The Malaysian Insight

SINCE earning Unesco World Heritage Site status on July 7, 2008, George Town’s traditions have been the focus of Penang’s booming tourism sector.

A former British Straits Settlement, George Town gained the Unesco status for its “outstanding universal values” – tangible and intangible cultures that resulted from more than 500 years of trade and cultural exchanges between the East and West.

A year before the designation, tourist arrivals stood at 5.2 million, and jumped 21% to 6.3 million in 2008. Last year, the state estimated that some seven million visitors arrived via Penang International Airport alone.

As a tourism destination, the heritage city receives praises on Google Reviews for its old architecture, street art, food, multiracial and multicultural harmony, as well as for being great for “selfie tourism”.

The massive tourism potential has spurred some owners and investors to pump money into restoring and renovating many pre-war buildings in the 250ha heritage core and buffer zones and on their fringes. – July 10, 2018.