GEORGE TOWN: Chinese visitors are still heading to the Pearl of the Orient in droves despite a nearly 25% drop in direct flights from China to Penang caused by rising aviation fuel costs.
Weekly services between Penang and eight Chinese cities fell from a record 82 earlier this year to 62 by the end of May after fuel costs crept up following the conflict in the Middle East that began in February, with Penang tourism committee chairman Wong Hon Wai saying some airlines reduced flight frequencies after fuel prices increased.
The current services link Penang with Guangzhou, Xiamen, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing and Qingdao, with Wong estimating that about 10,000 Chinese tourists arrived in Penang each month on the direct flights.
His estimate was based on 62 weekly flights, each with a capacity of 170 passengers, operating at a load factor of about 50%.
He estimated that tourists from China made up half the passengers, and the figure did not include Chinese tourists who reached Penang through Kuala Lumpur or transited in Singapore and other cities.
He said the state expected travel within Asia to remain resilient as travellers chose shorter regional holidays as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.
“We are eager to see how China’s Golden Week holiday from Oct 1 to 8 will boost arrivals,” he said yesterday, where he added the Penang Global Tourism will launch its “Fall in Love with Penang” campaign on Aug 4.
HK Express chief commercial officer KK Ong said higher fuel surcharges had not significantly affected passenger demand.
He said the surcharge was fixed when a passenger bought a ticket.
Passengers who bought tickets earlier need not pay the difference if fuel prices rose later.
“The surcharge is only one component of the airfare on top of the base fare and options like baggage, seat selection and meals,” he said.
Ong said HK Express carried more than 250,000 passengers on its Hong Kong-Penang route since it began in November 2024.
He said the route performed strongly this year and more than a third of passengers on the Penang route came from mainland China through Hong Kong.
Ong said passenger numbers from China grew by almost 50% year-on-year, driven by the mutual visa waiver.
He said travellers increasingly sought slower holidays centred on culture, heritage and food, which placed Penang in a strong position to benefit from the trend.
