Putting them up for the night
5 min read
The record drop in the value of the ringgit is making Malaysia a cheaper destination for foreign tourists. Furthermore, it is encouraging Malaysians to have the...
Welcome to Penang
2 min read
2017-03-22The top three countries of origin of international visitors to Penang were Indonesia, Singapore and China. These three countries made up almost 71% of...
The tourists keep coming!
6 min read
Despite being an island, Penang today is fortunately highly accessible. According to the Penang Tourists Survey 2014 prepared by the Sustainable Tourism Researc...
Is Penang’s tourism on the right track?
15 min read
The messages started flying on social media in early July. The word was that some 4,000 tourists from China were arriving for a company holiday in Penang &ndash...
The swashbuckling municipal president of Penang
5 min read
Civil servant? Soldier? Adventurer? Activist? Surely one could not be all four, and more. But one man indeed was, and left a significant mark on Penang. During...
Giving the people a say – it’s their money after all
5 min read
Sometime in December last year, at a forum on the state and national budget organised by Lee Khai Loon, the state assemblyman for Machang Bubok, I threw out a c...
Being part of history being made
6 min read
Bersih 4 was undeniably the biggest street protest that Malaysia has ever seen. Held over 34 hours from August 29-30, it saw no let-up in the numbers that showe...
Dreaming in Malaysia
1 min read
Migrant workers in Malaysia come from more than 12 Asian countries, with the majority from Indonesia. Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tha...
Penang as entry point for visitors to Malaysia
3 min read
Tourism has been vital to Penang for decades, but a competent history of it has yet to be written to give due credit to the key actors involved, to describe t...
A “wholistic” treat for the health-conscious tourist
2 min read
The popularity of medical tourism in Penang brings with it demands for post-treatment services, i.e. wellness and spa. That’s a need that Shangri-La&rsquo...
