MELAKA, May 13 — A proposal has been mooted for Uptown Jonker Walk to operate on a daily basis, instead of just the current Friday, Saturday and Sunday three-day-a-week system, to boost the economy of traders and the atmosphere of the popular tourist hotspot, especially during weekdays.
Jonker Walk Committee deputy chairman Datuk Gan Tian Loo said the proposal was being discussed with various parties, including the Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB) and the Tourism Promotion Division (BPP).
He said his committee had conducted a study and the proposal has received the support of traders and businesses in the uptown area.
“We have brought the proposal to MBMB and BPP as the area only comes alive on weekends as there is an ‘uptown’ night market involving 450 stallholders selling various products.
“While at Jonker Walk, we also have 200 traders trading in shop buildings and they hope people will visit Uptown Jonker Walk daily as they would on a weekend,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.
He said the increase in operating hours of Uptown Jonker Walk would also boost the state’s tourism sector and tourists could visit the area without waiting for the weekend.
He said the stage for performances at Jonker Walk will also be reopened for arts and cultural activities in June to enliven the uptown night atmosphere.
Gan also shared that Jonker Walk received an allocation of RM250,000 from the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry earlier this year for upgrading work on facilities in the area, which has been open since 2010.
He said the upgrading involved public toilets, gates, as well as Jonker Walk World Heritage Park and MBMB, had opened tenders to contractors interested in implementing it.
“The upgrading is important to provide comfort and safety for visitors to Jonker Walk as well as to infuse new life into the area,” he added.
He said that based on MySejahtera’s QR code scan records to Jonker Walk, a total of 302,939 visitors was recorded going to the Uptown Night Market in the first four months of this year.
He said visitors have increased from month to month, numbering 88,048 people in January, February (66,671), March (69,228) and April (78,992).
— Bernama
