Iskandar Investment chief says efficient public transport key to growth of tourism
Lee U-Wen, Business Times 25 Mar 10;
EFFICIENT trains and water taxis - not building another bridge - are the best solutions to enable more people to commute between Johor and Singapore quickly.
This is the view of Iskandar Investment president and chief executive Arlida Ariff, who said that the future growth of the tourism sector for both places would largely depend on jointly providing an efficient public transportation system that could cater to the ever-increasing numbers of people making the trip across.
'Whatever you want to do with the airports is limited by the land space. You need more runways to deal with the larger numbers. We really need more entry points, and the water taxi mode, for instance, provides a good alternative,' she said in an interview with BT.
Ms Arlida was in Singapore earlier this month for a one-day visit, and as she made the short drive across the Causeway that morning, she was told that as many as 66,000 Malaysian motorcycles were travelling to Singapore, along with 20,000 cars.
'People choose private transportation because it's the easiest, but future growth cannot depend on this. We need public systems that include the rail and waterways,' she said.
Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ismail ignited a long-standing debate recently when he suggested that a bridge should replace the Causeway to boost connectivity between Malaysia and Singapore.
He added that he was willing to act as a mediator between both countries to resolve the bridge issue and other areas of discussion, including the supply of water to the Republic and even extending Singapore's MRT system into Johor.
Said Ms Arlida : 'Trains would be the best because it's fast, easy and safe. The trains can take you right into the city. The biggest stumbling block, however, is how to connect (the two sides), which makes it a bilateral issue.'
An idea bandied about by her team at Iskandar Malaysia is having a water taxi service that can ferry tourists from hotels in Iskandar to major tourist attractions in Singapore, such as the two integrated resorts. Ms Arlida added that transport is one of the main areas being discussed by the Joint Ministerial Committee.
The special economic zone, three times the size of Singapore, is a 15 minute drive from the Second Link.
'Politically, we feel that we are in a better environment today. Our prime ministers are speaking the same language and walking the talk and moving in the same direction. Of course, any major decision requires time and the necessary legislation to be implemented,' she said.
There is much for foreign investors, especially from Singapore, to be excited about at Iskandar Malaysia, she added. For the first phase of the development, the management 'deliberately focused' on family-type entertainment projects, such as the upcoming Legoland theme park, set to open its doors in 2012.
'We worked out the nature of our attractions such that they don't compete head-on with Singapore for tourists, but rather such that we can collaborate and expand on the tourism stay, particularly for long-haul tourists,' she explained.
Currently, the average visitor to Johor or Singapore stays for about 2.5 days.
'It's really all about whether the tourist sees enough to warrant a longer stay. I've always been a great believer that if Johor and Singapore can work together on marketing their attractions, it can convince people to stay longer,' said Ms Arlida.
Her message to Singaporean companies keen to invest in Iskandar Malaysia: 'This is a natural, safe location that is within a close proximity so there is no need to travel far to see how your projects are performing. The entry costs are low, and hence that reduces the risk. Of course, it's all about getting the right players on board in the long term, but we believe that the fundamental reasons for why Singaporeans should come to Iskandar remain very sound.'
