Melaka River Cruise Need To Be Extended Upstream To Attract More Tourists

MELAKA, March 15 (Bernama) -- The Melaka River Cruise currently serving only a stretch of Sungai Melaka, need to be extended further upstream to enable tourists to enjoy the serene beauty of flora and fauna throughout the river. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said tourists from abroad are always attracted and interested in places that offer nature's delights, thus provide a boom to tourism in Melaka. "For the locals, coming across iguana, birds and other animals may be a daily routine but to tourists, it is an exciting experience," she told reporters after cruising Sungai Melaka here Sunday night.

The river boat cruise sails the shallow Malacca River from her river mouth in Bandar Hilir to Kampong Morten where the boat makes her return trip, a distance of about 10km from the jetty and takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The Melaka River Cruise, managed by the River and Beach Development Board, has about 40 boats serving the route which is used about 60,000 locals and tourists, every month. Ng said the Melaka River cleaning and landscaping project which involves a cost of about RM320 million would become an asset for tourism in the state.