TOUR MELAKA AT NIGHT

Come and tour Melaka at night.

JONKER WALK TRIAL RUN

Almost 3,500 people visit Melaka's Jonker Walk during first day of reopening trial run

Gan (right) discussing with MBMB enforcement officers during the first phase of Jonker Walk reopening on Friday.

MELAKA: Approximately 3,500 visitors came to Jonker Walk here in the first phase of its trial reopening on Friday (June 26) night.

Jonker Walk management deputy chairman Datuk Wira Gan Tian Loo said the figure was obtained from the visitors' registration book.

"The first phase was on Friday (June 26) followed by the second phase on Saturday (June 27) and the final one on Sunday (June 28).

"The exercise was aimed to fine-tune the standard operating procedure (SOP)," he said when interviewed here on Saturday.

Gan said the majority of those patronising the night market on Friday were locals from various states.

He added that once the three-day trial run was completed, the management would obtain permission from the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) to fully reopen Jonker Walk from next week (July 3).

Gan said 150 traders took part in the first phase while another 150 will start operating their businesses on Saturday and Sunday.

He said a strict SOP was adhered to during the trial run and monitored by MBMB as well as health authorities.

The activities of Jonker Walk came to a halt since the start of the movement control order on March 18 and many traders who rented outlets at Jonker Walk had also ceased operations due to the situation

VIEW MELAKA CITY IN 1980 VS 2019

You can enjoy the street views of Melaka City in 1980 and 2019.

Some parts remain but other places have changed.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=ntFfu-GFVX0

HISTORY OF BUNGA RAYA ROAD OF MELAKA

A place with over 500 years of history.

Gambling. Opium. Prostitution. All these made up the vices along Jalan Bunga Raya, Melaka, in its history until the 1970s.

If you stand at one end of Jalan Bunga Raya, with Discovery Cafe on your left and Taj Grand Hotel on your right, this is where wealthy Chinese merchants used to live.

A lot of the two-storey colonial buildings still maintain the original architecture, with the iconic big windows and wooden shutters.

These old-style houses comprise shops on the ground floor and residence upstairs.

“During Chinese New Year, I used to hang out with my classmates on the balcony and we would throw live fire crackers down to the road.

Tai Chong Ice Cafe at Bunga Raya lasted more than 60 years until 2018.

MELAKA RIVER CRUISE RETURNS

Visitors rejoice as Melaka river cruise returns

MELAKA: Malaysians can once again take a boat ride along the Melaka riverfront after almost three months of staying at home.

The Melaka River Cruise received a high number of visitors after it was resumed yesterday.

Melaka River and Coastal Development Corporation, which manages the cruise service, said a significant number of local tourists opted for the scenic boat ride.

“We had eight trips since our operations resumed, ” a spokesman for the corporation said when contacted.

Most of those who took the leisure ride said it felt relaxing to cruise along Sungai Melaka.

Anwar Awaludin from Tangga Batu and his family were glad to return for the cruise.

“It is fun to be out enjoying a boat ride after so many months.

“I am a local but I have lived in Shah Alam since my marriage.

“This is the first time our family gets to enjoy quality time together in a holiday mood, ” he said.

Anwar said he brought along his children from the eldest, who is 24, to the youngest, who is 13, for the ride.

“It feels great that we are able to move around freely after being stuck at home in Shah Alam since mid-March, ” he said.

Another visitor, who wanted to be known only as Fiana, said she drove to Melaka from Seremban along with her children to enjoy an interstate trip again after so many months.

“I took my three children on the boat ride to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the holiday mood we missed during Hari Raya, ” she said.

Fiana said she decided to take a short trip to Melaka although her husband was away at work.

“It has been some time since we drove out of Seremban, so I chose to take a trip with my children, ” she said.

MELAKA HOTELS READY FOR GUESTS

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Melaka hotels ready to welcome guests again 

MELAKA: Hotels in the historical city are gearing up to welcome guests after June 10. However, occupancy rates are only expected to return to pre-Covid-19 levels next year.

Melaka Tourism Association acting president Sazali Sabri said an upswing in domestic travel after June 10 would definitely help the hotels, many of which had reported zero revenue the past few months.

“Hoteliers are thankful to the government for the various stimulus measures for the tourism industry. Now, we have to come up with innovative ideas to expedite the recovery by attracting domestic travellers.

“Allowing interstate travel during the recovery movement control order (MCO) period is another boost for the industry

“Many hotels here have started receiving calls for bookings for June 10 onwards.

“However, the calls were not exponentially high. We are expecting higher walk-in registrations after June 10, ” he said yesterday.

According to Sazali, Melaka has an estimated 18,000 rooms to offer despite the closure of several hotels impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.

Sazali said the industry needed time to rebuild as it was highly dependent on Singaporean and Indonesian tourists.

“I anticipate that the situation would only start returning to normal in December or during the 2021 Lunar New Year celebration, ” he said.

Meanwhile, Bayou Lagoon Park Resort CEO Datuk Marco Seow said his resort had started offering special discounts to domestic travellers.

He said guests could book during the recovery MCO period and choose to stay after June 10.

Casa del Rio, another hotel here, has also announced that it will be fully open on June 12 and has started offering discounts.

The lifting of the ban on interstate travel has also prompted a travel agency to introduce specially designed packages for domestic travellers.

BMC Travel managing director Billy Leong said the aim was to help various segments of the tourism industry, such as tour bus operators and souvenir shops to survive the crisis.

Leong said his company held on to all its employees despite seeing zero business since January.

“Through this domestic travel packages, we hope to revive the local tourism industry and help players, including eateries, to sustain their businesses, ” he added.

   

COME TO MELAKA TO ENJOY DIFFERENT CUISINES

With the relaxation of the CMCO from 10.6.20 with interstate travel allowed,  why not drive to Melaka.

Come to eat our various cuisines.  Malay,  Chinese,  Peranakan,  Chitty,  Portuguese and fusion food. Enjoy after our 3 months of lock down due to the Covid 19 pandemic.

However,  we must practice social distancing and keep healthy by wearing masks and wash our hands.

Stay safe and drive carefully.