TOURISM POTENTIAL OF PETRONAS TWIN TOWERS TO BE FURTHER EXPLORED

MUIN ABDUL MAJID

DUBAI, May 8 (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia and Petronas are exploring the
possibility of further developing the tourism potential of Kuala Lumpur's
Petronas Twin Towers.

Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen said the skybridge experience, for
example, could be turned into an income-generating tourism product.

She pointed out that currently admission to the skybridge linking the two
towers was free, but visitors had to queue for the tickets to get up.

"Many tourists have actually asked how to book tickets in advance because
it's cumbersome for them to wait in a long queue.

"They say that by the time they finish waiting the tickets are gone," she
told Malaysian media after visiting Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building
here, Friday.

According to Dr Ng, who led the Malaysian delegation to the Arabian Travel
Market (ATM) 2010, tourists wanted convenience and were prepared to pay for it
rather than wasting time unnecessarily.

Citing the example of Burj Khalifa, the minister said visitors who wished to
go up the observatory deck on the 124th floor of the super tall structure could
book tickets costing 100 dirhams (about RM80) per person in advance, while those
who wanted immediate entrance could do so at a premium.

"It's a fantastic system. They have utilised the Burj Khalifa to become a
very powerful tourism instrument. And I think our Petronas Twin Towers have that
potential too," she observed.

Dr Ng said the Petronas towers should have a similar system -- one that
allows advance ticket bookings that eliminates long queues.

Nevertheless, Dr Ng conceded that Petronas, Malaysia's national petroleum
corporation, did not build the 88-storey twin towers with tourism in mind.


"Actually, we've been asked by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to
see how we can work and assist Petronas to develop the skybridge into a tourism
product.

"Tourism Malaysia has already spoken to Petronas and the company is very
receptive to the idea," said Dr Ng who was accompanied on her tour of Burj
Khalifa by Emaar Properties assistant director (projects), Nor Shaharom Mansor.

She said tourism was not only a matter of coming up with new products to woo
tourists but also value-adding existing products, such as the skybridge.

According to Melaka-born Nor Shaharom, who has been involved in the Burj
Khalifa development since day one, further developing the tourism potential of
the Petronas towers was something 'doable'.

"For Burj Khalifa, we knew what we wanted since day one. The idea behind it
is that we don't want people to go to the observatory deck just for the view.

"We want to create something more interesting by ensuring that the
experience, both interactive and educational, starts from the ticketing counter
all the way up the tower," he said.

According to him, the observatory deck of
Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper that can be seen from 95km away, was generating a lot
of income for Emaar, the developer of the project.

-- BERNAMA