoy the sunset outdoors or while dining from the air-conditioned restaurants.
“This school holiday, we expect the crowd numbers to double. A large portion of this will be families seeking engaging activities and memorable experiences for all ages,” she said.
Among those seen at the site were bank staffer Riza Farhatin Ramli, 37, and her family from Rawang, Selangor.
The family of six was seen taking a stroll on the beach before dining in a cafe and taking many photos together.
“We have been to Penang in the past but this is a new attraction that we have wanted to visit.
“It’s like Bali in Indonesia but with a local touch.
“The usage of containers stacked up on each other to form buildings is an interesting approach.“The air-conditioned containers are a great escape from the afternoon heat,” said Riza, who was accompanied by her husband Mohamad Zhafri Nordin, also 37, and their four children aged between four months and seven years old.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Hotels Penang chapter chairman Tony Goh said hotels in Penang would normally record high occupancy rates during school holiday weekends.
“Occupancy is strong over this long weekend, as hotels had registered a rate of between 80% and 90%.
“The large number of guests is not only within the city but also at beach resorts.
“However, on weekdays, the average occupancy rate hovers around 60%,” he said.
