For readers of kopiandproperty.my, you would know that I love Melaka. In fact I love lot of places in Malaysia. There are so many more places to visit, touch and feel. According to a report in NST, Melaka may be getting over RM5 billion worth of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from China. Seriously, the Chinese are investing a lot of their money overseas. Question is, how much are we able to attract them. According to Malacca Transport, Project Rehabilitation and International Trade executive Committee chairman Datuk Lim Ban Hong, “We are looking to attract more Chinese visitors to the state, not only to boost the tourism industry but also industrial investments.”
Specifically, Lim mentioned two huge items which will help Melaka in its quest for more visitors. They include the Melaka Gateway and Impression Melaka. In 2015, over 60 million domestic and foreign tourists visited Melaka and Melaka is hungry for even more. Impression Melaka is instrumental in attracting more Chinese tourists to Malacca. Another catalyst for more visitors would be the RM40 billion Melaka Gateway project developed by KAJ Development Sdn Bhd. This is where the construction of the cruise terminal would start and once completed, it would be able to accommodate four large cruise ships at the same time. The target is to have 250 cruise ships docking every year by 2020.
I think it’s very important for the connectivity to be enhanced. Besides by the sea, the airport must also be fully utilised. For example, have more direct flights from China to Melaka. It was announced earlier that more flights were being planned. Let’s expedite this because Melaka as a UNESCO Heritage City is ready to welcome more visitors. I know, it will get ever more congested but do we really have that many choices? Melaka is not going to be able to become an agricultural or even industrial powerhouse. Let’s focus on things in Melaka which is not available in neighbouring states. Yes, their total number of visitors would always include me at least twice per year. Happy following.
written on 8 Oct 2016
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