9th Edition of Penang Roadshow to India Drives Business Events and Tourism Momentum for Visit Malaysia Year 2026

by Pranita 

India: Guided by the theme ‘Simply Penang’, the Penang Convention & Exhibition

Bureau (PCEB) leads the 9th edition of the Penang Roadshow to India 2026, reaffirming Penang’s long-standing commitment to the Indian market and strengthening bilateral ties in tourism and business events.

Taking place from 19 to 27 January 2026, the roadshow covers four major Indian cities — Mumbai (19 January), New Delhi (21 January), Kochi (23 January) and Chennai (27 January). The programme engages more than 800 qualified buyers and over 100 media representatives across the four cities, connecting Penang directly with decision-makers across the leisure, corporate, incentive and meetings sectors.

Now in its ninth edition, the Penang Roadshow to India stands as a strategic platform for sustained market engagement, business matching and destination promotion. India remains one of Penang’s most important and resilient source markets, with strong demand across leisure travel, business events and incentive travel.

As of November 2025, Penang had received over 42,367 visitors from India, marking a significant rise that has propelled India from outside the top 10 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 further enhances accessibility and travel convenience, reinforcing Malaysia and Penang’s competitiveness as preferred destinations for both tourism and business events.

Penang’s strong performance extends beyond leisure tourism. Up to November 2025, the destination hosts more than 2,900 business events, generating an estimated economic impact of RM1.3 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.

The continued growth of the business events segment demonstrates Penang’s capacity to support conferences, exhibitions, incentives and corporate events that contribute meaningfully to economic development, knowledge exchange and destination branding.

The year 2026 marks a defining milestone for Malaysia’s tourism industry through Visit Malaysia Year 2026, a national agenda 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.

As Penang looks ahead, PCEB remains committed to strategic market development, sustainable growth and long-term value creation, ensuring that Penang continues to perform strongly on the global stage while supporting national tourism objectives under Visit Malaysia Year 2026.

About Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) : Penang Convention & Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) is a state bureau established to develop the Business Events and meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE) industry in Penang. PCEB aims to position Penang as the preferred location for Business Events activities in the region. With its rich UNESCO heritage, thriving multicultural society, state-of-the-art facilities and vibrant natural attractions, Penang offers a truly eclectic tropical experience.

In line with its mission to incubate the growth of Business Events in Penang, PCEB serves as Penang's focal point for the coordination of all Business Events activities, providing expert assistance to organisations and Business Events planners at every step of the planning. PCEB's team of industry experts work hand-in-hand with professional service providers and world-class hotels, convention centres and unique venues to ensure the smoothness and success of each event organised. PCEB's goal is to enhance our Business Events clients' experience and at the same time to expand the beneficial economic impact of local MICE businesses.