He said there were a lot of Arab investors waiting to see our model, if it is going to succeed or not.
"Most of them came here and tried (to invest) but get back with a negative feeling (because of bureaucratic red tape)," he told Bernama in an interview here recently.
Bureaucratic red tape has forced the company to develop Arab City here earlier, which is designed to be a symbolic gateway connecting Malaysia to the Middle East, and to move from its site in Jalan Ampang in Kuala Lumpur to Melaka, which promises a 24-hour approval for the project.
Golden Corporate Heritage is undertaking the Arab City project in Melaka.
It is a joint venture between Dubai, Saudi Arabian and Malaysian partners, the company has branch offices in Dubai and Saudi Arabia with diverse interests in real estate, trading and oil and gas business.
He said the projects would allow the state to better attract Middle Eastern tourists and give locals a chance to experience Arabic culture.
The Arab investors, Golden Corporate Heritage (CGH), will carry out joint projects with the state-owned Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI).
Arab City on Pulau Melaka involves the development of a three-storey shopping complex including an Arabian bazaar, Middle Eastern restaurants and cafes and a unisex Arabic health and beauty spa.
The Klebang project involves the construction of a five-star hotel, a water theme park, an aquarium and a floating restaurant.
GCH managing director Hesham Eldin Fath Mohamed Khalil said the company was also looking at developing an Arab Village in Kampung Jawa.
Arab City on Pulau Melaka is expected to be completed by the end of next year and the one in Klebang in 2012.
With concerns that the global economic crisis would affect the Middle east badly, Hesyam said they studied the situation very well and found that Malaysia was a very suitable place for them.
Despite the lack of a "special offer" to investors, Malaysia was very stable, its people friendly and easily accept the Arabic culture, which in itself presents a very good environment for Arab investors.
Hesyam said one million Arab tourists came to Malaysia and they spend 10 times more than the others.
For the past seven months, he said 250,000 Arabs came to Malaysia although it is not the holiday season and they spent RM5 billion.
Hesyam said when the Arabs came here, his staff went to the shopping areas especially in Bukit Bintang and interviewed Arab tourists to know how they felt in Malaysia including the problems they faced and the things they hope to have here to make them come back again.
Based on the interviews, Hesyam said Arab tourists want an integrated place that has the feel of Arabian culture, food and tradition.
He said there were cases in Bukit Bintang for example, where these Arabs do not feel comfortable with.
So, when they do not feel comfortable here, he said they would not come back for the second time.
However, Hesyam said the Ministry of Tourism which has been tracking tourist trends says the number of Arab tourists keep on increasing every year.
"If we received 750,000 this year and we received one million next year, it goes without saying that we are doing well," he said.
Singapore :
Singapore's Arab Street!
Singapore's Arab Street!
Hey When Is Singapore's Arab City Coming?
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