Article By HELEN ONG

Political squabble and economic slowdown aside, Penang’s really on the up and up. Not only has George Town gained World Heritage Status, but with the recent glad tidings that New York Times readers voted it second best destination in “The 44 places to go in 2009” ((http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/01/11/ travel/20090111_DESTINATIONS.html), we have been inundated with visitors and tourists from all over the world in the past few months.
One reason is the State Government, both past and present, together with the Ministry of Tourism, have worked hard to get Penang on the world map (check out http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=41805097413), and they appear to be doing a great job. Of course, it hasn’t hurt that Thailand has had its share of problems, so we have also benefitted from the many visitors who would otherwise have gone there.
Many who come love it, and although there have been comments made about the Pearl losing its lustre, it may be that these are from people who remember it for what it was – but as we all know, things change and nothing stays the same. No doubt there will always be problems wherever one chooses to live, but I for one remain a firm advocate of this beautiful island. Apart from the odd tsunami or two, and handbag snatchers (so please be vigilant always), Penang is still relatively stable, safe and inexpensive; the locals are friendly, and English is widely spoken.
A recent group of visitors who appear to agree with my sentiments were the British journalists that you’ve probably read about elsewhere in this publication. Their week-long trip also included a two-night detour to Penang, led by our new Group Editor Douglas Williams himself, who shared, amongst other things, something in common with them: it was also his first trip to the island. During their time here, the lucky journalists were guests of the fantastic Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Batu Ferringhi.
However, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, as the saying goes, and part of their first evening here included a short formal presentation by co-organisers Henry Butcher Malaysia (Penang) at the G Hotel in Gurney Drive, which was also attended by representatives of various organisations all with one thing in common: to promote Penang. Amongst the impressive list were the investPenang team headed by Wan Zailena Noordin, Dato’ Hari Nair, Vice President of MICCI, Encik Faadrul Reza bin Haji Ariffin, MAS Corporate Sales Manager, Northern Region, and Dr Suresh Kumarasamy of Gleneagles Medical Centre, together with Dato’ Seri Kamal M Hashim, Honorary Chairman of Henry Butcher Malaysia.
Our very own publisher Andy Davison kicked off with a brief welcome, after which Dato’ Lee Kah Choon, the Vice Chairman of InvestPenang spoke about “Penang – Your Next Investment Destination”. Dr Teoh Poh Huat, Director of Henry Butcher Malaysia, then whizzed through a presentation on the Penang Property Market and PI2H, a joint venture between Henry Butcher and MAS.
During the dinner at G Hotel’s coffee house The G Cafe, we were joined by none other than our Chief Minister himself, Yang Amat Berhormat (YAB) Lim Guan Eng. He seemed tired – unsurprising, considering he’s been faced by many challenges since he won the landslide election just a year ago – but his usual relaxed, friendly self.
After dinner, the Chief Minister graciously held a short press conference during which our foreign visitors were able to seek his views about why Penang is such a great place for both businesses and holidaymakers.

The next morning was spent visiting some local tourist sites and touring the E&O Property’s Tanjung Sri Pinang development. In the afternoon, they were treated to something every tourist should try at least once when they are in Penang: a trishaw ride, which will show you some of the many interesting sights in George Town at a leisurely and relaxed pace. It’s life as it was a few decades ago ... barring the heavy traffic, of course.
We’ve already been getting good press coverage back home – Tom Shields from Scotland’s leading Sunday paper “The Sunday Herald” has written two excellent, humorous pieces, one in which he mentioned G Hotel’s happening jazz bar G Spot, to which he was invited but did not attend because he could not find it ...
Richard Neville, Deputy Editor of The Press and Journal from Aberdeen in Scotland, told me that he thought Penang was fantastic. “It has a great mix of opportunity and tradition, and the way the older buildings have been preserved gives it a heritage that KL lacks. The people are very open and welcoming and quick to sing the praises of their home.”
He found YAB Lim Guan Eng “enlightening” when he said that Penang had to be more than just a tourist destination and that its future prosperity depended upon it being a place to do business as well as holiday in.
“I just hope that the right balance can be struck between development - business and residential - and keeping the homely feel of the place. Knowing the Malaysians I met on my tour, I have little fear for the future. I am sure I will bring my family back to Malaysia, and Penang in particular,” he added.
As Group Editor Douglas put it, “I love Penang! I was charmed by the place, and I enjoyed the seaside atmosphere, the rich heritage and of course the food. I can see that Penang makes a very appealing proposition and as a place to live, invest and do business in – it’s got an advanced infrastucture, educated workforce and good transport links. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, Penang is a very special place, valuable not just to Malaysia but to the whole world - I will be returning as soon as possible.”
That’s what’s so wonderful about Penang you see – we do have it all!