Saturday 25 February 2012

A travel guide book to halal Penang

A travel guide book to halal Penang

THE Penang International Halal Hub Development Sdn Bhd, also known as Halal Penang, is pu- blishing a travel guide book for Muslims with the support of Penang Global Tourism.

Titled ‘Experience Penang 2012: A Muslim Travel Guide’, the book is set to be available to the public next month.

It will feature shopping spots, places of attraction, festivities, food outlets and accommodations in the state.

Halal Penang director Murali Ram said they would be printing 10,000 copies of the book to be distributed at the Penang Interna-tional Airport and various hotels in the state.

“The books will be distributed for free for the first year. We will update the book yearly with the latest information,” he said after the opening ceremony of the 3rd Penang International Halal Exposition and Conference (Pihec) at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) yesterday.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said since Pakatan Rakyat took over Penang in 2008, there had been an increment in the number of companies with halal certification.

“In 2008, there were 55 companies awarded with the certificate and the number kept increasing until, in January, 324 companies,” he said in his speech.

Lim said Halal Penang managed to bring in investments of RM395mil through its Penang Halal Industrial Park in Bukit Minyak.

He added that the investment values covered 18.6ha out of a total of 40.46ha there.

State Religious Affairs, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Com-mittee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim said the number of booths during Pihec had been increasing.

“Back in 2010, only 65 booths showcased their products. The number increased to 102 last year, and now there are 161 booths here,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~