PENANG will continue to host the annual George Town Literary Festival because the state is a magnet for writers and publishers, the Penang Institute said.
Penang Institute CEO Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng said the festival has the potential to boost tourism.
For the past several years, the main organiser was the Penang Conventions Exhibitions Bureau. This year, the Penang Institute will host the event on November 29 to December 1 in the heart of the George Town.
Ooi told a press conference last night that the institute is seeking private sector sponsorship.
The events will be held in China Street Ghaut to Beach Street, ending at ChinaHouse, and St Xavier's Institution to the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
A series of seminars on writing, reading and publishing is on the cards.
The festival will showcase 12 panel sessions, five book launches, three reading sessions, two creative huddles, a poetry reading session, and a "litlive" and a Penang Street history walk.
The event aims is to consolidate the state's reputation as the preferred hub for literature and tourism.
"We also want to inculcate more access to information... An informed society will make a good choice in deciding their representation in government and who best to serve and lead them," said Ooi.
About 5,000 people attended festival last year. – June 20, 2024.
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