PENANG, 29 January 2026: Guided by the theme ‘Simply Penang’, the Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) led the 9th edition of the Penang Roadshow to India 2026, 19 to 27 January, covering four major cities in India.
PCEB said the roadshow reflected Penang’s long-standing commitment to the Indian market, which has strengthened bilateral ties in tourism and business events.
The roadshow covered four major Indian cities — Mumbai (19 January), New Delhi (21 January), Kochi (23 January) and concluded with Chennai (27 January). The programme engaged with more than 800 qualified business event buyers and over 100 media representatives across the four cities, connecting Penang directly with decision-makers across the leisure, corporate, incentive and meetings sectors.
As of November 2025, Penang had received over 42,367 visitors from India, marking a significant rise that has propelled India from outside of the top 10 source markets in 2024 to become one of Penang’s top six international source markets. This underscores India’s strategic importance as Penang intensifies its global outreach efforts ahead of Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VM2026).
The continued visa exemption for Indian nationals until 31 December 2026 will further enhance accessibility, reinforcing Malaysia and Penang’s competitiveness as preferred destinations for both tourism and business events.
Penang’s strong performance extends beyond leisure tourism. By November 2025, the destination hosted more than 2,900 business events, generating an estimated economic impact of MYR1.3 billion, with final figures for December currently being consolidated. These outcomes reflect Penang’s mature business events ecosystem, robust infrastructure, professional services and its ability to deliver high-value,high-impact events across multiple sectors
2026 marks a defining milestone for Malaysia’s tourism industry through Visit Malaysia Year 2026, a national campaign designed to elevate Malaysia’s global profile and accelerate tourism growth.
For Penang, VM2026 presents a timely opportunity to amplify international market engagement, attract higher-yield visitors and reinforce its standing as a leading destination for both tourism and business events.
Initiatives such as the Penang Roadshow to India 2026 play a critical role in advancing this agenda — strengthening market confidence, deepening partnerships and ensuring Penang remains front-of-mind among global travel and events decision-makers.
(Source: PCEB)
