Due to the extended National Day weekend and school holidays, Penang is bustling with tourists.

Many employees are off to take advantage of a four-day holiday before returning to work on Monday.It revealed yesterday that heavier-than-normal vehicular and pedestrian traffic near well-known landmarks, eateries, shopping centres, parks, and beaches. Many ventured out to go sightseeing, dining, or shopping when the skies cleared despite an early downpour. According to Tony Goh, the chairman of the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Penang branch, many locals would have requested leaves of absence today, allowing them to take a lengthy vacation before returning to work on Monday.

Additionally, now that the kids are out of school, it is the ideal time for families to enjoy some Malaysian cuti-cuti.

"Beach hotels in particular benefit greatly from it. The majority report occupancy rates between 80% and 100%, with leisure travelers making up the majority of their clientele, he said.

While there are fewer corporate and business travelers staying in city hotels, Goh stated that this is more than offset by tourists who want to stay in George Town for the convenience of being close to the city's attractions.

These properties often have occupancy rates between 60% and 80%.
The majority of visitors are domestic travelers from Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, he claimed.

Suleiman Tunku Abdul Rahman, the communications director at Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Penang, reported that occupancy at the resort increased significantly from the 80% it typically sees on weekends."With so many last-minute reservations still coming in, we're optimistic that it will surpass 90%. The fact that the majority are local travelers is also quite encouraging since it shows that domestic travel is becoming more popular, he added.

Singaporeans are a significant demographic, he pointed out. Many of them have already made plans to travel to Penang for their next school breaks.

"We've witnessed a rise in younger travelers this year. We think that many people want to experience the culinary and cultural delights of George Town," Suleiman continued.

Check-ins were busy at The Granite Luxury Hotel, which reported a spike in occupancy from an average of 70% on typical weekends to almost 90% this weekend.

According to Ng Su-Ann, corporate relations manager for the property's parent firm M Summit Group, the majority of its visitors are Singaporeans and local families on vacation.

The commencement of our southern neighbor's school holidays, Merdeka Day, and our local school holidays all falling on the same weekend, she claimed, had the stars aligned.

Hotels in Johor, particularly those in the Desaru and Johor Baru metropolitan areas, anticipate

Ivan Teo, the head of the MAH Johor branch, stated that they anticipated seeing both domestic and foreign visitors, particularly those from Singapore.

"With Merdeka falling on a Thursday and Johor sporting the Friday-Saturday weekend, our circumstance is pretty unusual. This indicates that the state will have a long weekend. In addition, Friday is a public holiday in Singapore because of the country's presidential election, which will attract Singaporeans, he added yesterday.

Teo concurred that hotels will see strong occupancy rates this weekend because the Malaysian and Singaporean school holidays fall on the same day.