Date: 14^th December 2011

Venue: Evergreen Laurel Hotel

Penang State EXCO for Tourism Development and Culture, YB Danny Law Heng Kiang signed a tourism agreement today with the Honourable Mr. Fan Sui Fang The Minister of Tourism of Henan Province, China. Mr. Fan Sui Fang was accompanied by 60 delegates which includes the Vice Mayor of the People’s Government of Kaifeng, Mr. Guo Ke ; Madam Li Yuan, the General Manager of Xiamen Airline;  Director of Wushu Training Centre, Shiaolin Temple Henan, Mr Jian Hongho;  government representatives from the Tourism Bureau of different cities in Henan Province; tour Agents and members of the Chinese media.

The agreement is a follow-up of the MOU that was singed between Penang and the People’s Government of Henan Province, China on the 9^th of November this year, where both parties have agreed to promote the tourism in both states.

In general, the agreement contains action points that both parties will undertake to ensure the success of the tourism industry in both Penang and Henan Province from December 2011 to December 2012.

This includes a chartered flight which will commence in May 2012. The first chartered flight will be organized by MATTA, a national umbrella representative body for local tour and travel organisations.

Members of MATTA will be rigorously promoting Henan as a tourist destination to ensure the success of the chartered flight. On the other hand, the Henan Provincial Tourism Bureau will be appointing various travel agents to promote Penang as a travel destination.

The Penang State Tourism office also plans to organize a Penang Festival in Henan sometime next year. The festival will feature famous food from Penang such as Char Koay Teow, Laksa, Rojak and various Halal food as there is a large Muslim community in Henan and Xian.

This agreement is part of a primary tourism plan between Henan Province and the state of Penang. If the agreement proves to be a success, there might be a continuous flight or a direct flight from Penang to Henan in the future.