HARD ROCK CAFE TO OPEN AT JONKER WALK NEXT SEPTEMBER

The Hard Rock Cafe Melaka which is expected to begin operations next September, can attract between 700,000 and one million patrons monthly.

Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the new tourism product would be built at a cost of about RM15 million on a 1,858 sq m (20,000 sq ft) site on Jonker Walk here.

He said the restaurant will be a new landmark for Jonker Walk, a focus of tourists from all over the world.

"The construction of the Hard Rock Cafe Melaka will certainly boost the state tourism industry through the presence of more tourists, who want entertainment, food as well as souvenirs offered by the cafe.

"Its presence is also proof of investor confidence in the rapid growth of the Melaka tourism industry," he told reporters after witnessing a signing ceremony between the Historical Melaka City Council(MBMB) and Sovereign Creations Sdn Bhd in relation to the construction of the project. - Bernama

HIGH SPEED TRAIN FROM KL TO SINGAPORE CAN BENEFIT MELAKA

Recently, Spad announced that they are doing a study on the proposed high speed rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore. It shall be ready in8 weeks time. The study hopes to study the impact of this proposed project on property development, transport and social implication to Malaysia and Malaysians alike.

If this project does take off in the future, it can take a route via the following places:-

Kuala Lumpur - Putra Jaya - KLIA - Port Dickson - Kuala Sungai Baru - Masjid Tanah - Sungai Udang - Melaka - Merlimau - Muar - Batu Pahat - Kukup - Tuas - Singapore.

A high speed express train can stop at major cities/towns with minimum stops which the journey can be done within 2.5 hours especially for business and corporate travellers.

Another train can offer the rides in 3,5 hours with stops at more stations where travellers want to travel at a leisurely pace eg tourists and locals at cheaper rates.

Direct impact on development can occur in Kukup/Pontian/Batu Pahat/Merlimau/Melaka/Masjid Tanah/Kuala Sungai Baru/Port Dickson /KLIA/Putrajaya/Cyberjaya/Kuala Lumpur.

The high speed train service can unlock the property potential along the route and allow inter country commuting within Malaysia and Singapore. Investors will be keen to invest in Malaysia by staying in Malaysia but can still work in Singapore and vice versa.

Some food for thought for planners.

TOURISM MELAKA WEB PORTAL SITE BREACHES 900,000 VISITORS

TOURISM MELAKA WEB PORTAL SITE BREACHES 900,000 VISITORS

It is very heartening to see that our Tourism Melaka Web Portal site at www.tourism-melaka.com has received more than 900,000 visitors. This historic mark was breached 3rd. March 2011.

Started in 2001 as a web portal to "Bring Malaccans Together and Malacca to the World", www.tourism-melaka.com began slowly. However, as the years go by, more and more visitors logged into our site as they searched for "Melaka" or "Tourism Melaka".

For 2 years, our website was selected by Tourism Malaysia website as the site to promote Melaka. This helped in increasing our web presence before Tourism Malaysia revised their official website.

In July 2008, Melaka was announced to the world as a UNESCO World Heritage City together with Georgetown in Penang. This further boosted our web visitors and worldwide interest.

To date, about 500 visitors per day come to our front page at www.tourism-melaka.com before going into our content websites for details about Melaka. We expect to reach our next target of 1,000,000 visitors in September or October 2011.

We welcome our visitors to our web portal site and for your continuous support in visiting Melaka and our websites.

Thank you.

NEW 5 STOREYS HOTEL BEING RENOVATED AT JALAN KEE ANN, MELAKA.

2nd. March 2011

Another building at Jalan Kee Ann is being renovated to be a hotel. Currently, the space is boarded up so that renovations works can be done to turn the whole building into a hotel. The new hotel is expected to have 50 rooms.

Over the years, Jalan Kee Ann has seen a number of budget hotels being operated. Popular hotels include Mimosa Hotel, Gold Leaf Hotel and recently re-opened Hallmark Inn (formerly Regal Hotel at Jalan Munshi Abdullah. Another hotel, Riverside Hotel at the end of Jalan Pasar Baru, is expected to open soon.

Being located near to the Heritage area of Melaka, visitors can stay at Jalan Kee Ann/Bunga Raya area and have a leisurely walk to the heritage area. Ample car parking spaces are also available around the area.

MALAYSIA EYE TO BE READY BY DECEMBER 2011

Malacca to get bigger Ferris wheel

2011/02/22
By Jason Gerald John

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MALACCA: A new Ferris wheel, bigger than the Eyes on Malaysia, will rise again in the historical city here.

The wheel, to be called Malaysia Eye, will stand 88m high and comprise 54 air-conditioned gondolas.

It will be able to ferry six people in a gondola for a 16-minute ride.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said Malaysia Eye would begin operating on Dec 1 with a 324- passenger capacity.

"The the cost of bringing Malaysia Eye from China and the construction of a park along with it is RM30 million.

"It would not be located in Kota Laksamana, but in Pulau Melaka," he said, adding that locating the new Ferris wheel on the Eyes on Malaysia site would have implications as it was taller and the project would have to be approved by Unesco because of its World Heritage Sites status.

Ali said the Malaysia Eye project would be handled by The Eye Sdn Bhd.

He said the Malaysia Eye would be better and bigger than the Eyes On Malaysia which closed down due to a dispute between its owners, Fitraco NV of Belgium and MST Ad Suria Sdn Bhd and Eye On Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the company leasing the Ferris wheel.

Besides the new Ferris wheel, Ali said the Pulau Melaka area would also see the development of an Arab city, hotels and apartments.

"We will also have a 1,000-room hotel near Pulau Melaka, which will be developed by the Hatten Group.

"The Malaysia Eye and other attractions in this area, especially the soon-to-be opened Sea Lion Park, are set to be the latest tourist attractions," he added.

MELAKA TRAM TO BE READY BY MAY 2012

Melaka Tram to open to public in May 2012

2011/02/19

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AYER KEROH -- Train maker, Mrails International Sdn Bhd expects its RM272 million Melaka Tram, the first natural gas vehicle (NGV) powered tram in the world, to open to the public in May next year.

Its president and managing director, Datuk Jeya Kumar said, the implementation and application of the environmentally friendly "Next Generation Tram" will revolutionise the locomotive industry.

"We will be using this technology to add convenience to culture and enhance heritage without affecting the environment in compliance with Melaka's status as a Unesco World Heritage Site," he told a media briefing here today.

Kumar said the tram would scrap the traditional "pantograph" system in keeping with the times and also in line with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to combat global warming.

"This also represents our vision to take part in Melaka's growth as an ultimate destination centre for tourism, and marks our commitment to creating sustainable transport systems," he added.

The ground breaking ceremony was performed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak.

Also present was Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said.

Melaka Tram was made official via an agreement between the Chief Minister Incorporation (CMI) and Mrails in March last year.

Under the agreement, the company has agreed to design, construct and finance, manage, maintain and supervise the road tramway and tramcar operations for 25 years, while the financing of the project worth RM272 million is borne by Mrails as well.

The company has also been charged with managing ticket collections for 25 years, with CMI taking 20 per cent in terms of ticket collection and the balance by Mrails, Kumar said.

He highlighted that the Melaka Tram Corridor would begin from its depot adjacent to the Ayer Keroh Toll Plaza heading to the heritage town of Melaka with a distance of 40 kilometres covering 11 of fourteen major tourist spots.

"We will work hand-in-hand with our partners, CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicles Co Ltd, a Chinese-based locomotive manufacturer," he said.

The tram is a rail borne vehicle, lighter than a train and differs from other forms of locomotion, as the tracks are embedded in the street.

It is able to accommodate 120 passengers at one time, caters to the disabled because its ground-level design and will operate at speeds of 40 km/h.

Kumar said Mrails, which is expecting at least a 40,000 ridership daily, would make commuting affordable, with a fare charge of RM2.

It is free for the disabled and students.

Moving forward, the company intends to export its train to other cities in the country as well as overseas, namely to India and Africa next year, he said. -- BERNAMA

Read more: Melaka Tram to open to public in May 2012 http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/MelakaTramtoopentopublicinMay2012/Article/#ixzz1EPEa5s1F

MELAKA TRAM GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY

19th. February 2011

Melaka Tram project has finally taken off today.The ground breaking ceremonyof Melaka Tram system is to be officiated today, 19th. February 2011.

This project has been awarded to Mrails International Sdn. Bhd. and CNG powered trams will be supplied by CNR Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co. Ltd. of China.

Slated to be completed in the middle of 2012, the tram system will travel from Ayer Keroh until the Melaka Heritage area with stops along the route.

One of the tram stops will be near to Renaissance Hotel and possibility in front of Jalan Bunga Raya. Certainly, the tram system will benefit Melaka New Chinatown when it is completed.