Plans afoot to transform Mersing into Caribbean of the East

Plans afoot to transform Mersing into Caribbean of the East

Plans are already in the pipeline to develop and transform the laid-back Mersing district, located on the north-east of Johor, about 130km from here, into the Caribbean of the East.

Johor Tourism, Trade and Consu­merism Committee chairman Datuk Tee Siew Kiong said the district, blessed with natural richness, had the potential to become one of the leading regional tourist destinations.

He said the state government would look at Thailand and the Maldives which capita­lised on sun, sea and sand to lure tourists.

“We are banking on Mersing’s rich flora and fauna and eco-tourism as the district’s selling points,” he said.

He noted that the Mersing district, located amongst 40 unspoiled islands off the South China Sea and the 200 million-year-old Endau-Rompin National Park, had the right ecosystem to become a regional tourism draw.

Tee was speaking to reporters yesterday after the opening of the RM30mil, 200-room, three-star V8 Hotel at Taman Nusa Bestari here.

He also said he had just returned from a working visit with State Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Abd Latif Bandi as well as Mersing and Kota Ting­­gi district officers to meet tourism players in the Maldives.

“Its tourism industry is largely driven by the private sector with the island resort opera­tors there working closely to attract tourists from all over the world,” said Tee.

Maldives, he said, received 1.6 million fo­reign tourists annually who enjoyed diving, snorkelling, deep-sea fishing and island-hopping, and 50% of the visitors were from China. 

He added that foreign tourists to Maldives were big spenders and willing to pay for room rates starting from US$500 (RM2,045) per night.

Tee said officials from the state tourism department had also visited Phuket, Krabi and Phi Phi Island in Thailand to study their ways of putting Thai tourism on the map.

“We will continue with promotional efforts to attract more visitors to Mersing.

“With its rich marine habitat, we want to position Mersing as one of the diving spots in the world,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

Johor on Zika alert at entry points

Johor on Zika alert at entry points



A general view shows a notice warning outbound travelers about the Zika virus in the departure lobby of Incheon airport, west of Seoul, South Korea, 11 May 2016. - EPA

All Johor Health Department staff and personnel on duty at entry points have been instructed to scan tourists coming into the state from Zika-infected countries.

Department deputy director Dr Fatimah Othman said the tourists would have their temperature screened and be issued a health alert card that explains the Zika symptoms and urge them to see a doctor if they experience the symptoms.

“We have also put up buntings and banners and distributed flyers at all the international entry points in Johor, warning the people about the Zika virus,” she said in a statement on Monday.

She added that at entry points such as the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex, thermal scan screenings were available to monitor whether visitors from Singapore have a fever if they fail to inform Immigration or Health Departments personnel.

Dr Fatimah added that they were on high alert following the first Zika case that was reported in Singapore on May 13 after a 48-year-old man tested positive for the virus.

“Although the Singapore Health Ministry has established that it was an imported Zika case and not one that was contracted in the island republic, both Malaysia and Singapore are in close contact to monitor and prevent Zika from spreading,” she added.

She said standard operating procedures have been established since the World Health Organisation issued a warning about the Zika virus in Brazil on Feb 4.

She added all government and private hospitals, district health offices, government agencies and universities were briefed on the virus on Feb 13.

She said as of April 7, 672 tourists who entered Johor from Zika-affected countries were screened but they did not show symptoms of the virus while 5,291 health alert cards were distributed to visitors who had been screened.

“There are also no reported cases of the virus at health clinics," she said.

~News courtesy of The Star~