LUXURY CRUISE SHIP MV PIANO LAND BOOSTS DOMESTIC TOURISM, LOCAL ECONOMY

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- The luxury cruise ship MV Piano Land, which operates domestic cruises, is invigorating the country’s tourism sector, thereby boosting local economic activities.

Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin said the MV Piano Land operates under a full charter cruise model, with Port Klang as its main base and will operate scheduled cruises to Penang and Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, offering passengers an exciting cruise experience.

“Although the cruise ship sails within Malaysia, it has still received good demand from foreign tourists, such as Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore.

“When tourists are taken to Penang and Langkawi, they will go sightseeing and shop there, which indirectly helps promote the destinations,” he told reporters after welcoming MV Piano Land passengers at the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) here today.

The 13-deck MV Piano Land luxury cruise ship from Hong Kong, which can carry up to 2,001 passengers and 800 crew members, offers Muslim-friendly hospitality and 11 cruises within Malaysia from Nov 29 to Dec 25.

Yeoh, who is also the Penang Port Commission (PPC) chairman, said a total of eight cruises would be “home-porting” departures from Penang, bringing both tourists and commercial opportunities to stakeholders in the state.

He added that the cruises were the result of continued collaboration between the port operators, industry partners and the Transport Ministry.

 “The eight ‘home-port’ departures will generate direct and indirect economic benefits for tourism operators, small businesses and the wider supply chain across Penang,” he said.

He added that Penang is emerging as a major regional port hub, supported by strong projections that PPC is expected to handle 679,809 passengers this year, with passenger numbers expected to increase by 47 per cent in 2026.

-- BERNAMA