Penang Tourism website, www.tourismpenang.gov.my reported the following:-
1)NY Times readers choose Penang as No.2 must-visit destination for 2009
Sunday January 18, 2009
"As reported in The Star, January 18, 2009 by Christina Chin"
GEORGE TOWN: Readers of The New York Times have chosen Penang as the second best destination among “44 Places To Go in 2009”.
In top spot in the recommendations found on the paper’s website (http://www.nytimes.com) was Beirut.
The only other South-East Asian destination in the ranking is Phuket, which is in 15th place.
Other places include Washington (fourth), Rome (fifth) and Metz in France (sixth). The newspaper ranked Penang in the 22nd spot while Phuket was placed 12th.
Besides the second spot in the overall readers’ ranking, Penang is also in the top 12 places in the frugal and food categories (both readers’ and the paper’s recommendations).
The New York Times said adventurous foodies are now turning to Penang, the culinary capital of Malaysia, where they are eating their way through one of South-East Asia’s liveliest street-food scenes.
It said there are city-run hawker stands everywhere and even refined dishes like char koay teow rarely cost more than US$2 (about RM7.20)
2. Penang as UNESCO World Heritage Site
On 7th July, 2007, George Town’s rich living heritage, culture and history was officially recognised when the World Heritage Committee in Quebec City, Canada, officially inscribed the city as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Jointly listed with Melaka, George Town was acknowledged as having developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca.
The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the town with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century.| Citing “outstanding universal values” as the reasons for the inscription, UNESCO acknowledged the city as: |
| • | A remarkable example of historic colonial towns on the Straits of Malacca that demonstrate a succession of historical and cultural influences arising from their former function as trading ports linking East and West |
| • | The most complete surviving historic city centre on the Straits of Malacca with a multi-cultural living heritage originating from the trade routes from Great Britain and Europe through the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago to China |
| • | An exceptional example of multi-cultural trading towns in East and Southeast Asia, forged from the mercantile and exchanges of Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultures and three successive European colonial powers for almost 500 years, each with its imprints on the architecture and urban form, technology and monumental art |
| • | A living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, and European colonial influences |
| • | A reflection of a mixture of influences which have created a unique architechture, culture and townscape  |
“… A unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.” - UNESCO
(source: www.tourismpenang.gov. my)
Welcome to Penang, in 2009......
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