Desaru banks on upcoming openings to bring in corporate groups

Desaru Coast in Johor, Malaysia, believes it is well placed to capture the attention of meeting planners, corporate companies and outbound travel agents across Asia, with several more internationally-branded hotels and a conference centre coming online soon.

The first two hotels developed by Desaru Development Holdings One – the 365-room Hard Rock Desaru Coast and 275-key The Westin Desaru Coast Resort – as well as Desaru Coast Conference Centre which will be managed by The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, are scheduled to open from end of 3Q2018. The conference centre can host up to 1,000 participants in a theatre-seating.

A rendering of the soon-to-open Desaru Coast

Roslina Arbak, CEO of Desaru Development Holdings One, said: “Event planners seeking to combine teambuilding activities can benefit from the centre’s close proximity to the Desaru Coast Adventure Waterpark, as well as the Desaru beach.”

Towards the end of 2018, incentive planners can also look forward to the One&Only Desaru Coast. The 52ha beachfront development will have 42 suites, two luxury suites and an exclusive four-bedroom villa. This will be followed by the opening of Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas in 2019.

Roslina shared that key foreign markets Desaru is targeting for business events include Singapore, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong and India, as well as international tourists travelling to Malaysia via Singapore.

To capture as much of the market as possible, Desaru Developments Holdings has set up trade representatives in key markets such as Singapore, Indonesia, China and India. It is also working closely with Tourism Malaysia and Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau to raise awareness of the destination regionally and globally.

Roslina elaborated: “We are actively leveraging on international tourism trade events including PATA Travel Mart and ITB Asia to help us bring focus to Johor as an international business hub, and Desaru Coast’s advantageous location in the southern gateway into Malaysia, especially for those coming from Singapore or Indonesia.”

She added that Desaru’s close proximity to Singapore also bodes well, as the destination is 1.5 hours by road from Singapore. By sea, from Changi Ferry Terminal to Tanjung Belungkor Ferry Terminal, and from there it’s a 30-minute drive to Desaru Coast.

“In addition, we have also recently launched our Desaru Coast Shuttle Service which provides accessibility to and from Desaru Coast via Singapore and Senai Airport. For those travelling to and from Senai Airport, there are four scheduled shuttle trips daily,” Roslina shared.

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