GEORGE TOWN – Following the issuance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the various tourism industry establishments in Penang, Penang State EXCO for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage (PETACH) YB Yeoh Soon Hin has initiated a COVID-19 safety accreditation programme to strengthen the compliance of the industry with the guidelines.

Taking a step ahead during this recovery period, the Penang State Government is the first in Malaysia to kickstart this initiative comprising hotels, attractions and shopping malls.

Penang State EXCO for Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage (PETACH) YB Yeoh Soon Hin said the main objective of the accreditation programme is to put emphasis on the importance of safety and hygiene, which would be important to regain traveller’s confidence in long term.

“As the industry for the transition towards the new norm, these preparations and practices would be key to accelerate tourism economy recovery efforts.

“At the same time, we need to educate the public. This initiative is aligned with state direction to promote responsible tourism among the tourism players and visitors,” he said.

Yeoh added that this is important to ensure that Penang is at a position to capture growth and rebound, at the right opportunity.

He said this accreditation is issued to tourism industry establishments that meet and adhere to strict hygiene and safety standards set by the local authorities, namely Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Pulau Pinang (JKNPP), Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP), Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai (MBSP), Penang State EXCO Office for Tourism, Arts Culture & Heritage (PETACH) and Penang Global Tourism (PGT).

“These authorities will firstly carry out a thorough audit to ensure all standards are fulfilled before validating them to receive the COVID-19 safety accreditation from PETACH.

He said those who have fulfilled the COVID-19 safety accreditation standard will be given the official certification mark or logo to be displayed at their premises and for use in advertising and promotional materials.

JKNPP, MBPP, MBSP, PETACH & PGT will carry out continuous checks on those who have received the accreditation to ensure the standards are met and maintained.

All relevant documents including application forms can be downloaded from https://penanglawancovid19.com/accreditation

Those who are interested to participate can submit their application through email to covid19accreditation@penangglobaltourism.com for approval.

Details, contact the secretariat at 04-2643456 or email to covid19accreditation@penangglobaltourism.com

Despite the fluctuating numbers of COVID-19 cases in the country, there has been no positive cases for the past 70 days in Penang and it has been successfully maintaining its green zone status thus far. Furthermore, Penang has also achieved a 98% compliance rate since the Movement Control Order (MCO) implementation by the Federal Government.

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