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Cao Pi
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Friday September 10, 2010
World’s largest water lily in Penang soon
By CHRISTINA CHIN
[email protected]
GEORGE TOWN: The Botanic Gardens here will soon house the world’s largest water lily (Victoria Amazonica) under the Tourism Ministry’s RM7mil beautification and expansion project. The giant plant, with leaves measuring up to 3m in diameter, will be placed in a new lily pond at the gardens, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. “Penangites didn’t want the arch so we took it down. And in its place we will have a lily pond,” she said, adding that the project would be completed in November.
Floating flowers: A file photo of the Victoria Amazonica, the world’s largest water lily. This amazing plant will make its appearance at the Botanic Gardens soon. — AFP
Dr Ng said the number of foreign tourists arriving in the state from January to June had increased by 40% compared to the same period last year. “In the last six months, we’ve had 405,932 international tourists compared to only 244,146 last year, and this is very good. “I will try to convince more airlines to offer direct flights to Penang. “I will talk to Emirates Airline and see if we can get some flights in from the Middle East.
“The number of Middle Eastern tourists (who visited Penang in the first six months) was only 1,360 compared to 92,000 Indo_nesians and 51,000 Singaporeans,” she told reporters yesterday after visiting two art galleries that were part of the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism (MCAT) 2010 programme.
“Response to MCAT in Kuala Lumpur was very good and the ministry was monitoring Penang closely. We are holding a ‘Penang as a sustainable international hub for contemporary art tourism’ seminar here, and will work closely with Penang artists to develop art tourism here. “We want to have an art trail directory so that visitors will know where to go,” she said.
