New 'Sky' Water Park Set To Make A Splash

By Fadzli Ramli MELAKA (Melaka, Malaysia) Sept 4 (Bernama) -- A water theme park nestled on the 14th floor deck between two 30-storey towers will soon become Melaka’s latest tourist attraction. The 500,000 sqft Splash World @ Harbour City is due for completion by the end of 2019 and will open its doors in the first quarter of 2020. Singapore-listed Hatten Land Limited is developing the four-storey water theme park at an estimated cost of RM200 million. It is partnering with resort operator Samsung C&T Corp and water slides designer and installer Polin Waterparks on the project, which will feature a man-made river that traverses over two floors, cutting across 50 attractions that includes 11 extreme slides. The water theme park is located on the 14th floor deck of Harbour City, a RM1.2 billion mixed development shaped like a large ship. It spans 4.5 million sqft in built-up area that incorporates retail, hospitality and entertainment elements. CHOOSING MELAKA Hatten Land Limited Executive Chairman and Managing Director Colin Tan said the water theme park marked the first step in Hatten’s series of projects aimed at driving the transformation of Melaka’s tourism sector. “Coupled with Melaka’s rich heritage and culture, the state is well-positioned to become an important location on the world map,” he told Bernama. Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari said a theme park of such design and concept would undoubtedly place Melaka on the global map. “The impact of this project will resonate beyond tourism to the broader economy, creating new jobs and opportunities for international economic partnerships and even direct investments,” he was reported as saying. OPENING DOORS Tan said the project was expected to draw 850,000 to a million visitors annually after the first year of operation. “We hope to increase that number steadily to maybe around 1.5 million in the following year. We also hope to offer job opportunities for the locals while improving the socio-economy. “The presence of the water theme park may also extend the average length of visitor stay and increase their average spending per day, all of which bode well for the tourism sector in Melaka,” he added. Melaka, a world popular tourist destination, registered 16.7 million tourists in 2017 and is hoping to attract more than 17 million tourists by the end of this year. Edited by Sakina Mohamed -- BERNAMA