A CONSULTANT will be engaged to analyse the industry of tourism, heritage, culture and arts to create a 10-year master plan for Penang with the possibility of updates at five-year intervals.
Penang Tourism Development, Heritage, Culture and Arts Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the engagement of the consultant was to align the development of the said industry with the Penang 2030 action plan.
“We’re not only focusing on tourism development but also incorporating the elements of heritage, culture as well as arts into the tourism industry,” Yeoh told a press conference at Komtar today.
“Hence, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will be conducted in the beginning stage to select and engage an independent consultant for this project based on the state’s CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) principle.
“The 10-year-old master plan is to set the goals for sustainable development and strengthen the competitive positioning of Penang’s tourism industry, heritage, culture and arts in 2030.
“The plan will include strategies and directions needed to be done by the state government in phase 1 (2019-2024) and phase 2 (2025-2030). A mid-term review will be conducted after phase 1 to evaluate the performance of the first five years as well as the external PEST (Political, Economic, Socio-cultural and Technological) component in achieving the sustainability goal of the industry.
“The objectives of the consultant are to develop a workplan which outlines the strategies, tasks, resources, responsibilities, duration and timelines including delivery of reports and the final master plan.”
Several focus group discussions (FGD) will be held with industry players, technical experts and stakeholders within a six-month period to formulate strategies for the industry.
The project would be led by Yeoh’s office with the involvement of state agencies such as Penang Institute, George Town World Heritage Incorporated, Penang Global Tourism, Penang State Council, Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Penang Island City Council and Seberang Perai Municipal Council as the main committee.
Yeoh said the RFP process would start today and proposal is required to be submitted via email to [email protected] not later than 15 Jan 2019 with the email subject line: Request for Proposal (RFP) For Penang Tourism Master Plan 2019 – 2030.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Cheah Lay Ping