11th March, 2013
New tourism projects in Johor to lure Europeans and Asians.
DESTINATION Resorts and Hotels' (DRH) upcoming developments
in Nusajaya and Desaru Coast in Malaysia's southern state of Johor are set to
appeal to both longhaul and shorthaul markets, using Singapore as a gateway.
According to DRH managing director, Mohd Nadziruddin Mohd Basri, the 283-key
Traders Hotel Puteri Harbour – opening in May 2013 – and Legoland Hotel – due
to launch in 1Q2014 – will be located next to the Legoland theme park in
Nusajaya.
Also in Johor, another DRH project rolling out in 2015 is
Desaru Coast. Located a one-and-a-half-hour drive from Singapore, the
integrated destination offers a 17km beachfront, luxury resorts by
international brands such as Amanresorts, The Datai and Sheraton, a waterfront
retail village, a convention centre, two water theme parks and two championship
golf courses at the first Els Club in Asia.
To reach out to tour operators and MICE planners in Europe,
DRH will conduct a roadshow in Scandinavia in September and will also
participate in joint sales missions with Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia
Convention & Exhibition Bureau this year. Tour operators in neighbouring
Singapore are also looking forward to Johor’s new tourism offerings.
Dominic Ong, general manager of Star Holiday Mart Singapore,
said: “Currently, the leisure market spends two nights in Singapore and three
days in Desaru. But once the development is completed, we can look at packages
combining two nights in Singapore and seven nights in Desaru Coast for the
European market, which loves nature and beachfront hotels. “With the new
hotels, we can also look at converting Legoland Malaysia from a day trip to a
one- or two-night stay for the regional as well as Chinese and Indian markets.”
Helen Goh, director of marketing at Vacation Asia Singapore,
added: “Singapore’s green fee is expensive and on weekends, most golf courses
are for members only. With the Els Club golf courses, we can do golfing on
weekends in Desaru Coast and weekdays in Singapore.”
By: S Puvaneswary, ITB Berlin
Copyright@TTG Asia Media Pte Ltd 2013
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