KUALA LUMPUR: By continuing to promote the southern state of Johor as a prime tourist destination, including the recent launch of the Legoland theme park, Malaysia believes that the area can be the top tourist destination for the country. The new “Iskandar Malaysia” tourism campaign aimed at families for Johor is likely to see a rise in the number of visitors to the area, Director of Johor's Tourism Departmenet Zanal Misran said. “Iskandar Malaysia is equipped with infrastructure and facilities that enable the state's tourism industry to comprehensively provide family tourism, edu-tourism and health tourism within a single location," he continued. “Johor tourism has (in the past) been very much dependent on coastal and island tourism, eco-tourism as well as its culture and heritage. We now have Iskandar Malaysia transforming the tourism industry in Johor with its family entertainment concept and high value products," he added. Misran said with the opening of international theme parks such as Legoland Malaysia and upscale shopping complexes like Johor Premium Outlets, Iskandar Malaysia has attracted droves of local and foreign tourists to the southern part of Johor. “The Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park featuring entertainment characters such as Hello Kitty, Barney and LAT's Place theme restaurant will be operational before year end. “These will add to the theme attractions in Iskandar Malaysia and see more families coming here," the director continued. Malaysia's tourism director for Singapore also believes that the new Legoland theme park in Johor will attract more Singapore residents to Malaysia. Zalizam Zakaria said that the new Danish theme park will be a major factor in increasing Singapore and regional tourists to Peninsula Malaysia. “Also, good air connectivity within Asean especially through Singapore will make it easier for tourists to include Legoland in their itinerary. “It can also be promoted as a dual destination package with Universal Studio (USS) and other products in Singapore," he told Bernama news agency. Zakaria added that Legoland Malaysia is a new product targeting children with families and is the first of its kind in Asia. We hope this will be a giant boost that will be a test for other international companies who see Malaysia as a prime destination for theme parks and entertainment centers," said an economic advisor to the Prime Minister's office. The advisor told Bikyamasr.com that “with Singapore residents able to hop over, this could be a huge region for development." With more than 40 rides, the tourism director said it could appeal to Singaporeans to experience the products which are different from other locally available products. “Its close proximity to Singapore, just 10 minutes away from the Tuas checkpoint, makes it much easier for them to visit this theme park on a repeated basis with the yearly pass available online. “With the stronger Singapore dollar, it surely could attract more visitors from Singapore to enjoy the facilities more frequently," he said.
