Cruise ships with more than 17,000 passengers set to dock at Swettenham Pier

GEORGE TOWN: Five cruise ships with more than 17,000 passengers are scheduled to dock at Swettenham Pier here on March 13.
State Tourism Development Committee chairman Danny Law said the arrival of cruise vessels clearly indicates that Penang is gaining popularity as a tourist destination, especially with the port having close proximity with the George Town Uneseco heritage site.
He said there were very few ports in the world where passengers can disembark and walk into a heritage area or head to Penang Hill, Entopia (formerly the Penang Butterfly Farm) and to shopping complexes.
"We will discuss with the relevant authorities on managing the traffic and logistics of handling the number of passengers that day," he said in a press conference today.
Checks on cruise monitoring websites showed the Superstar Gemini, Superstar Libra, Diamond Princess, Star Clipper and Mein Schiff 1 to make their call that day
Law later welcomed passengers disembarking from the Mariner of the Seas and the AIDAbella with 3,114 passengers and 2,600 passengers respectively.
Both ships are making a one-day stop in Penang while en route to Klang and Langkawi respectively.
Law also urged the federal government to expand the Penang Port and Pier to accommodate the expected increase in tourism arrivals.
He pointed to the CNN listing where Penang was named the second top tourist destination for 2017.
He said Penang remained a melting-pot of cultures and pointed out very few places worldwide had such a diverse mix of ethnicities living together.
He added economic activities spurred by tourism also saw the younger generation taking over businesses as the older generation retired.