The tourism ministry's decision to retain the RM30 million giant Ferris wheel at Taman Titiwangsa until Aug 31 has received mixed reactions from tour operators and tourists.

Fitreel Abdul Rahim, a tour coordinator with a Kuala Lumpur-based agency, said the response from those who have visited the ‘Eye on Malaysia’ has been good but that a lot of improvements are needed.

“Promotion has not been consistent. In the beginning, it was very good but towards the end of (last) year, it was rather slow,” she said, referring to free tickets distributed to travel agencies and which had became a subject of debate in Parliament last year.

She pointed out that some tourists, especially locals, have been put off by the ticket price, while there are no other attractions for tourists at the location.

“More tourism activities should be organised at the area so that we (tour operators) can promote (the wheel) and bring more tourists there,” she said.

Her sentiments were shared by Jesse Lee, executive committee member of the Kuala Lumpur Tourist Guides Association, who said the wheel should only be retained if necessary changes are made.

“The place is not comfortable for tourists, as the weather (in Kuala Lumpur) is very warm,” he said, also noting that tourists generally have high expectations.

“The staff need to be friendlier. I know they try their best, but the frontline staff need to improve their English and the way they speak to customers,” he explained.

He also noted that the 60m-high wheel makes a good observation point for tourists to take pictures of the city, but that the tinted glass of the gondolas prevent this.

“It would be good if guests can open a window big enough to take pictures from the top,” he added.

A foreign couple approached at the site said they had not come for the ride, but only for a walk in the park .

A group of tourists from Indonesia were seen going up to the Ferris wheel, but then returning to their bus soon after because “we are not interested”.

A Malaysian visitor said he was disappointed to find out the water-shows have been discontinued, but said he was eager to go for a ride on the wheel.

An employee at the information counter said the shows – Theatre of the Waters and The Dance of Lasers – will be resumed at a date to be confirmed soon, without explaining why these have been discontinued.

Reason for extension

On Jan 1, Bernama reported Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor as saying that the ‘Eye on Malaysia’ will remain a tourism attraction until Aug 31 and expressed the hope that it could become a permanent feature.

His press secretary Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya, when contacted, confirmed the statement but denied speculation that the structure will be retained permanently.

“As you know, Visit Malaysia Year has been extended to Aug 31, so we want to retain it (the Eye) until our 51st Merdeka celebration,” he added.

A ministry official told Malaysiakini that the government wants to retain the Eye because the cost of disassembling the structure would be as much as setting it up, if not more.

“DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) wanted to move the wheel to some location in Kepong, but the ministry insisted on keeping it (at Lake Titiwangsa),” she said.

However, Hisamudin dismissed both claims as “nonsense”, insisting that the extended lease was due to good response from tourists - he claimed that 1.2 million visitors had visited the attraction last year, well above the ministry's target of 800,000.

He also said the ministry had not held any discussion to date with City Hall on making the Eye a permanent feature. The contractor MST Ad Suria Sdn Bhd will continue to manage the operations.

MST Ad Suria, according to a New Straits Times news report on Jan 4, said Putrajaya would be the best option if relocation is required. The statement was in response to protests by residents around the current location.

Complaints range from disturbance of the peace to traffic congestion, parking problems, pollution and cleanliness issues.

The residents are looking into taking legal action against MST Ad Suria, City Hall and the ministry. A lawyer representing the residents was quoted as saying that they “will now seriously look at what they can get from the courts and possibly file a suit soon”.

In August, Malaysiakini reported that the ‘Eye on Malaysia’ not popular among tourists and revealed that the government has been bailing out the project.

The wheel, with 42 gondolas, has been dubbed as Malaysia's answer to the famous ‘London Eye’. A similar observation wheel called the 'Singapore Flyer' is currently under development at Marina Bay, Singapore.