GEORGE TOWN, Oct 12 — Penang will go ahead with its proposed cable car project to call for a Request for Proposal (RFP), said chief minister Chow Kon Yeow at the state legislative assembly today.

He said the project is expected to take between two to three years and the state will continue to promote Penang Hill as an eco-tourism site.

“For 2021, the state will allocate a total RM14.11 million for Penang Hill development,” he said when reading out the state budget 2021 today.

He added that the state government will continue to implement projects such as the Penang Hill Visitors’ Gallery, upgrading of the Astaka Bukit Bendera building and restoration projects for state-owned heritage bungalows such as Woodside, Convalescent and Fernhill.

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“We will also upgrade infrastructure such as the Viaduct Road and the area between Lower Tunnel to Claremont,” he said.

Chow said the state had already implemented several projects on the hills such as the upper station upgrading works, slope stabilisation works, installation of anti-climb fence along the train tracks and a traffic management system.

As part of the state’s efforts to maintain Penang as a safe and interesting tourism destination, Chow said the state introduced a post Covid-19 accreditation system.

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“This accreditation is to acknowledge any tourism industry player such as hoteliers and tourist product operators that had fully adhered to all SOPs and rules set by the state to stop the spread of Covid-19,” he said.

He said all tourism industry players who had fulfilled all health and cleanliness guidelines and SOPs will be given an official logo to be displayed at their premises for marketing and promotions.

As for heading towards digitalisation, Chow said the state allocated about RM1.19 million to implement the Digital Coach Scheme and Digital Promoter Scheme.