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Travel to Melaka

MELAKA INTERNATIONAL CRUISE TERMINAL READY BY 2017

MALACCA: The construction of the Malacca International Cruise Terminal, part of the Melaka Gateway project, will kick off in three months and is expected for completion in 2017.

Malacca Transport, Project Rehabilitation and International Trade committee chairman, Datuk Lim Ban Hong, said the terminal would be able to accommodate four large cruise ships simultaneously.

“We are targeting 250 cruise ships to dock at the terminal per year by 2020 and bring in a strong economic impact to the state,” he told reporters in Malacca on Thursday.

He said this after a visit to the terminal construction site with KAJ Development Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Datuk Michelle Ong and Luis Ajamil from project consultant, The Royal Carribean.

The RM40bil Melaka Gateway, near Pulau Melaka, is developed by KAJ Development and is the largest man-made island project in South-East Asia.

Among the planned facilities are a marina for yachts, luxury condominiums, bungalows with private marina, tourist eco-parks, theme parks and ports for cruise ships.

“Most tourists travel by land, but with the Melaka Gateway, we will be able to attract more tourists via the sea. This is part of the state’s Transport Development Master Plan,” Lim said.

Meanwhile, Ajamil said Melaka Gateway was the third entity that the Royal Caribbean had collaborated with for jetty construction and development project after Miami and New York in the United States.

“Normally, research on waves, ocean depth, soil conditions and waves flows takes four years but Malacca Gateway only took about two years from 2014,” he said. – Bernama

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Tourism Malaysia

Grammy-themed cruise

Grammy-themed cruisesare set to launch next year.Grammy-themed cruises
are set to launch next year.

MUSIC lovers are being wooed to sail the seas with Norwegian Cruise Line, which announced plans to launch a Grammy-themed ship next year.

The Grammy Experience will be located on Deck 8 of the latest addition to their fleet, the Norwegian Getaway. In addition to housing artifacts curated from the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, the ship will also feature live performances by past Grammy winners and nominees.

Construction on the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway is
currently underway in Germany. It will be the largest ship to homeport year-round in Miami when it sets sail in February next year.

Highlights of the ship’s features include an open-air boardwalk, three decks to optimise oceanside viewing, and a seafood restaurant developed by US Food Network celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

Are you a fan of the music-themed cruise idea?

Here’s a sampling while you wait for the Grammy-themed one to set sail.

American rock band, Matchbox Twenty, will be taking to the seas on the Carnival Imagination in December, sailing between Miami and Nassau, offering their fans nightly concerts, QA and photo sessions.

Norwegian Pearl is also offering a KISS-themed cruise trip for Halloween this year, inviting fans to don their best KISS paraphernalia and sail the Caribbean. – AFP RelaxNews