A bright future awaits Penang Hill, and keeping the balance between old-world charm and new innovations is the key.
Visitors to Flagstaff Hill – the traditional name for Penang Hill – have more than doubled in the last five years. There may have been some complaints about the price hike on transport up the Hill following the upgrading of the Penang Hill Railway in 2010, but according to statistics from Penang Hill Corporation (PHC), an impressive 1.36 million people went up the Hill last year compared to 693,590 visitors in 2011 (May-December).
One obvious reason for this phenomenal increase is the shorter time it now takes to get up the Hill. The new Swiss coaches also have added capacity and, furthermore, Penang’s reputation as an attractive global tourist destination has been growing by leaps and bounds.
