Three islands in Melaka to be opened to tourists this year

MELAKA, Jan 29 -- Three islands in Melaka which have a rich and diverse marine life, including coral reefs will be opened to snorkeling and scuba diving enthusiasts this year.

Melaka Islands Development Council (MPPM) chief executive officer Azhar Yaacob said the various marine species in Pulau Nangka, Pulau Dodol and Pulau Undan which were categorised as ‘premium’ islands were comparable to islands in Sabah such as Semporna.

“Actually, Melaka has many unexplored islands and under the Pulau Besar cluster, there are six islands that have great potential to be developed as new tourism destinations as they are home to more than 150 species of coral reefs and marine life.

“The three islands will not only be gazetted as marine parks soon but also to be turned into new tourist destinations in Melaka,” he told reporters after the launch of the Pulau Besar New Year Challenge 2022 event here today.

The event was officiated by State Tourism, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis

Azhar said currently, Pulau Payar in Langkawi was the only island in the Straist of Melaka that has been gazetted as a national marine park.

On the costs to develop the three islands, he said it would not involve a large amount of money as only some conservation works would be carried out there.

“...at the same time, we will also assist the existing resorts which were previously affected by the pandemic in their recovery process,” he said.

-- BERNAMA