Kuala Lumpur, June 28 (IANS) An integrated hub project for seafood production, maritime services, and sustainable tourism has been launched to uplift the region’s fisheries sector and support sustainable coastal community development, Malaysia’s Selangor state Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said on Saturday.
The Sekinchan Integrated Landing Port will especially uplift the coastal district of Sabak Bernam, transforming it from a support district into a driver of growth, Amirudin said at the launch of the initiative.
“It is about unlocking long-term value through infrastructure that empowers people, sustains livelihoods, and positions Selangor as a state that leaves no region behind. We are building a foundation that will benefit not just today’s generation, but those to come,” he said.
An initial investment of 500 million ringgit (118.2 million US dollars) has been identified for fishing-related infrastructure and improvements for the entire Sekinchan Integrated Landing Port initiative, which is set to kick off by the end of 2026, reports Xinhua news agency.
Phase 1 of the hub will be developed over five years, with 80 per cent of it being built over water. It will include a centralised jetty and fisheries complex, a fish auction hall, a logistics center as well as coastal enhancements including a new public beach, retail amenities, and serviced accommodation, MBI Selangor, a body established by the state government to manage the state’s assets and investments, said in a statement.
The project is expected to generate direct employment opportunities through newly created economic activities, enhance the district’s attractiveness as a tourism destination, and open new channels for local entrepreneurs to promote and commercialise community-based products.
In a separate development, on June 19, official data showed that Malaysia’s domestic tourism expenditure for the first quarter of 2025 was recorded at 29.4 billion ringgit (6.9 billion US dollars), an increase of 22.1 per cent year-on-year.
The Department of Statistics Malaysia said in a statement that the number of domestic visitors in Malaysia also experienced a significant surge to record 69.7 million visitors for the first quarter of 2025, rising 18.9 per cent as compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Meanwhile, for quarter-on-quarter comparison, domestic visitors went up 4.3 per cent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. (1 ringgit equals 0.23 US dollars)
–IANS
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