GEORGE TOWN, 24 February 2017: In line with the spirit of 1Malaysia to foster unity, understanding, and goodwill among the various ethnic communities in the country, Tourism Malaysia organised a special celebration today at Jalan Padang Kota Lama, George Town, Penang, in conjunction with Chinese New Year.

Dato' Dr. Siew Ka Wai, Tourism Malaysia Chairman, hosted the Tourism Chinese New Year Celebration, which was also attended by Dato' Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, and Lim Guan Eng, the Chief Minister of Penang.

The event attracted an estimated 10,000 people including foreign tourists and locals. Among the highlights were the rich cultural heritage of the Chinese community in the country, lion dance, rooster decorations, and cultural dance performances. Local artistes Jaclyn Victor, Black Mentor, Ernie Zakri, and Sheng Quang, were also on hand to entertain the crowd. In line with the festive spirit, ang pows were also distributed to the underprivileged.

The celebration is also in line with Tourism Malaysia’s effort to boost domestic tourism and encourage Malaysians to travel locally for their holidays as the country is blessed with many fascinating destinations.

Penang is the perfect venue to host the celebration as about 41.5% of its 1.6 million population are Chinese. Penang is also a well-known food paradise and a major tourist destination for its beautiful beaches, nature, and historical heritage. In 2008, its capital George Town, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Recently, Penang has added several new tourist attractions, namely The Habitat on Penang Hill (a nature-based attraction); Design Village Penang outlet mall (the first outlet mall in the northern region), and The TOP at Komtar Penang featuring the Rainbow Skywalk, which is a viewing deck with glass floor. These attractions are making Penang even more attractive to visit now. Over the years, Penang has also garnered various international accolades. Penang came in second in CNN's '17 Best Places to Visit in 2017' while George Town was stated as one of the two main medical centres in Malaysia by internationalliving.com.

The international CNN Money portal listed George Town as the 6th best place in the world to retire in 2016. The portal described George Town as a city with afforable costs of living with modern public tranport facilities and first-class healthcare system.

ENDS

For more media releases, media info and media features on Malaysia’s tourism industry, kindly visit the Media Centre of Tourism Malaysia’s website at http://www.tourism.gov.my/

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. It focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia as a preferred tourism destination. Since its inception, it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2015, Malaysia registered 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM69.1 billion in receipts, placing it among the major tourism destinations of the world.

Press contact:

Media Relations Unit:
Mohd Libra Lee Haniff, Deputy Director, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8752
Email: mohdlibra@tourism.gov.my

Anis Rozalina Ramli (Ms), Senior Editor, Corporate Communication Division
Tel: +603-8891 8759
Email: anisramli@tourism.gov.my