Monday, May 21, 2012

JONKER WALK & SINGAPORE CHINATOWN TO PAIR UP

Monday May 21, 2012

Jonker Walk and Singapore’s Chinatown to pair up as twin streets By ALLISON LAI allison@thestar.com.my

MALACCA: The city’s famous tourist attraction Jonker Walk is likely to pair up with Chinatown in Singapore as “twin streets” to promote them as tourism destination.

Jonker Walk committee deputy chairman Datuk Gan Tian Loo said the initiative was mooted after it realised that Jonker Walk and Chinatown shared many historical and cultural similarities.

“Both places were one of the earliest Chinese settlements of our forefathers who arrived at then Malaya during the 18th century.

“They feature distinctly Chinese cultural elements and played important roles in the economic development of Chinese settlers at that period,” he said yesterday.

Although the two streets have evolved, he said, their historic elements were preserved and were now popular tourist attractions.

The pair-up as twin streets would help strengthen friendship between Malacca and Singapore apart from benefiting both cities’ tourism industries with millions of tourists arrival recorded every year, he added.

Gan, who is also Duyong assemblyman, said the committee had forwarded the plan to an MP in Singapore.

“A working trip to the republic with visit to Chinatown is also expected soon,’’ he said

He also said the committee was planning to turn Jonker Walk and 20 other streets nearby into a Cultural Town.

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