Tag: Malacca Zoo

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Travel to Melaka

11 ABANDON PROJECTS TO BE REVIVED

Malacca rehabilitates 11 abandoned projects: Idris Haron

Posted on 21 February 2016 – 04:56pm
Last updated on 21 February 2016 – 06:19pm

MALACCA: The Malacca State government is in the process of rehabilitating 11 tourism projects that were abandoned in the state to ensure productivity in the tourism industry remained positive, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Idris Haron.

He said the projects concerned included the upgrading of the monorail at Malacca River, the Malacca Zoo and the Dolphin Park at Pulau Melaka here as well as the development of the Extreme Park in Chin Chin, Jasin near here.

“For the monorail project, we have asked the party concerned to undertake a study and analysis, there will be a new approach in the management and development of the project while the other projects would be rehabilitated in stages and would be monitored to ensure their smooth implementation.

“This is a positive development to continue the abandoned projects, and we have identified 13 abandoned projects in the state but only 11 would be continued,” he told reporters, here today.

He disclosed this after the gathering with the Tourism Malaysia Director in conjunction with the program “Fun with Health, Tourism Malaysia Directors’ Retreat 2016”, here. – Bernama

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA GATEWAY LAUNCHED AT PULAU MELAKA

RM40b Malacca Gateway to open doors in 2018
Posted on 7 February 2014 – 05:41am
Eva Yeong
sunbiz@thesundaily.com

MALACCA (Feb 7, 2014): The RM40 billion project in Malacca known as Melaka Gateway which will be launched by the prime minister today will open its doors to visitors in 2018.

The 609-acre project which is being developed by KAJ Development Sdn Bhd (KAJD) will see the first phase attracting some 900,000 visitors during the first year of operations, said KAJD CEO Datuk Michelle Ong.

“We expect to have 900,000 visitors in the first year including international cruise passengers,” she told reporters at a briefing here yesterday.

Ong said the first phase, which will be built on Pulau Melaka, will include Malaysia Eye, two hotels, several resorts, a heritage walk, a fashion district and a marina terminal.

“We have already started work on Malaysia Eye and it will be erected in six months’ time,” she added.

According to Ong, the company obtained the concession for the project in September 2010 and received all approvals for the project in September last year.

KAJD will be the master developer of the project and it is currently in negotiations with various potential partners and investors for the project.

Ong said it is talking to at least five international brands and will be announcing some of its partners at the launch ceremony today.

Melaka Gateway is a project with 12 precincts including residential, commercial, cultural, entertainment and lifestyle elements. It is scheduled for completion by 2025.

The 12 precincts are Gateway Entertainment Precinct, Melaka Marina Cruise Centre, Melaka Historical Walk, Gateway Maritime Arena Beacon, Branded Fashion District, International Theme Park, Melaka Cultural Walk, Waterfront Marina Villas Resorts, Gateway Wellness Lifestyle Precinct, Melaka Skyline Apartments, Lohas Park Residences and Eco Isle Resorts.

Its marina terminal will be the largest in Asia, tapping into the growing number of cruise ships plying the route which currently do not stop at Malacca due to lack of facilities.

KAJD chief operations officer Gavin Lau said the marina terminal alone will cost some RM600 million.

“It will be able to handle three cruise ships at the same time,” he said.

Lau said funding for the project will be a combination of internal funds, partnerships and bank borrowings.

He said some of the land, especially the residential portions, may be sold to other property developers while some parts of the project will be jointly developed with other partners and investors.

“There are 12 zones in total and there will be a lot of international operators. Some of the properties will be developed by other developers, some on our own and some with partners,” he added.

KAJD which is predominantly a construction company, currently manages Malacca Zoo and Bird Park. It was also the company that undertook the revamp of Malacca River.

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Cuisine in Melaka

ZOO MELAKA TO BE PRIVATISED

21 November 2012 | last updated at 09:50PM

State govt to take over Zoo Melaka by year’s end

By Hanis Maketab
hzmak@nst.com.my

MALACCA: The State zoological park or Zoo Melaka would be taken over by the State Government from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks of Malaysia, which is under the Federal Government, by the year’s end.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the management of the zoo would be primarily taken over by a consortium which would be headed by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council.

The consortium would be made up of Koperasi Hang Tuah Jaya, Koperasi Bela Masyarakat (Kobemas) and WildlifeTheatre Melaka.

The consortium hopes to adopt the management style of the Singapore Zoo to steer Zoo Melaka to greater heights.
Mohd Ali said that while the state government was awaiting an official letter from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, preparations were currently under-way for the take over.

“Th privatisation will include an upgrade of its facilities and infrastructure, which is expected to cost up to RM6 million.

“We would also be changing the name of the zoo to ‘Melaka Zoo and Night Safari’. Once everything is finalised, the zoo would be a private entity, it will no longer receive the RM4 million yearly grant from the Federal Government, and therefore, the new management must work towards ensuring the zoo’s continued success,” he said.
Mohd Ali said he hoped the zoo’s privatisation would be the first step in improving it as a major tourist attraction not only for the state, but for Malaysia as well.
“Malacca Zoo is currently one of the best zoos in the country, and I believe it can one day become a world-renowned zoo,” he said.

When asked on the fate of the contract employees of the Zoo Melaka, Mohd Ali said that they would be absorbed by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council.
Zoo Melaka is a 54-acre (approximately 21.22 ha) zoological park located beside Lebuh Ayer Keroh in Malacca.

The zoo has progressed rapidly since 1979 to become the second biggest zoo in the country, behind the National Zoo of Malaysia (Zoo Negara).
Zoo Melaka annually records than 400,000 visitors and more than half of the visitors are from Melaka and the neighbouring states. Its annual ticket collection exceeds RM3 million.
The number of exhibits has also increased significantly since it opened and as of today there are a total of over 1,200 specimen made up of 215 different species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in the zoo.

The major attractions in Zoo Melaka are the highly endangered Sumatran Rhinoceros, Malayan Sun Bear, Malayan Gaur, Serow and the Malayan Tiger.
The zoo is also renowned world over as a a centre for wildlife research, conservation and breeding, especially for the Malayan Tiger, Wild Dogs (Dhole), panther, tapir, serow, barking deer, sambar deer and many others. 

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Cuisine in Melaka

UNESCO LISTING BOOSTS ARRIVALS

MELAKA- In 2008, UNESCO chose to register both cities of Melaka and Georgetown (State of Penang) into the World Heritage List. Both cities were seen as lively historical testimonies of 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca.

The UN agency for culture then acknowledged that few urban centres in Southeast Asia blended to intimately influences of Asia and Europe providing both towns with a specific multicultural heritage, both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka is a remarkable example of colonial architecture, which stretches back to the 15th-century Malay sultanate, continued with the Portuguese and Dutch presence from the early 16th century to finally become part of British Malaya before being part of the new independent Malaysia.

UNESCO then helped Melaka to preserve and renovate its blend of Chinese, European and Malay architectures as well as preserving its peculiar way of life. Over the last five years, old houses along the River have been renovated, some transformed into trendy cafes, eateries and hotels. In the evening special lighting effects turn also the city into an attractive night destination. 

Long considered as a sleepy outpost on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, Melaka is now reviving as tourists and domestic visitors rediscover the city since its UNESCO inception.

In 2011, Melaka recorded its highest number of visitors ever at 12.165 million. They generated tourism revenues of RM 7.06 billion (US$ 2.2 billion).

According to State Tourism, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Wira Latiff Tamby Chik, growth in tourist arrivals was 17.5 per cent higher than in 2010.

During the first four months of 2012, growth continued unabated. Melaka welcomed during that period 4.11 million, a further rise of 13.3 % over the same months of 2011. From this number, 2.92 million were domestic tourists while the rest were foreigners.

Foreign arrivals grow faster than the domestic ones (37.3% versus 5.8%). The State government now believes that Melaka will welcome over 12.5 million visitors by year end. 

According to report by the State Tourism Department, Melaka top five foreign country tourist arrivals were China with 222,999 tourists followed by Singapore (185,277), Indonesia (16890), Taiwan (108,128) and Hong Kong (57,241).

Most popular attractions to the area are museums (312,058 visitors) followed by the Malacca River Cruise (279,338 visitors), Malacca Zoo (176,943) and Menara Taming Sari (169,340). 

A popular program in Melaka for foreign travellers is homestays with local people. Melaka offers 7 homestay programs officially registered with the Tourism Ministry. They welcomed last year 25,109 visitors, of which 8,883 were foreign guests. 

Among the new initiatives launched towards for travellers is a new website called ‘Welcome to Melaka’. The site provides travellers with everything about Malaysia’s capital city of culture by sharing some of Melaka’s best addresses, providing also web-surfers with articles and even discounts to selected shops. 

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Cuisine in Melaka

MELAKA AIMS FOR 12.5 MILLION TOURISTS IN 2012

Malacca sees 13.3pc rise in tourist arrivals

By Syawal Syahrin | news@nst.com.my 0 comments

4 MILLION IN FOUR MONTHS: Chinese, Singaporeans and Indonesians among top arrivals

MALACCA: More than four million tourists visited the state in the first four months of this year, an increase of 13.3 per cent compared with the same period in 2011.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said of the 4.11 million tourists, 2.92 million were domestic tourists while the rest were foreigners.

“From January to April last year, Malacca saw some 3.62 million tourists visiting the state.

“But this year, for the same corresponding period, we saw an increase of 481,217 visitors.

“Foreign tourists saw a sharp increase of 37.3 per cent or 321,441, while domestic visitors grew by 5.8 per cent or 159,776 people,” he said.

Based on a report by the State Tourism Department, Ali said the top five foreign country tourist arrivals were China with 222,999 tourists, Singapore (185,277), Indonesia (168,190), Taiwan (108,128) and Hong Kong (57,241).

“As for the domestic tourists, the bulk of them were from Selangor, which recorded 773,271 tourists, followed by Kuala Lumpur with 666,520 tourists and Johor stands at the third place with 484,748 tourists.”

In the area of health tourism, Ali said some 141,602 people had sought treatment from three major private hospitals in the state — Mahkota Medical Centre, Putra Specialist Hospital and the Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh.

“This figures comprises 81.6 per cent of the total number of tourists who came to Malacca to seek medical attention, with a majority of them coming from Indonesia with 29,789 people.

“Other foreigners who come here for medical tourism are from Singapore, China, Middle East and also Bangladesh.”

Ali also said museums in the state were the most popular attraction among tourists as they attracted 312,058 people, followed by the Malacca River Cruise (279,338 visitors), Malacca Zoo (176,943) and Menara Taming Sari (169,340).

Ali said the state government’s initiative in developing a variety of attractions had resulted in the drastic rise of tourists in this state, thus making Malacca a must-visit state in Malaysia.

“Besides this, several tourism aspects such as hygiene, tourists’ safety and communication facilities were crucial factors in attracting tourists to the state.

“Our ‘Think Tourism and Act Tourism’ initiative also managed to get the people to realise the importance of tourism to the state’s economy and this, too, is vital in ensuring we remain on top in the country’s tourism scene.”

This year, he said the state aims to attract 12.5 million tourists.