Plan being formulated to boost PD as tourism destination, resort

PORT DICKSON: A new tourism development plan is being formulated to boost Port Dickson as a tourism destination and resort.

Port Dickson district officer Khairy Maamor said the plan was being worked out by the state government and it would include making Port Dickson cleaner and creating more tourism products to attract more people to come.

“We have a beach that stretches 18 kilometres which is suitable for recreational activities. So, we need to think of an approach to maintain the beauty of the beaches as it is our main tourism product that brings tourists to Port Dickson.

“Besides the beaches, we also have other attractions, such as the Army Museum, decorative fish centre and also the homestay, which have to be promoted,” he told Bernama.

He said Port Dickson recorded tourist arrivals of 4.2 million a year, hence the need for an efficient cleaning system to maintain its image as a tourist destination.

Khairy said the move to develop tourism industry in Port Dickson was also in line with the aspiration by Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate in the coming Port Dickson by-election, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to bring investments, as well as new development in the area with the implementation of new projects.

During his series of talk in the by-election, Anwar said infrastructure such as roads and Internet facility in Port Dickson and cleanliness of the beaches should be maintained.

“There’ll be two projects to be carried out in Port Dickson, including a luxury hotel project where the developer will be asked to also maintain the beaches at the hotel and the surrounding area,” he added.

The Port Dickson parliamentary by-election is called after its incumbent, Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, 68, vacated the seat last Sept 12 to give way for Anwar’s return to the Dewan Rakyat.

The Election Commission (EC) has fixed Oct 13 for polling date, while early voting is on Oct 9.

The Port Dickson parliamentary constituency has 75, 770 registered voters, comprising 43 per cent Malay, Chinese (33 per cent), Indian 22 per cent) and others (two per cent)

In the 14th general election, held last May 9, Danyal Balagopal, 68, won the seat with a majority of 17,710 vote, against Barisan Nasional’s Datuk V.S.Mogan and Mahfuz Roslan, from PAS. - Bernama