1. Tourism Melaka (http://www.tourism-melaka.com)
(1) GCH To Invest RM400 Million In Melaka's Arab City，3 March 2009
MELAKA, March 3 (Bernama) -- Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd (GCH), a real estate developer, will invest RM250 million to develop an integrated commercial project in Melaka featuring an Arab architecture concept.
It wll be the first of its kind in the world.
The project, Arab City, will have three major locations -- Pulau Melaka, Klebang and Sungai Melaka(Kampung Jawa).
Its development includes shopping bazaars, Arabic themed restaurants and cafes, Arabic health and beauty spas and an Arab village.
The project will be on a 90:10 joint venture basis with the state government through the Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) of Melaka. CMI will own the land.
The first phase of the project in Pulau Melaka, on a 1.68-hectare (4.2-acre) site, will cost RM150 million, Melaka chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said.
"The work will start by mid-March and is expected to be completed within 18 months or in December 2010," he told reporters after the ground-breaking ceremony here today.
"This particular investment and project will also inject enthusiasm into the tourism sector in Malaysia, especially for Melaka," he said.
Mohd Ali said a total of 272,490 tourists from the Middle East visited the country last year, an increase of 6.9 percent compared to the previous year.
Melaka, he added, received in turn a total of 26,160 Middle Eastern tourists in 2008.
Meanwhile, GCH managing director Hesham El Fathi said the company was still carry out due diligence on the projects in Klebang and Sungai Melaka.
"We want to ensure that the Arab City project receives global attention to draw tourists," he added.
He also said that he expects the project to generate returns within five years.
GCH is a joint venture among Dubai, Saudi Arabian and Malaysian partners.
It has branch offices in Dubai and Saudi Arabia with diverse interests in real estate, trading as well as oil and gas.
(BERNAMA)
(2) Melaka to develop first Arab city
Malaysia's Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd (GCH), a real estate developer, will invest US$108.11 million to develop an integrated commercial project featuring an Arab architecture concept in southern Malacca state.
"The work will start by mid-March and is expected to be completed within 18 months or in December 2010," Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam told reporters after the ground breaking ceremony in Malacca yesterday.
It will be the first of its kind in the world.– Pulau Malacca (Malacca island), Klebang and Sungai Malacca ( Malacca river).
Its development includes shopping bazaars, Arabic themed restaurants and cafes, Arabic health and beauty spas and an Arab village.
The project will be on a 90:10 joint venture basis with the state government through the Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) of Malacca. CMI will own the land.
The first phase of the project in Pulau Malacca, on a 1.68 hectare site, will cost 150 million ringgit (40.54 million U.S. dollars), the chief minister said.
(3) MALACCA: The Arabs are coming -- again.
Nearly 600 years after the first Arab traders came here to do business, their descendents are returning to the historical city.
They are arriving with at least RM400 million to create an Arab presence in town, the first project of its kind in the world outside the Middle East.
Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd (GCH) plans to build restaurants, hotels, shopping complexes, an Arab village and recreation centres at Pulau Melaka, Klebang and Kampung Jawa.
Pulau Melaka will be the first area to be developed. A RM200 million 1.7ha complex is to be built there in 18 months.
According to GCH managing director, Hesham El Din Fathi Khalil, the complex would be home to 200 bazaars, 15 Arabic-themed restaurants and cafes, Arabic health and beauty spas, and an ancient Egyptian museum.
"This will be our first project in Malacca and once it is completed, we will embark on the projects in Klebang and Kampung Jawa.
"All three projects will make up the Arab City in Malacca."
Hesham was speaking after the groundbreaking for the projects in Pulau Melaka, which was attended by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam yesterday.
Hesham said Arab City, which would create job opportunities for the local folk, would be the latest tourism destination in Malacca.
He said the numerous Chinatowns and Little Indias around the world had inspired the Arab City concept, and this concept would be taken to other states in time.
2. ARAB CITY IN MELAKA WILL BE SUCCESSFUL, 21 June 2009
Arab City In Melaka Will Be Successful: Developer
GCH President Sheikh Saleh Al Mansour (right) with Managing Director of GCH (second, left) during a site visit to the Arab City project at Pulau Melaka, Sunday. The construction of the Arab is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2010. Phase one of the project; which will exhibit historical Arabic items, will included shopping bazaars, Arabic-themed restaurants, cafes and museum.
MELAKA, June 21 (Bernama) -- The developer of Arab City Melaka, the integrated commercial project in the state, is confident the RM1 billion investment will be successful, especially with tourists arriving from Arab countries.
Golden Heritage Sdn Bhd (GCH) president Sheikh Saleh Al Mansour said the project had been marketed in the countries, especially for those planning to make a visit here.
"Construction of the Arab City in Pulau Melaka here is expected to be completed in the first quarter next year. We have begun marketing our project, which is the first Arab City project, in this part of the world," he said at a press conference here Sunday.
Today marks the near-completion of piling work, with construction of building due to start next month.
The first phase of the project in Pulau Melaka costing RM250 million on a 1.68ha site, involves shopping bazaars, Arabic-themed restaurants, cafes and a museum parading historic Arabic items.
He said Klebang, the second phase of the Arab City project, would be a mixed development comprising a five-star hotel, health resort and water sports club.
The third phase in Kampung Jawa is to be turned into wholesale trading but GCH had yet to finalise the development plan with the authorities here.
Sheikh Saleh said about 800 local workers would be employed by CGH and recruitments were expected by early August, for hands-on job training.
(BERNAMA)
3. ARAB CITY IN MELAKA ON TRACK(http://www.malaccahigh.net), 27 July 2009
Golden Corporate Heritage’s RM1.2bil project in Malacca on track
by EDY SARIF
Future Arab City at Pulau Melaka
KUALA LUMPUR: Golden Corporate Heritage Sdn Bhd’s RM1.2bil development to turn parts of Malacca into an Arab City by 2012 is progressing well, said managing director Hesham Fathi.
“The pillar structures are already completed on Pulau Melaka as we are planning for the grand opening by March,” he told StarBiz recently.
The company, a collaboration between Arab and local businessmen, is transforming parts of Malacca city, namely Pulau Melaka, Klebang and Kg Jawa, into an Arab City after the first proposal to build the project in Klang Valley fell through.
The state government has a 10% stake in the project through Chief Minister Inc (CMI).
“We feel that the proposed Arab City in Bukit Bintang was inappropriate because of the surroundings. When the Chief Minister of Malacca invited us to do the Arab City in that state, the approval was done in just five hours,” Hesham said.
When completed, the RM250mil Arab City project on Pulau Melaka, which is reclaimed land located off the Bandar Hilir coast, will have 240 lots offering products from the Arab world, including 10 restaurants specialising in authentic Middle Eastern cuisines and a museum with genuine Egyptian artefacts.
“We are not going to sell or lease these lots as we are going to operate them by ourselves. The completion of Arab City will create about 850 jobs for the locals,” Hesham said.
Meanwhile, piling works in Klebang will start in three months for the construction of an Arab healthcare city, according to Hesham. It was reported that the Klebang site, which covers about 4ha and investment of RM700mil, will also involve the construction of a five-star hotel, a water theme park, an aquarium and a floating restaurant.
For the Kg Jawa development, Hesham said the site would see an establishment of 12 Arabic restaurants and coffee shops from different Arabic cultures.
As the site is facing the Malacca river, it would be “tastefully” constructed with Andalusian-styled domes, he said.
“I would like to stress here that the perception of eliminating business people (currently operating) in Kg Jawa and their heritage buildings is not true. What we are going to do is to develop the area and build much better business bazaars for them. By this, we are helping them upgrade their living and income as we are bringing tourists from the Middle East to shop here,” he said.
It was reported that on April 2, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam visited Kg Jawa and agreed that the historical section of the village would be excluded from the Arab acquisition.
The state had initially intended to acquire the entire village comprising 84 lots and covering 6.34ha but agreed to scale down the project following protests by the MCA.
・Copyright 2009
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