GEORGE TOWN: Ten cooperatives under the Malaysian National Cooperative Movement (Angkasa) in Penang have formed a consortium to venture into tourism.
Angkasa president Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah said the Tanjung Waterfront Harbour Cruise Cooperative Consortium, to be launched on March 18, will promote the state’s ecotourism products.
He said it is the first such venture by cooperative members in response to Penang Cooperative Commission of Malaysia director Zakaria Mat Jusoh’s call for them to be involved in the tourism sector.
“This is a joint effort with the cooperative commission to enable us to help cooperative members expand their business potential.
“We are starting with 10 cooperatives and we are confident that the other cooperatives will follow suit,” he told Bernama after closing the Penang Cooperative Business Development and Empowerment programme here today.
He said the consortium would offer ecotourism packages such as sea trips by boat coordinated by cooperative members, besides visits to iconic locations in Penang.Meanwhile, Angkasa state liaison chairman Mohd Jamil Othman said the sea trip package will start off with two boats with a capacity of
20 people each.
He said Penang Angkasa has identified the ports for the boats, such as Seagate, Bagan Ajam and Pulau Aman.
According to him, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture; State Economic Planning Unit; Marine Department; and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) were agreeable to the venture. – Feb 24, 2020, Bernama
