Think City, Penang Global Tourism sign MoU to elevate Seberang Perai

Think City and Penang Global Tourism (PGT) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at showcasing ongoing initiatives to elevate Seberang Perai as a tourism destination.

The Seberang Perai Product Updates & MoU Signing Ceremony was held on 13 November at the Fifth Avenue Hotel, organised jointly by Think City, PGT, and the Penang State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy (PETACE).

The MoU signing was officiated by Wong Hon Wai, and was followed by presentations from grantees under Think City’s Levelling Up Seberang Perai (LUSP) Small Town Grants Programme, who shared updates on their respective projects.

MoU signing officiated by Wong Hon Wai

The ceremony brought together three organisations with overlapping interests in Seberang Perai’s development: Think City, which runs the LUSP grants programme; Penang Global Tourism, the state’s tourism promotion body; and PETACE, the state exco portfolio overseeing tourism and the creative economy.

Formalising the relationship between Think City and PGT through an MoU signals a shift from individual grant-funded projects toward a more coordinated tourism strategy for the district.

Seberang Perai has traditionally sat in George Town’s shadow when it comes to tourism promotion, despite housing a significant share of Penang’s heritage sites, wetlands, and small-town culture.

A joint agreement between the two organisations suggests future tourism marketing and product development for the area will draw more directly on the community mapping and heritage documentation work already funded through LUSP.

LUSP grantees present updates on Seberang Perai projects

Following the signing ceremony, grantees under the Levelling Up Seberang Perai Small Town Grants Programme presented updates on their respective projects to attendees.

The Small Town Grants Programme has funded a range of community-driven initiatives across Seberang Perai, spanning heritage documentation, cultural mapping, and public space upgrades.

Bringing grantees together at a single event alongside a tourism-focused MoU signing indicates an effort to connect grassroots project outputs with the district’s broader tourism positioning.

For grantees, presenting alongside a formal Think City-PGT partnership offers a chance to have their locally-focused work considered as part of Seberang Perai’s wider tourism narrative, rather than treated as standalone community projects.

Khoo Salma’s guidebooks featured among four speakers

Heritage writer Khoo Salma was one of four featured speakers at the event, presenting on her books “Exploring Seberang Perai” and “Jelajah Seberang Perai.”

Both titles document the district’s heritage sites, small towns, and cultural landmarks, and have previously been highlighted as reference material for those exploring the area independently.

Areca Books, the publisher behind both titles, also set up an exhibition at the entrance to the conference area, giving attendees a chance to browse the guidebooks directly.

Featuring a heritage author alongside an official tourism MoU signing reflects a deliberate pairing of grassroots documentation with formal tourism promotion efforts for the district.

The event’s programming, spanning an MoU signing, grantee presentations, and a published-author showcase, points to Seberang Perai’s tourism development drawing increasingly on locally-produced heritage material rather than external branding alone.

Readers interested in exploring the district themselves can look out for “Exploring Seberang Perai” and “Jelajah Seberang Perai” through Areca Books.