Penang’s expanding air links will create greater demand for qualified tour guides, particularly those who can communicate in Korean and languages spoken in European Union countries.
The prediction came from the Penang Tourist Guides Association’s 60th anniversary luncheon, where president Clement Liang said a fresh wave of direct flights would open new tourism markets for the state, The Star reported. “Penang is doing very well in the tourism industry, and guides are needed,” he said. Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry Penang branch director Dr Annuar Mohamed and Penang Global Tourism director Kenneth Tan also attended the luncheon.
Liang said the industry does not have a clear picture of how many guides are working in the state, and he encouraged unregistered guides to join the association. “We do not know how many there are locally, but they are recognisable by the absence of identification badges. I don’t think there are that many,” he said.
Penang tourism and creative economy committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said the association now has more than 700 registered licensed guides who can conduct tours in more than 10 languages. He said the industry must strengthen its pool of professional guides and develop expertise in languages, digital technology, heritage interpretation and designing experiences for visitors. “Flights alone do not make a destination. They only make an arrival.”
The new services include direct flights to Phuket and Qingdao, with the inaugural Haikou-Penang flight scheduled for 11 October and the Batam service for 18 October, according to Penang Hyperlocal. Hainan Airlines will operate the Haikou route and Batik Air the Batam one, while the state is also pursuing Jeddah, Jinan, Wuhan, Lanzhou and Beijing and exploring charter connections with Japan and Poland.
Penang International Airport handled 2.65 million international passenger movements between January and July this year, an 11.13% rise from the same period last year, and the state has scheduled a weekly direct charter service from Poland from late November 2026 to March 2027.
Wong said two of George Town’s heritage landmarks, the Penang State Museum and Fort Cornwallis, reopened this year after restoration work, giving guides new material for their tours. “Anyone can tell a visitor what a building is. Very few can tell them why it still matters and that is not a small distinction.”
The association was founded and registered on 27 September 1966, making it the oldest body for tourist guides in Malaysia and among the earliest in South-East Asia. It is a full member of the World Federation of Tourist Guides Associations in Vienna, Austria, as well as the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council.
Wong said the government can build the infrastructure, open the routes and promote Penang abroad, but the work of explaining the state falls to the guides. “We have to depend on the guides to stand in front of a visitor and make them understand what this place means,” he said.
