Holafly looked at 200 cities and chose the 100 most visited and the 100 most populous. It then gave each city a welcoming score. Penang earned 63.07 points and was ranked sixth worldwide.

Holafly used six indicators to calculate the score. The indicators were English proficiency (EF EPI), social support (World Happiness Report), tourism and information services (OpenStreetMap), safety (Numbeo) and visa and entry openness (Henley Openness Index). The data were current as of June 15, 2026.

Penang’s total score was 63.07 points, putting it sixth in the 2026 ranking. Its strongest result was visa openness, where it scored 167, the highest among the top‑10 cities. Penang also received a safety score of 70.6, but it had only four tourism‑information assistance services, showing room for improvement.

The ranking shows that easy visa rules and good safety are very important for travelers. Penang’s high visa openness and solid safety helped it reach the top ten, even though it can add more tourism‑information services.