Under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two sides, Trip.com will promote Penang to travellers from global markets such as China, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Australia.

The Trip.com Group, a multinational travel service conglomerate, operates the travel websites Trip.com and Ctrip.

While PGT, the Penang government’s tourism bureau, has been collaborating with Trip.com since 2016, today’s MoU affirms the travel service provider as its first global partner.

This is also the first MoU signed between the two sides since the lifting of travel restrictions post-pandemic.

Trip.com Group chief marketing officer Bo Sun said the two sides “remain committed to developing a diverse range of products and expanding the (tourism) market for Penang”.

He said that with the emergence of new consumption behaviours and trends after the pandemic, Trip.com and PGT hoped to leverage on their collaboration to help the tourism industry recover quickly and to achieve sustainable growth through innovation.

Penang caretaker chief minister Chow Kon Yeow pointed out that tourism was a vital lifeline in the state’s prosperity.

“It reinvigorates our economy and nurtures our ambitions,” he added.