GEORGE TOWN, 15 September 2015 – Tourism Malaysia, with the cooperation of the Kelab Media Mutiara Pulau Pinang, will be organising the Fun Drive Treasure Hunt 2015 (FDTH 2015) on 12 December this year to further promote tourist destinations in mainland Penang.

The contestants of the FDTH 2015 will begin their race at 9.00 am on 12 December 2015 from the Seberang Perai Municipal Council compound. The race will take them through the areas of Seberang Perai Tengah, Seberang Utara, before finishing at the Hotel Grand Alora Alor Setar, Kedah, to also help promote the Visit Kedah Year 2016 campaign.

Among the tourist attractions in Seberang Perai Tengah is the Batu Bertulis Cherok Tokun, the Penang Bird Park, and the Ku Cheng Tse Temple, while in Seberang Perai Utara there is the Penang Golf Resort, the Nine Emperor Gods Temple, the Dataran Pemuda Merdeka, and the Capal Jago manufacturing industry.

The FDTH 2015 programme targets between 30 and 40 vehicles registered by participants, with a participation fee of RM200 for each four-person group. Each group will receive T-shirts, lunch vouchers, an RM40.00 petrol voucher, hi-tea, as well as a goodies bag.

FDTH 2015 is open to all media practitioners and domestic tourism industry players, which include tour operators, hotel/resort operators, and tourism product operators from Pulau Pinang and the Northern Region in general.

The winner of the FDTH 2015 will win the grand prize of RM3,000, while the second and third prize winners will receive RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively, along with hampers, certificates of participation, and medals.

The Fun Drive Treasure Hunt 2015 programme hopes to strengthen the relationship between Tourism Malaysia and media and industry players, as well as show the appreciation for their role in developing the tourism industry especially in the Northern Regions.

The treasure hunt also serves as a charity event, as 10% of the total entry fees will be donated to welfare bodies/organisations which will be identified later.

The FDTH 2015 programme is also supported by the Shell AMN Mak Mandin branch, McDonalds Malaysia, as well as the Seberang Perai Municipal Council. The official hotel for the hunt is the Alora Grand Hotel Alor Setar, Kedah.

The entry forms can be downloaded from www.facebook.com/FunDriveTreasureHunt2015, and the participation closing date is on 16 November 2015.

According to the report by the Pulau Pinang Immigration Department, total foreign tourist arrivals to Pulau Pinang from January to July 2015 amounted to 471,201, which marked an increase of 1.7% compared to 463,331 during the same period in 2014.

According to a report by the Tourism Malaysia research division, the total number of hotel guests in the Northern Region (Penang, Kedah, Perak and Perlis) in 2014 amounted to 12,848,610 people, compared to 10,055,567 people in 2013.

For the Visit Kedah Year 2016, the Kedah State Government have targeted to receive a total of five million domestic and international tourists, divded between Langkawi (3.5 million tourists) and Kedah (1.5 million tourists).

For more information, please contact the Deputy Director of Tourism Malaysia Penang, Ms. Haryanty Abu Bakar at 04-2610058, or email haryanty@tourism.gov.my.