FIREFLY, Tourism Malaysia and the Penang Tourism Action Council (PTAC) will embark on a roadshow to promote the state as a tourist destination and northern region air hub for low cost carriers.

The Penang Travel Trade Members Roadshow for inbound and outbound air travel, scheduled from July 9 to July 30, was announced by PTAC chairman Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen recently.

"Penang's location is very strategic and Firefly will position the state as a gateway to the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). With the arrival of five new ATR72-500 Firefly aircrafts, Penang will soon be connected to Medan and Acheh," she said.

"We want to promote the state as an air traffic hub. We will be out to establish smart partner-ships with other tour operators in the region to develop packages and marketing strategies," she said.

The roadshow will be held in Phuket and Koh Samui (Thailand), Medan and Acheh (Indonesia), and Langkawi, Kota Baru, Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur.

"This roadshow is aimed at providing tourism industry players with the opportunity to network and develop their businesses with their counterparts around the region.

"There will be seminars, presentations and a travel mart on the state with 100 participants from travel agencies, hotels, tour operators and educational institutions. I am sure this can help to boost tourist arrivals to the state," she said.

Kee said that for Penang to be successful, the state must also be promoted alongside other popular tourist destinations in the region.

"We must be pragmatic. Penang can no longer stand on her own. We want more connectivity but can we sustain the passenger load"

"That is why I want to promote closer cooperation with other countries and come up with joint packages that add value for visitors," she said.