Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) has invited Indian airlines to explore direct connectivity to Penang, offering facilitation support and incentives under its new ‘Inspiring Meetings’ branding campaign, which will run alongside Malaysia’s national Visit Malaysia campaign.
Speaking on the sidelines of PCEB’s 9th annual India Roadshow in New Delhi, Ashwin Gunasekeran, CEO, Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau, said the introduction of a direct Chennai–Penang flight about a year ago has proved to be a major turning point for the destination, driving strong growth from the Indian market.
“We’ve seen a drastic increase from India, and even this year we are expecting a 30 per cent increase compared to last year,” Gunasekeran said, adding that the daily direct flight from Chennai has been operating at over 80 per cent load factor.
According to PCEB statistics, the Chennai–Penang service alone resulted in an additional 43,000 Indian visitors to Penang till November 2025. “It’s been about a year and a month since the flight started, and connectivity has made a huge difference for both leisure and business travel,” he said.
Gunasekeran said PCEB is currently in discussions with airline partners in India to expand direct connectivity beyond Chennai. “We are open to any destination, any sector out of India,” he said. “We are in touch with Indian carriers, and hopefully this year we may see another new destination coming in.”
Inviting airlines to engage directly with PCEB, he said, “Any Indian carriers who want to work with Penang can approach us at the Convention Bureau. We have a support structure for airlines, and we will facilitate further discussions with the ministry.”
The airline support is part of Penang’s new ‘Inspiring Meetings’ campaign, a two-year initiative running from 2025 to 2027, aimed at positioning Penang as a leading MICE destination. “There are a lot of incentives tied together with this campaign, including event support and packages,” Gunasekeran said, noting that the campaign has been launched in conjunction with Visit Malaysia.
He highlighted that improved connectivity has expanded Penang’s reach beyond southern India. “The Chennai flight connects more than 30 cities within India with a transit time of just about two hours,” he said. “We see traffic not just from the south, but also from Delhi, Mumbai and northern India, especially for conferences.”
Gunasekeran said Penang’s appeal lies in its ability to offer a complete experience within a compact destination. “Penang is a one-stop destination. Georgetown itself is a UNESCO World Heritage City, and within a radius of less than 10 kilometres, you have convention centres, international brand hotels, culture, nature, food, shopping and entertainment,” he said.
The destination has a strong meetings and exhibitions ecosystem, having hosted around 2,900 business events last year. “We can easily accommodate events of 10,000 delegates, and the largest we’ve hosted is 18,000 at one sitting,” he said. Penang currently has three major convention venues, including the recently opened Penang Waterfront Convention Centre, he said.
As far as specific sectors and industries which hold promise for PCEB, the CEO said that it has been electrical, electronics, medical and pharmaceutical industry business events drive traffic from India.
Later, addressing the media, Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali, director, Malaysia Tourism office in India said that Indian arrivals into Malaysia has seen huge surge in the last couple of years because of the visa free facility. Till November 2025, about 1.45 million Indians visited Malaysia and expected to cross 1.50 million as the actual numbers come out for 2025. Currently there are 14 cities in India which are connected to 3 cities in Malaysia by air, and there is scope for further improvement in connectivity, he said.
