Five international cruise ships with a combined capacity of 11,012 passengers will make their maiden calls at Penang between this month and December, as the state’s cruise trade works back from a drop in passenger movements last year.
The vessels will berth at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal, with Navigator of the Seas due in first on 30 Oct at 2.30pm, Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin told The Sun.
The other four are Villa Vie Odyssey, Adora Mediterranea, Star Seeker and Celebrity Solstice, Pocket News listed.
Penang logged 750,093 cruise passenger movements in 2025, down from 1,046,165 in 2024. The slide reversed in the first quarter of 2026, when 372,903 movements were recorded, up 39.55% from the same period a year earlier.
Yeoh, who is also Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman, said ships from different cruise brands widen Penang’s reach among international visitors. “The arrival of vessels from different cruise brands creates opportunities for Penang to reach a diverse range of international visitors,” he said. “We hope passengers will explore our streets, savour Penang’s cuisine and experience our multicultural heritage, allowing businesses in food and beverage, retail, transport, tour guiding and tourism services to share in the opportunities generated.”
He said the state’s mix of cultures, its history and its food, together with the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site and its older neighbourhoods, remain the main draws for passengers coming ashore.
Welcoming activities are being arranged by the Penang Port Commission and Tourism Malaysia, including cultural performances, Penang-themed souvenirs and tourism promotions aimed at showing visitors Malaysian hospitality.
Yeoh credited Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing with backing port development. “Loke recognises the development potential of Swettenham Pier and has outlined a direction that includes upgrading the surrounding waterfront, enhancing terminal facilities and improving connections with George Town’s tourism areas, with the vision of developing Penang into an international cruise homeport,” he said.
Improvements at the terminal and along the waterfront would let port development and urban tourism support each other, he added, with wider gains for the state economy.
He said the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry is lifting visitor experiences through Visit Malaysia 2026 and the Mesra Malaysia hospitality programme, while Tourism Malaysia has extended its matching grant programme to the cruise sector to draw more arrivals by sea.
The Penang Port Commission will also work more closely with Penang Port Sdn Bhd, Tourism Malaysia and tourism industry players to draw more from each call, he said.
“The long-term value of cruise tourism lies in turning every visit into an opportunity for travellers to discover Penang and develop an affinity for Malaysia,” Yeoh said. “Positive experiences ashore and favourable word of mouth could encourage return visits, bringing sustained benefits to Penang’s tourism industry and local communities.”
