PUTRAJAYA Lake Cruise is marking its 10th anniversary this year with ambitious plans to get more people to realise “the best way to see and experience Putrajaya is on water”.
Better known as Cruise Tasik Putrajaya or CTP, it was launched on Aug 30, 2003, by then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) took over its management from July 1 this year via its subsidiary Cruise Tasik Putrajaya Sdn Bhd.
“The cruise was established to tap into the recreational potential of the 650ha man-made lake and wetlands that span the federal administrative capital,” said Cruise Tasik Putrajaya CEO Zaharah Salamat.
“CTP also allows visitors to see the city’s sights and landmarks from a unique perspective.
“The idea was to make the lake popular for recreational activities,” she said, adding that the facilities included the Water Sports Complex and Maritime Centre.
Local talent
Zaharah said everything about the cruise was conceptualised locally, from the design and manufacture of the vessels, to their operations and maintenance.
It cost about RM35mil to set up Cruise Tasik Putrajaya including acquiring the fleet of vessels.
“The larger vessels were built by Limbongan Batu Maung Sdn Bhd in Penang, while the smaller boats were constructed by a famous boatmaker in Terengganu.”
Catamarans like the Sebarau and Kelah boats are able to cater to some 120 sightseeing customers or 60 dining customers, while the Daun and Belimbing boats can take about 70 sightseeing and 30 dining customers.
The smaller Dondang Sayang boats are replicas of traditional Malay perahu, with a seating capacity of six to eight.
“CTP offers sightseeing tours by perahu or air-conditioned cruise boats, dining cruise and private boat charters for functions or events,” said Zaharah.
“The boats are purpose-built for sightseeing and dining, with the larger ones featuring a kitchen, toilet and karaoke facilities.
Famous sights
The sightseeing tour on the larger vessels takes passengers on a 45- to 60-minute guided tour, while the dining cruise takes about 1.5 hours.
A minimum of 30 individuals are required for private charters, and bookings must be done seven days in advance.
The sights and landmarks visited on the cruise include Putra Mosque, Perdana Putra (Prime Minister’s office), Millennium Monument, Darul Ehsan Palace, Putrajaya International Convention Centre, Seri Wawasan Bridge, Seri Saujana Bridge, Putrajaya Dam and several key government complexes in Putrajaya’s core island (comprising Precincts 2, 3 and 4).
“The sightseeing tours contribute to 50% of CTP’s revenue; 30% comes from dining and charter cruises.
“The remainder comes from other water-based activities CTP operates.
“CTP attracts slightly more foreign tourists, particularly those from the Middle East, China and Taiwan.
“About 40% of our customers are locals,” said Zaharah, adding that the peak seasons are school holidays and during major events in Putrajaya.
Zaharah said PPj had initially sourced out the operations of CTP, as PPj wanted to focus on the development and management of Putrajaya.
“After 10 years, we felt that the timing was right for us to take over,” said Zaharah, who previously served as PPj corporate communications senior deputy director.
“There were concerns on transparency, protection of assets, and lack of promotion for CTP and its services.
“Running CTP will also serve as a good revenue platform for PPj.
Revenue earner
“It is PPj president Tan Sri Aseh Che Mat’s vision to see more activities being operated by PPj staff.
“He wants them to be trained to become not only good managers and administrators, but also entrepreneurs.”
She said the previous operator took in about RM300,000 in monthly revenue, and paid RM45,000 monthly to PPj.
With the management takeover, PPj hopes to generate between RM500,000 and RM700,000 in monthly revenue.
Zaharah said PPj recently spent RM14.8mil on a seven-month project to landscape and upgrade the lake.
“The desilting and drain-clearing works at Precincts 17 and 19 were to remove soil that had washed into the lake during construction.
“Silt had reduced the depth of the lake, and CTP had to have its cruise route changed as larger boats were unable to complete a full tour around the lake.”
A long-term plan for CTP is to provide water taxi services for transportation.
“The infrastructure for water transportation has already been set; it is just a matter of feasibility and availability of boats,” said Zaharah.
As part of CTP’s expansion plans, RM3mil was spent to acquire 15 small lepa-lepa boats.
She said PPj would work hard to increase awareness of the cruise by providing more signs and having better trained staff.
She added that tentative activities for CTP’s 10th anniversary include discounted rates, a carnival and art competition.
The CTP ticketing counter is located at Jeti Putra, underneath Putra Bridge.
Entrance to Jeti Putra is from Dataran Putra, where the Putra Mosque is located.
The price for an adult with MyKad is RM30 for the sightseeing passenger cruise, RM20 for the Dondang Sayang boat, and from RM61 to dine.
For details, visit www.cruisetasikputrajaya.com.
– THE STAR
