4 more tourist buses for Malacca

An additional four buses, including one roofless double-decker bus from London, will soon start touring around the historical city. The popularity of the hop-on, hop-off tourist buses, especially the double-decker buses, led to the decision to increase the number.

The operator of the buses, Panorama Melaka Cultural & Tourism Sdn Bhd (PMCT), currently has a fleet of 10 buses, including two double-decker London buses, of which one is air-conditioned and the other roofless.

Airlines lukewarm to using Malacca airport

After spending RM131.5mil to upgrade the Malacca International Airport (MIA), the state government had to stomach the disappointing news that two major low-cost carriers are not interested to fly there.

Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysian Airline System, pulled out at the last minute, while AirAsia only showed lukewarm interest in using the airport as one of its main destination.

Malacca and George Town stay on Heritage list

Unesco will not de-list or downgrade the status of Malacca and George Town from its World Heritage List, ending a protracted controversy over four high-rise buildings approved by the Penang government in George Town’s heritage zone.

A source told theSun today the world body made the decision not to place the two cities, which are jointly listed, into its List of World Heritage in Danger, during a review on Sunday in Seville, Spain.

The review was held during a meeting of Unesco’s World Heritage Committee (WHC), which is holding its 33rd annual session from Thursday to today.

Things will look up for health tourism in the historical city soon with the opening of the refurbished Malacca International Airport in Batu Berendam.

At the moment, many medical tourists come to the state via the Low Cost Carrier (LCCT) terminal or the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang.

The usual complaint we receive from them is on the two-hour trip from the airport to Malacca. The long journey is a major deterrent to health tourists, especially to those who are ill.

This is why the new Malacca airport will play a pivotal role in promoting the state as a major hub for medical tourism.

Airport with a history

The Batu Berendam Airport has historical significance, as it was the very place Tunku Abdul Rahman landed on Feb 20, 1956, following his historic trip to London. It was in Malacca that Tunku first announced to the nation the date of independence from Britain.

However, since then, the airport has not been seen as an important destination for major airlines, except Riau Airlines that operates the Malacca-Indonesia route.

But things are about to change as the Batu Berendam Airport, one of the oldest airports in the country, is set to become the southern gateway and a hub for medical tourism.

The upgraded Batu Berendam Airport would be to be a major gateway to the Historical City as it is expected to receive 500,000 passengers within the next three years.
This figure is not far-fetched, as the airport, which would be renamed as the Malacca International Airport by year end after the RM131.5 million upgrade, is targeted to boost the state as a hub for health tourism.

Malacca plans water taxi service by December

The state government plans to introduce a water taxi service along Sungai Melaka and the coastal areas in the state before year-end.

The taxis would provide service from Melaka Sentral to the Dataran Sungai Melaka and from the Sungai Melaka estuary to the Sungai Linggi Jetty and the Sungai Rambai Jetty.