Mukhriz Mahathir’s Kedah may try to extract water charges from Penang to raise the state’s revenue. At the same time, the Lankawai Development Authority (Lada) has signed a deal with a “tourism resort and high-impact attraction developer” to build a RM1.2bn “eco-tourism attraction”.
Langkawi itself is an eco-tourism attraction; why would anyone want to build a “bio-dome” for a park to be shared with an “eco-hotel” for a “nature experience”? The plan also includes a “4D immersive dome flyover experience” of Langkawi.
The site of these projects is on two sites totalling 55 acres on which two hotels and villas will be built with multimedia attractions. The developers have acquired an 80-year renewable lease for these two plots. Some federal money will also be used to finance infrastructure development.
We could just preserve Langkawi’s natural beauty – or is that too difficult? Does it sound a bit like Penang having a theme park now that the island’s natural beauty has been gradually degraded over the years?
Incidentally, The people behind the developer, Pekan Artisan Sdn Bhd, of the Langkawi project are the same people behind a couple of Melaka Alive! shows – ‘The Church Show: Merdeka! The March to Freedom’ (projected onto the walls of the ruins of St Paul’s Church and Governor’s House) and ‘The Ship Show: The Winds of Melaka’. What do you think of those shows?
This report from the Business Times:
LANGKAWI Development Authority (Lada) has teamed up with tourism resort and high-impact attraction developer, Pekan Artisan Sdn Bhd, to develop an eco-tourism attraction and resort here with a gross development value (GDV) of RM2.4 billion.
Lada chief executive officer Tan Sri Khalid Ramli said under the agreement, Lada has granted Pekan Artisan an 80-year lease for two sites totalling 22.35ha.
Khalid said a 13.35ha site will be for the expansion of Lada’s Oriental Village while another 9ha site on Pulau Intan Besar, an island south of the main Langkawi island, will be developed into a high-end retreat.
Khalid was attending the memorandum of agreement (MoA) signing ceremony between Lada and Pekan Artisan, here, yesterday. Also present was Menteri Besar Datuk Paduka Mukhriz Mahathir.
Meanwhile, Pekan Artisan chief executive officer Robert Wyatt said the two projects, which kicked off in the fourth quarter last year with a total investment of RM1.2 billion, are expected to be completed by 2019.
“Some 90 per cent of the amount came from local and international private investments as well as bank construction loan and the rest from infrastructure funding.”
He added that the expansion of the Oriental Village will see the development of Langkawi Paradise Gardens and Hotels in two phases.
The first phase on a 4ha site is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2015.
It is scheduled to open in time for the Asean Summit that year.
“It will merge nature walks with unique theatres and artisan workshops. There will be an eco-hotel that will share a bio-dome with the park, creating a dramatic foyer and ‘nature’ experience,” Wyatt said.
“Meanwhile, the Sultan’s Palace and Langkawi Paradise Island, which will be developed in Pulau Intan Besar, is an exclusive island retreat targeted at tourists looking for luxurious island and beach retreat.
“The villas will rest on stilts and are converged around an arrival courtyard that brings the wilderness inside,” Wyatt said, adding that the company expects to boost annual attendance to 1.2 million by 2017.
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Recently, a paper revealed an unauthoried airport somewhere close to the Selangor-Perak border. KLIA was providing it with traffic control, but there was no customs or immigration control.
The yatch jetties accomodate expensive yatchs of the jet set. Could these be involved in smuggling? Do our guardians inspect such people just the rest of like us? Is the MMEA in control?
Wrong spelling of ‘yatch’! Should be “yacht”.
Again, ‘accomodation’ should be spelt, “accommodation”
Mukhriz need not worry about anything; No one will
question him; no assemblyman will do; no civil servant
will do; nor does the um-no will question;
only the opposition may question him and that he need not worry; ‘puppa’ will look after everything;
in fact he is now making deals with Najib for Muk-riz to go to the federal ministry; I am sure you remember how Maha brought Muhaiyddin from Johore to KL
Federal Ministry; MAMA will use similar tactics.
PRAY TO GOD THAT HE WILL STILL BE ALIVE,
Any EIA done for the water chalets?
I love Penang and the serenity of Waterfall Garden, Tg Bungah, Batu Feringghi. It is soon to be destroyed if the destruction continue.
Call me an optimist but Penang still has some natural beauty. Places like Gurney Drive can go through rehabilitation…it’s just that our State Government has no political will to do so. They’d rather focus on building an undersea tunnel… I still see a lot of potential in Penang, maybe I’m among the minority but I really do have hope. I love this island too much and I know I’m not the only one… Langkawi is still naturally “prettier” than Penang but it is being mismanage…it always had. there was no Mahsuri curse…just corruption and ignorance. RM1.2billion is a joke…that money… Read more »
No hang.
Tq
Father and son – destroyer of future and nature.
rajraman.His father the culprit and the son continue his legacy,
I am posting direct from http://www.anilnetto.com – lets sees its hang for a while and my icon change or not.
It is call post-election payback time!
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2013/07/18/post-election-payback-time-in-malaysia/#more-24776
HE IS LEARNING THE ROPE WHILE HIS DAD AROUND
WHO MAY TEACH HIM ALL THE ROPES. AFTER HE
HAD GONE NOTHING TO LEARN
ACTUALLY HE IS ……NON GRATA.
Typical of UMNO digging into the well of wealth of this country. Everything must be mega. The more mega it is the more bucks to be made by you know whom. Why must we be taken for a ride all the time. There is no good reason except a created opportunity to make that extra million (allegedly) as future election fund, and all those around must give their support, no matter how (shady) the project can be. This is again a case of you know I know, how it works in Malaysia under UMNO and BN. We the rakyat are… Read more »
There goes our tax$$! Mega projects, guaranteed mega bucks to support 3 generation of cronies, another 50 winters!
As the name suggests ‘high impact attraction developer’,so this must be for ‘high impact’ people.
How much of the impact for the locals? we don’t know.
Hope this is not another of that hoohaa thing and finally the state(indirectly the people) has to foot the ‘impact’.
Haha. Just love those big words, don’t you? High impact, high income, high this and that. Don’t forget to read the Star tomorrow for some more highness.
Umno Kedah should not just continue to put money in Langkawi as though other parts of Kedah (especially its capital Alor Star) has not tourism potential. For a start, the new Kedah government should get AirAsia or FireFlyz to operate from the Kedah’s Kepala Batas airport. This will bring tourists to Alor Setar, as well as facilitate the locals who need to go to Penang to catch any flight!
My suspicion is Tun M & Son has got … agenda to continue to put money on Langkawi …
Mukriz is building a kapcai racing circuit for Mat Rempit in Kedah as per his election pledge. Indeed a wrong priority as he should focus on bringing more tourists to mainland Kedah (not Langkawi) so that inflow of money can help the locals. Lembah Bujang can be a top tourist destination if Umno Kedah do not hide the fact that Hindu civilisation existed there long before the Arabs set foot in Kedah.
I am still waiting for BN Kedah to rebuild the pig slaughterhouse in Alor Star after the previous PAS government tore it down although many BN people particularly MCA camp made lots of noise.