Glamping in Melaka’s Pulau Besar a new attraction

MELAKA: Glamping will soon be a new eco-tourism attraction in Melaka’s Pulau Besar, said state tourism, heritage and culture committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis.

He said the first such tourist attraction in Melaka, to be developed at a cost of RM1mil, is expected to be realised by June, reported Bernama.

“The initial work to clean up about 200m of coast at Pantai Laguna on the island for the glamping site has been carried out in collaboration with the Melaka Islands Development Council (MPPM),” he told reporters after launching the Pulau Besar New Year Challenge 2022 event here yesterday.

Glamping is a glamorous style of camping with amenities and, in some cases, resort-style services not usually associated with “traditional” camping.

Also present was MPPM chief executive Azhar Yaacob.

Muhammad Jailani said the development of the tourist attraction would take into account the conservation of the marine ecosystem, especially the mangrove forests in the area.

He added Melaka’s target of achieving 5.6 million tourist arrivals this year could be achieved with tourism initiatives, especially in Pulau Besar which is rich in history and has interesting landscapes.

“For that, I will have a meeting with Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri on the assistance needed (by us) next week,” he said.

The Pulau Besar New Year Challenge 2022 attracted 120 participants who had to complete four challenges in teams.

These include running, extreme cycling, kayaking and wall climbing.

“Despite having to limit participation to comply with the Covid-19 standard operating procedure, the opening event to introduce tourism activities on the island received overwhelming response.

“We hope the National Security Council can relax the SOP a little more so that tourism activities can be promoted again,” said Jailani.