GEORGE TOWN, May 7 — Penang is gearing up for its annual durian season, and hotels and durian orchards are ready to welcome a surge of durian lovers from across Malaysia, Singapore, and China.

Although the durian season in Penang started late this year, Penang Global Tourism has begun promoting special durian travel packages for the season that starts this month.

Penang state exco for tourism Wong Hon Wai, who launched new durian tourism promotional brochures and travel packages yesterday, said they have started promoting these internationally.

“We are not only promoting this in Southeast Asia such as Singapore and Indonesia but also in China because many of them love durians,” he said at the launch.

Wong said durians in China cost about RMB258 (RM150) per kilogram, which made Malaysia attractive for its cheaper fruits.

The durian season in Penang this year starts in mid-May and will last till July and early August.

“Our newly updated Penang King of Fruits Durian Guide will feature information about the types of durians available and lists of durian stalls and orchards,” he said.

The guide aims to inform visitors about the variety of durians, including popular types like Musang King and D24, and where to find them.

There are 36 different durian travel deals for visitors this year that included hotel and durian buffet packages on both the island and Seberang Perai.

“We have also listed durian orchards on the mainland including those in Sungai Bakap and Bukit Mertajam,” he added.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Hoteliers (MAH) Penang chairman Datuk Tony Goh said it is cheaper for visitors to sign up for hotel and durian packages during this season.

“Some hotels will partner with durian orchards that offer good packages so visitors who take up those packages will pay probably RM80 to RM100 less compared to going to the orchards on their own,” he said, indicating the cost savings for tourists.

The St Giles Wembley Hotel and the Cititel Express general manager said some hotels will offer lower room rates and package it with cheaper durian buffet prices.

“Like our hotels, we will bring them to the durian stalls we are partnering with for the durian buffet packages they signed up for,” he said.

These packages directly benefit hotels through increased bookings and orchards through higher sales.

Goh said last year, the promotional durian and travel packages were well received, especially by visitors from China and Singapore.

“We can expect an increase in room occupancy rates during this period of about four to five per cent,” he said.

Information on the Penang durian travel deals are available here.