India is one of the top five markets for Business Events in Penang | Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau Lead Delegation of 13 to New Delhi to Attract the Indian Travel Market

binod Takiawala

India is one of the top five markets for Business Events in Penang

Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau Lead Delegation of 13 to New Delhi to Attract the Indian Travel Market

 

New Delhi, 14th January 2019; A delegation of 13 Malaysia-based organisations visit New Delhi for the Penang Sales Mission to India 2019 with the objective of promoting Penang as the preferred destination for corporate and association meetings, conferences, and incentives, and leisure travel. Led by Ashwin Gunasekeran, Chief Executive Officer of the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB), the final stop sales mission in New Delhi was joined by The Honourable Mr Yeoh Soon Hin, the Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism Development, Heritage, Arts & Culture. Also present was The Honourable Mr. Satees Muniandy, Penang State Legislative Assemblyman.

Capitalising on Penang’s rising popularity in India, the Penang Sales Mission to India hosted, in each of the four cities it is visiting, a B2B engagement session with participating Business Events and leisure travel buyers from India as well as a media session with the local Indian and Business Events media. PCEB launched its Meetings and Incentives Support Package specially tailored for the Indian market. The support packages start from as low as sponsorship of souvenirs and welcome luncheon for the organisers valued at RM2,000 (for confirmed meetings/conferences of 50 to 100 delegates) to hosted site inspections, welcome luncheon for organisers, cultural performances and souvenirs valued at RM15,000 (for incentive groups of 501 delegates and above.

In the press conference this afternoon, The Honourable Mr Yeoh Soon Hin said; “I am very honoured to represent the Penang state government to join in this year’s Penang Sales Mission to India, here in New Delhi. Penang is a state in Malaysia and it has been listed in various travel articles for Top Ten Cities to Visit, one of the Must-Visit Destinations, Top Ten Best Budget Travel Destinations, Most Liveable City in Asia, Best Street Food in Asia and the list goes on Currently, Penang is the top ranked second-tier destination for association meetings in Malaysia as ranked by the International Congress and Convention Association or ICCA, headquartered in Amsterdam.”

Penang has also always been a melting pot of culture – an intersection for history and trade. As its State government, we are committed to continue developing the tourism sector and to continue showcasing our proud heritage and history,” he added.

Penang is world-class travel destination, one that is famed for its unique offerings of a modern international island city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lush rainforests, beautiful hill station, shopping galore and fabulous food. Additionally, this Northern Malaysian state is also a rising Business Events destination.

India is one of the top five markets for Business Events in Penang, and over the past year, we have received encouraging interest from event planners and conference organisers. This mission is joined by some of Penang’s finest offerings in the hospitality, travel and events sectors, and will showcase the best of what Penang can offer to the Indian market,” he added,” said Ashwin Gunasekeran, the Chief Executive Officer of PCEB.

In 2017, 13% of Business Events of Asia Pacific origin was from India, contributing RM190 mil or USD 46 million. In 2018, Penang’s largest Business Event – V Con 2018 – which saw a participation of 16,000 delegates from around the world reported that 80% of their delegates were from India.

In the past year, PCEB has heavily invested in marketing Penang to India, as the potential for growth from the Indian market is vast. Besides the Penang Sales Mission to India 2018 which saw PCEB leading 17 partners to Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, PCEB also joined the Global Panorama Showcase on its 8-city roadshow in 2018.

PCEB won the bid to host Global Panorama Showcase’s EDWIN Educational Programme, the first time the leading Indian travel product brought its programme to Malaysia. This saw PCEB hosting 120 Indian buyers at the inaugural Penang International Travel Exchange (PITE) 2018 from 4 – 8 September 2018.

The number of Indian travellers flying in to Penang has also increased in recent years. The Penang Immigration Department reported that for the period between Jan to Nov 2018, 7,250 Indian travellers flew into the Penang International Airport, compared to 6,569 in the same period in 2017. The 10.37% increase came despite there not being direct flights between Penang and India,” added Ashwin.

PCEB also launched its inaugural #BusinessEventsPenang Media Award for India 2019. Given the encouraging media coverage of the Penang Sales Mission to India 2018, PCEB created the award to not only recognise quality reporting of Business Events Penang but also to give opportunity for four award recipients from the Indian media to attend PCEB’s BE @ Penang 2019 conference and the media familiarisation tour from 4th to 8th Dec 2019.

This mission is supported by a Penang delegation of 12 partners, including hotels, destination management companies, attractions and theme park, professional conference organisers, event experts, and PCEB’s strategic airline partner, Malaysia Airlines.