Desaru Coast Malaysia offers ₹ 12 million in incentives to woo India market
Desaru Coast is a premium integrated destination resort located on the south-eastern coast of Johor, Malaysia. Located just a two-hour drive from Singapore and four hours from Kuala Lumpur by the North-South Expressway, travellers can even fly into Johor Bahru or hop on to a soon-to-be-launched ferry service from Singapore. On the sidelines of SATTE 2022, TTJ met with Roslina Arbak, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Desaru Coast, to learn more about the destination and their aspirations for the India market.
An initiative of Malaysia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund and the State of Johor, Desaru Coast is positioned as a Premium Integrated Destination Resort. Desaru Coast is one of Malaysia’s most recent and anticipated tourism developments spread over 4000 acres and 17 km of coastline that offers a unique bouquet of globally renowned resorts, villas, conference center, championship golf courses, riverside dining haven, and a fun-filled adventure waterpark.
Roslina explains “Desaru Coast offers an idyllic setting for events, corporate retreats, destination weddings, and family getaways, with its portfolio of internationally renowned 5-star hotels and resorts, golf course, water park, conferencing, dining and shopping venues.”
Elaborating further, Roslina says, “Although the destination was officially launched in 2019, all efforts to aggressively promote the destination in the India market were cut short due to the COVID pandemic and travel restrictions thereof, but we are now back to remind and refresh the India market that we are there and since 2019. Collectively, the destination today holds an inventory of close to 800 rooms that can accommodate 2300 delegates spread over four properties, Asia’s first One&Only Desaru Coast, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort and Villas, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, and Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast.”
Sharing the roadmap for the future Roslina explains, “India is an important source market for Desaru Coast and we a have our focus set on three major segments, FIT, MICE and weddings and to enable a top of the mind recall and value proposition, we have announced an incentive outlay of `12 million to Indian operators targeting the above three segments.”
Desaru Coast is introducing its popular luxury stay packages at affordable prices starting at approximately `6,600 per person. Packages include hotel stays and selected Desaru Coast experiences as a special value-add. Further to that, guests can purchase Adventure Waterpark tickets, the largest water park in Asia, with every room purchased at the destination. The total incentive offered to the leisure market amounts to `5 million.
Under its signature MICE Reinvented, the destination will be offering incentives valued up to `2.1 million for events and groups. For every group booking, Desaru Coast is offering an incentive of `1100 per person for the Gala Dinner. Additionally, the destination will provide complimentary pocket show activities and cultural shows for the gala dinner.
To attract Indian weddings, an `4.4 million incentive will be presented to the first five weddings booked at the destination, equating to about `8,80,000 per wedding. Incentives can be redeemed in areas of connectivity, themed receptions, and wedding photography packages, among others.
Avid golfers can tee off to breathtaking backdrops of rolling valleys or the glittering South China Sea at The Els Club Desaru Coast, with its two world-class courses designed by golfing greats Ernie Els and Vijay Singh. The Ocean Course consists of 27-holes designed by Ernie Els, and boasts The Three Nines The Ridge, The Coast, and The Lakes, and a 45,000 sq. ft clubhouse. Valley Course and Clubhouse designed by Ernie Els and Vijay Singh comprises 18-holes laid out across 41 hectares with a 25,000 sq. ft clubhouse and state-of-the-art golf shop.
The region’s largest waterpark is the Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast offers a funfilled family experience. Adventure Waterpark is home to the first-ever water coaster in the region and one of the biggest wave pools in the world! The waterpark features more than 20 wet and dry rides, slides, and attractions.
The Desaru Coast Conference Centre is a fully equipped multipurpose venue that caters to corporate functions, meetings, exhibitions, and entertainment events. It can host up to 1,000 guests complimented with meeting rooms, VIP lounges, and pre-function rooms.
Roslina concludes, “Currently we are only at phase one of our development plans, targeting only half our land assets, and talks are already underway with many other potential and likeminded stakeholders for further developments to enhance the value proposition of Desaru Coast.”