Penang Island As A Popular Tourist Destination

Penang Island or also known by the name of Pearl of the Orient is a small island located in the north-western coast of Peninsular Malaysia covering 285 sq Km and also a narrow strip comprising 760 sq km over on the mainland known as Seberang Perai. . Also known to be a melting pot for culture and religion, Penang has a estimated population of almost 1 million with a healthy mix of all major races in Malaysia with the Malays 32%, the Chinese 59% and the Indians 7%. With the different cultures and religion Penang is rich in heritage and culture which projects as a kaleidoscope of festivals and a variety of celebrations throughout the year (travelmasti,2011). This makes Penang one of the most visited states in Malaysia as a tourism spots. Tourism is considered one of the main mechanism that drives the economy and bringing in better yields for the state.

The history of Penang backdates to as early as the 16th century where Portuguese traders sailing from Goa, India to the Far East in search for spices as well as to replenish their supply of food and water to continue their journey. They then named the island “Pulo Pinaom” which translates as Betel Nut Island. This is because of the abundant supply of areca nut palm trees available. These trees are called Pinang by the local Malays (Tourism Penang, 2010).

It was during the 18th century, when the British took interest in the island to service them as a port for ship repairs and a good source of supply to spice and opium that was considered a lucrative and valuable trade at that time. Penang, whose originally was under the Sultanate of Kedah was then offered by the Sultan of Kedah to the British in exchange for protection against their enemy but did not receive any agreement by the superiors in the East India Company. However, on 11th August 1876, Captain Francis Light in order to secure Penang Island as port for the British, made an agreement with the Sultan of Kedah by agreeing to offer protection to Kedah against their enemy without the consent of the company thus making the agreement null. In 1781, a treaty was signed between the Sultan of Kedah and British whereby, an honorarium of 6000 Spanish dollars per annum will be paid to the Sultan which later changed to 10000 Spanish dollars in exchange for the island which was later renamed as the Prince of Wales Island. This amount is still paid by the Malaysia Federal Government till today. One of the main heritage sites in Penang today is the Fort Cornwallis as it is the site where the Union Jack was raised. The first township was established nearby called Georgetown. Georgetown was mainly made up of four main streets that existed till today such as Beach Street, Light Street, Pitt Street now known as Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling and lastly, Chulia Street(Malaysian Explorer, 2008).

Achieving UNESCO Heritage Status

Finally, on 7th July 2008, after 12 long years of assessment after applying, Penang Island has finally achieved its recognition as one of the UNESCO Heritage Status together with the state of Malacca where its uniqueness in architectural and cultural landscape in it towns makes it so special compared to any other places (Malaysian Explorer, 2008) The title has enabled the state to promote to use it as a new branding while boosting the tourism industry and the state’s economy.

In the year of 2008 , Penang has experienced a good year as the state managed to bring in a total amount of 6.3 million tourist based on hotel sources excluding tourist that arrive by arrive by cruises and those staying friends and family compared to the year before with a total number of 5.2 million tourist in the previous year(Penangtourism,2009).This status has enabled Penang to attract enthusiastic travelers around the world by giving them an new option of destination to visit.

The recognition of UNESCO Heritage status is an international acknowledgement that highlights the global significance of that particular area. This is a symbol of honour Penang and great privilege that will able to contribute to its social and economic sector. With the great impact that the status is able to deliver, to be able to be listed in the World Heritage List is therefore, very selective. Attaining this recognition is not a one off award as there are guidelines and responsibilities that have to be followed from time to time in order to maintain the status as it can be revoked. Penang has spend a total of 12 years in order to achieve this recognition which both time consuming and costly to maintain conservation of the sites this the commitment and responsibility to maintain this status should not be handled lightly( Penang Tourism, 2009).

1.3. Contributions

By conducting this study, the Penang tourism board will be able to it measure the interest and trends of travelers that are fast changing as time passes. Demands to visit and learn more about heritage sites are increasing as awareness and appreciation for these sites are instilled into the younger generation which are inherited by the older generation. These heritages are rich with the roots of culture and the achievements that contribute to what Penang is today.

With the world economic down, disaster, climate and possible treats like terrorism people are switching their travelling options to cheaper, safer the offers an equal value for money tourism spots which enhance the shifting of trends towards tourism heritage. This is because tourism has always been one of the most resilient industries in the world despite any given situations (Koehl,2002). With the extra branding heritage status, this offers the best opportunity that offers Penang an extra edge to boost and maximize the benefits to boosts its economy in terms of revenue and employment.( Imons, et al.n.d).

With the given opportunity and resources that is available, it is also

reflects importance of the cooperation and private and government

organizations that cooperate with each other in order to double the effort to

maximize the benefits for both parties. This is because there is a positive

relationship between state, tourism industry, locals and tourist.

Problem Statement

The effort to attain the UNESCO Heritage Site status was not easily obtained within a short period of time but has gone through a series of application and also a strict scrutinizing evaluation process which takes up to 12 years of With the contribution in income and benefits that Penang is able to generate from status of UNESCO Heritage Site, there are several problem statement such as, is Penang able to maintain the status of its “trump card” in the long run as this status can be revoked if not properly maintained according to the criteria and requirement set by the organization itself so that a clear line could be adhered to avoid unwanted development in the core zones within the heritage enclaves.(Penang Economic Monthly,2009)

Cooperation between the state government and the tourism board has to be synchronized and properly planned is important to ensure that development plan for the state does not clash with the conditions and guidelines drafted by UNESCO in order to avoid the heritage status from being revoked.

Proper funds need to be allocated in so that maintenance and restoration jobs can be executed from time to time as restoration process in for these heritage buildings require special labour skills that not many is able to perform and different kind of materials in order to preserve the original style of the buildings. This will result in a higher cost to maintain them thus making fund a vital part in maintaining this status

Research Question

The research question for this research is as follows :

1. Which are the main perspectives that play the main role in attracting tourist to visit

Penang?

2. What are the current interest that tourist are looking for?

3. Are the events organized and held interesting and informative enough for the tourist?

4. How is the quality of services offered by staffs in the places of attraction that are visited?

5. Are the tour packages offered enough to fulfill the demands of the tourist?

6. What is the satisfaction level of tourist towards the heritage sites in Penang?

7. Was Penang able to deliver and offer a money satisfying trip to its tourist?

Chapter 2 – Literature review

As one of the new upcoming heritage tourism sites, armed with the richness and uniqueness of its own heritage compared to other places in the world, Penang has all the opportunity and resources to promote and market its tourism industry globally but in order to succeed, it is important to imply an effective economic framework for any decision making process that is able to help the state government in planning and implementation. This is important as each decision varies as each tourism sector differs from one another as well as the impact of it that reflects differently on the culture, people and the economy of the place. Therefore, a suggestion in extensions of micro economic models such as ecological economics is highly encouraged to cater to the constant changes in trends of tourist demand towards a destination and to enable a certain tourist spot to maintain a sustainable market demand that is crucial to in boosting the economy (Tourism and Hospitality Research,2010).

Tourism is always considered an industry that can be easily affected by a incidents happening around it such as terrorism, epidermis treats, natural disaster and many more but has always maintain as one of the strongest industry that brings in a major role of keeping the revenue coming in. This is because, trends and preference may change from time to time but not reduced. Therefore, it is vital for Penang tourism to keep track of the changes in current trends and demand, recognize the opportunity and implication to the state as a great competitive step in maintaining its sustainability (Bailey,2010)

However, by any means of promoting a certain heritage site as a tourism spot, there are also concerns about the speeding up in deterioration of the sites which means it clashes with the main aim UNESCO’s mission to preserve and conserve the heritage area that is considered a legacy that is handed down by past generations. This is an issue that is a huge concern as heritage sites are places from the past that is irreplaceable and restoration works are costly as it takes special skilled labour and specific materials to maintain its original structure and style (Harrison,2005).

Compared to the past, where heritage sites are rarely heard and received only a small niche of demand my visitors, with the awareness and curiosity of travelers to gain knowledge, heritages sites around the world is fast gaining popularity thus