To the nursery for a Poinsettia festivity

By SHAREN KAUR - November 30, 2017 @ 1:57pm

Christmas is just around the corner and if you are still thinking what to do in terms of decorating your garden or the kind of plants to have indoors, go to the nearest nursery for suggestions.

One that gets crowded during any festive season here is Nurseri Dimewa in USJ 3A, Subang and they are having a few standard Christmas plants and flowers that you may like for your home this holiday.

The owners, who have been in this business for the last 27 years, will offer you suggestions or tips on how best to decorate your garden or home if time is of the essence.

Nurseri Dimewa specialises in landscaping design, turfing and potted plants. They have over 200 types of tropical ornamental palm, shrubs, trees, climbers, ground covers as well as aquatic plants.

For this holiday season, dominating the entrance of the nursery are red poinsettia, silver leaf plants, goldcrest pines and English Ivy, to name a few.

These are very popular plants for Christmas and perhaps the most recognisable is the poinsettia, also known as the queen of Christmas plants, which comes in bright red and green leaves.

Other plants suitable to decorate your home for this Christmas are begonia leaf (variegated), fern leaf and ficus elastica.

“Depending on the space you have in the garden, you can either buy a few of the same species and place them at the sides of the driveway so you have them all in one colour, or mix and match a few different types and arrange them neatly at the entrance.

“Mix and match varieties offer a fantastic look. The spectacular plant combination complements each other in an unusual and outstanding way.

“You can even put the plants indoor, especially the poinsettia at the corner of your living room, on the dining table or even in the kitchen. The bright red colour will make the environment quite pleasant and very christmassy,” said one of the owners.

Of course the centrepiece of any Christmas celebrating house is the Christmas tree and Nurseri Dimewa has new supply coming in after having fully sold the early stock.

Integrated resort — a tourism game-changer

For NST Property - November 30, 2017

Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

Integrated resort (IR) developments are mushrooming around the world. Countries see the roles that IRs play can strengthen their overall tourism offerings.

IR developments are generally defined as mega-tourism, entertainment and leisure developments that combine hotels, restaurants, convention centres, casinos, theme parks and shopping centres.

Some of Malaysia’s leading IRs are Resorts World Genting (Malaysia); Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa (Malaysia); and Sutera Harbour Resort (Malaysia).

For other parts of Asia, they include Marina Bay Sands (Singapore); Resorts World Sentosa (Singapore); Mission Hills Haikou (China); Venetian Macao (Macau); Sheraton Macao Hotel Cotai Central (Macau); StarWorld Hotel (Macau); Wynn (Macau); MGM (Macau); City of Dreams (Macau); and City of Dreams Manila (the Philippines).

Outside of Asia and among the world’s best-known IRs are the Venetian and Palazzo in Las Vegas, Disneyland/Disneyworld, Melbourne’s Crown Entertainment Complex, South Africa’s Sun City, Mauritius, and The Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Wherever they emerge, IR developments have a dramatic impact, enhancing an entire destination’s tourism product and appeal — boosting the economy, changing the entire shape of tourism and creating job opportunities like never before.

For example, Macau’s casino revenue had quadrupled from HK$55 billion to HK$217 billion (RM28.96 billion to RM114.25 billion) last year since the opening of the Venetian Macao, the flagship of “Asia’s Las Vegas” in 2007. Despite a downturn in gaming visitors from China, revenue remains nearly five times the Vegas Strip. Macau’s visitor arrivals have expanded from 22 million to a projected 32 million this year, generating significant economic benefits beyond gaming.

Malaysia’s Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, the country’s foremost premier integrated property, is also doing well and expanding to include new tourism products and luxury houses for the local and overseas markets.

Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah is one of top IR destination in Malaysia

The 154ha resort is now home to two luxurious five-star hotels with 956 guest rooms, championship golf course, marina and recreational facilities.

Singapore Exchange-listed property developer GSH Corp Ltd expects robust potential for prime real estate in Kota Kinabalu, fuelled by strong tourism growth from South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. Visitors from these countries are increasing by the year and account for more than half of total international arrivals to Sabah.

Vietnam to join the club

HOIANA — a new world-class IR development in Vietnam — is set to join the IR club in Asia, with the first phase scheduled to open in 2019.

Located between Danang, Vietnam’s third-largest city and Hoi An, a Unesco World Heritage site, the 985.5ha development will offer a full range of amenities to attract tourists, families, couples, golfers, gamers and businessmen.

HOIANA head of business development Amy Do said the master development plan for the project over the next 10 to 15 years envisaged a host of complementary tourism and leisure-related projects through subsequent development phases.

The massive US$4 billion (RM16.44 billion) venture will have a world-class casino, an ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, a 445-room hotel and 200 buy-to-let condominiums; and a championship golf course-country club by Robert Trent Jones II.

Recreational facilities will include a beach club and entertainment venue for live shows and events, watersports and dive centre, and a promenade packed with bars and restaurants.

“HOIANA is set to rank among Asia’s most renowned resort destinations, offering a self-contained world of entertainment, leisure, pleasure and luxury lifestyle.

“This unrivalled, world-class integrated resort and leisure playground will set a new benchmark for high-end tourism in Vietnam, bringing economic prosperity and opportunity to Quang Nam province,” she said.

Macau-based casino operator SunCity Group and Chow Tai Fook Enterprises are stakeholders working with VinaCapital for the IR casino resort. VinaCapital is one of the largest foreign investors in Vietnam’s real estate market.

It was reported that Phase 1 at HOIANA will incorporate the 445-room hotel complex and 200 apartment-suites for sale on a buy-to-let basis operated by Hong Kong’s New World Hotels, as well as Rosewood spa resort with 75 guest villas and 25 residences, and the world class championship golf course.

The opening of HOIANA is set to compliment the developments of several projects in Vietnam by Malaysian developers.

Property investment: Malaysia still top choice for China buyers

For NST Property  -November 23, 2017 @ 1:06pm

MALAYSIA remains a property hotspot for foreign buyers, especially the Chinese, and the top locations are Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Melaka, according to Juwai.com, China’s largest international property website.

Although Beijing had restricted overseas property investments in a bid to limit capital outflows and strengthen the yuan, the Chinese are still interested to buy real estate abroad.

Juwai.com chairman Georg Chmiel said the popularity of the location or project among the Chinese depends on various factors.

These include the projects on offer and the efforts taken to market the properties, he told NST Property.

“There are some things that developers can do to improve the appeal of their projects to buyers from China. Developers who offer financing options to foreign buyers will find this makes their property more appealing.

“Safety is important to buyers from China, so emphasise on built features and aspects of the community that enhance residents’ safety. Developers should also offer post-sales services, property management services and rental guarantees to attract buyers,” Chmiel said.

He said an important driver of investment in Malaysia is the Belt and Road initiative promoted by the Chinese government, and the potential gains in terms of employment and gross domestic product.

“Malaysia attracts Chinese buyers who appreciate its relatively well-developed infrastructure, the opportunity to obtain quality English-language education and the chance to enjoy a more pleasant lifestyle and environment than in China.

“Most importantly, Malaysia is a springboard for second-generation Chinese who come here to study before they go to Europe, Australia or the United States. Malaysia offers a more pleasant lifestyle compared with Chinese cities. It is an appealing place for vacation homes and retirement living, given the excellent healthcare system and the easy travel to and from China. The country offers a convenient visa programme and an attractive second home plan.”

Chmiel said to market Malaysian properties overseas, developers should use a balanced strategy that combines branding, online traffic, Chinese-language marketing and listings and Chinese-language buyer services located in China — such as a service desk, property tours and local agent partners.

“These are elements we offer to Chinese developers. We think the most successful marketing campaign will combine them all.”

He said the majority of international real estate Chinese buyers are from Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing, who come from the wealthiest parts of the country and who are the most integrated with the rest of the world.

He said the average price of Malaysian residential real estate that Chinese buyers are most interested in ranges between RM1.2 million and RM3 million.

“The majority of buyers are looking for individual homes and apartments. It is not uncommon for an investor to put money into an early-stage development project. There are also some families who purchase multiple apartments.”

Chmiel said Chinese buyers represent the biggest and most lucrative market for Malaysia.

“Chinese demand for Malaysian residential property increased 138 per cent in the first half of this year compared to one year earlier, and we expect demand to continue growing in the years to come,” he added.