Malaysians are now going abroad and are planning to open a theme park in Europe’s largest economy. Malaysian group Tanjong want to bring tropical islands to Germans.
KUALA LUMPUR- For over two decades, Malaysians used to dream when strolling around German-looking houses dominated by a medieval clock tower in the midst of Malaysia’s rainforest. Following a visit from Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohammad to Eastern France, the ex-strongman felt in love with the city of Colmar, a typical Rhine-style medieval city. Back to Malaysia, architects hastily built a new theme park in the State of Pahang in Bukittingi. It was then called Colmar Tropicale and turned into a fantasy version of various Alsatian villages with their mix of German and French architectures that Dr. Mahathir liked so much…
But now, this is the opposite arriving in Germany. In 2004, a former warehouse built to construct and maintain Zeppelins was converted into “Tropical Islands”, a thematic holiday village with an artificial tropical white sand beach, a laguna, a rain forest and sauna facilities. Located in Berlin’s South, some 100 km from the capital, the investment from Malaysian company Tanjong represented some Euro 200 million. Last financial year, Tropical Islands welcomed approximately 912,000 visitors from Germany but also from Poland, the Czech Republic and Scandinavia, generating a turnover of Euro 37 million and a cash-flow of Euro 2.5 million. More will soon be developed. Tanjong has ambitious plans to turn Tropical Islands into a mega-resort by adding four more villages. Total investment would then amount to Euro 500 million. According to an interview from Tropical Islands CEO Ole Bested to German Sunday newspaper “Welt am Sonntag”, the resort is due to become the largest of its kind in Germany after enlargement.
Plans foresee a western-style village, a medieval village, a tropical village and a 1950s-style village. The area would then be have a capacity of 12,000 beds able to receive up to three million overnights per year. A golf course is also planned while the former airfield for Zeppelins would also be reactivated. Green light for the further development of Tropical Islands could be given by the mid of next year. Germany will then be a little bit closer to Malaysia…
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
