GEORGE TOWN: Penang seeks to widen its connectivity to northern China with more direct air routes and diversify its tourism market.
State tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said Qingdao is currently the only city in northern China with direct flights to Penang, making expanding connectivity to the region one of the state’s priorities.
"At present, direct connectivity between Penang and cities in northern China remains relatively limited. Therefore, Penang aims to broaden its coverage of the China tourism market and extend its aviation network to more cities in northern China,” he said in a statement on Thursday (Sept 24).
Wong said the matter was among the issues discussed when he led Penang Global Tourism in engaging with representatives of several China-based airlines in Malaysia during a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering in Kuala Lumpur recently.
He said the engagement was not only aimed at gaining an early understanding of passenger loads and market trends for direct flights to Penang during China’s upcoming extended holiday period, but also served as a platform for short- and medium-term planning to expand air connectivity.
"The gathering provided an important platform for the Penang state government to convey to the China aviation industry its strong interest and intention to explore routes to northern China further,” he added.
Wong said Penang currently has direct flights to several major cities in China, including Guangzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Qingdao, as well as Hong Kong.
He said Hainan Airlines would launch its inaugural direct Haikou-Penang route on Oct 11.
Wong said the engagement with China airlines also sought to consolidate existing routes and ensure stable flight operations, while exploring opportunities with airlines that do not currently operate direct flights to Penang. - Bernama
