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TOURISM
is incredible.” As
his personal highlights
of the expedition
he declares
the island of Rawa
and a visit to a
pineapple plantation,
where the
amazed guests
were shown how
to make paper
from pineapple
leaves.
Achim Heise operates several travel agencies in the
Frankfurt area as well as a last-minute booth at Frankfurt
Airport. For him it was the first visit to Johor. “Malaysia
is a quite unknown country, many Germans do
not know anything much about it, but the impression
we have gained is: it is a friendly country with great
people and a lot of potential.” Particularly impressing
he found a walk through unspoilt nature to a waterfall,
which is hardly known to anyone but the locals.
Christiane Balkhi joined the group as the representative
of Honeymoon Travel, a travel agency specializing
in honeymoon and weddings abroad, including Bali and
Thailand. “Malaysia is still in its very early stages within
our market segment, but for experienced tourists it is
a great country. I especially enjoyed the island of Rawa
and the detours in the jungle. It is still very original,
not yet very touristy. I am positively impressed.” She
expressed her hopes that in about three to four years
Johor can also be branded as a destination for wedding
travels.
For Chi Thanh Tran, who operates several shops in Greater
Frankfurt and promotes various advertising spaces,
Johor “is a good alternative to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur,
especially for nature lovers.” The country is characterized
by a rich flora and fauna, which is why ecotourism
plays an increasingly important role in Johor.
To give them a few examples within this new sector,
the group was invited to visit several spots for ecotourism,
including a marine habitat in the Straits of Johor,
an eco-plantation, and the Tanjung Piai National Park.
The latter is one of six nature parks in Johor and consists
mainly of mangrove forests, which can be explored by
visitors on wooden paths. The forest serves as a habitat
for resident and migratory birds, and also for macaques
and other wild life. In addition, mangrove forests in
coastal areas serve as natural barriers, which protect
the inland villages, plantations and fields from storms.
Another distinctive feature of the park is the fact that it
is located at the southernmost point of the Asian mainland.
A stylized world globe on the edge of the park
points to this fact and is a favorite photo motive for visitors.
One place that
Tourism Johor
had specifically
selected for the
German delegation
to visit
was a small village
in the Pontian
district. In
2014, it gained
increased attention just after Germany had won the
Football World Cup. The name of the small settlement
Parit Jerman (German village) prompted many Malaysian
football friends and Germany fans to take photos in
front of the town sign.
Little did most of them know that long ago, indeed
there had been a German colony. Around the year 1880
some German emigrants settled here and built a thriving
pineapple plantation. Today, this heritage is almost
forgotten. “So far we know only the names of two families
who ran the farm,” says Mr Faizul from the local administration,”we
hope to learn more about the history
of the colony through further research.” The highlight of
the visit was a canoe trip through a marshy waterway
that the German settlers used to transport the harvest
to Singapore.
With a tough schedule running from 6 o’clock in the
morning until late at night on most days of their stay,
the group especially enjoyed the chance to slow down
by visiting the beautiful little island Rawa for a one night
stay. Rawa is the ideal hideaway for travellers and families
who want to relax for a couple of days without much
distractions. The chalets of Rawa Island Resort are characterised
by a comfortable down-to-earth ambiente,
purposely lacking TV and internet access in the rooms.
Instead, guests can entertain themselves with activities
like snorcheling and diving, tennis or ball games and expeditions
to the jungle and hills of the tiny island.
However, Rawa is only one of many beautiful islands
within Johor that are keen to welcome more guests from
abroad. Be it Pulau Besar, Pulau Tinggi or Pulau Tengah,
the Johorian islands are well prepared to receive their
guests with a warm “selamat datang ke Johor - welcome
to Johor!”
6 8/2017 www.malaysia-insights.com