The theme park in Sunway City Ipoh, which is situated at the foot of an ancient limestone hill. IPOH, Malaysia - Singaporean Chan Wai Hoe used to take the bus to visit his parents in Ipoh once every two to three months, but now he hops on a direct flight which takes only about an hour. “It saves time.
Taking the overnight bus is tiring, and it takes six to eight hours (to get) from Singapore to Ipoh,” the 44-year-old lecturer told The Straits Times. The capital of Perak, some 200km north of Kuala Lumpur, is seeing hordes of visitors and tourists, especially on weekends, thanks partly to direct flights from Singapore. Flights between Singapore and Ipoh were first operated by the former Tigerair Singapore in May 2015, and subsequently by Scoot from July 2017, following Scoot’s merger with Tigerair Singapore.
AirAsia also began flying this route in November 2018. AirAsia doubled its average weekly frequencies from four flights per week to eight in 2024, while Scoot tripled its average weekly flights from six to 18 in the same year. Today, there are 10 daily flights by Scoot and AirAsia, according to Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).
Efforts are being made by the state, community and businesses to breathe new life into the historical and multicultural enclave that has long been known as a retirement haven. Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in February: “Ipoh has a lot of potential..
. I was told that over the last six months, every flight that comes to Ipoh (from Singapore) has been 90 per cent full, and it shows that the demand for Singapore to Ipoh is high. About 30 to 50 per cent of visitors are from Singapore, making up the largest foreign tourist group, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) Perak chapter chairman Tony Wong told ST.
The number of Singapore tourists flying into Ipoh in 2024 rose nearly 8 per cent between January and May compared with the previous year, according to data from Malaysia’s immigration department. A two-hour express train service from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, which started in August, shaves around 40 minutes off the usual travel time and is expected to pull in more visitors. The authorities are bullish about Ipoh as a hip tourist destination.
After all, it is Visit Perak Year 2024. The state is eyeing eight million domestic and 350,000 international tourists in 2024, compared with some 7.5 million domestic and 867,665 international visitors the year before.
Tourism officials set the target for visitor levels for 2024 before they knew the final numbers for 2023. The big jump in international numbers in 2023 was a surprise to them. In 2022, there were 6.
8 million domestic and 333,306 international visitors. It is difficult for the authorities to obtain exact figures, as some visitors are day-trippers while others may stay in unregistered accommodation. After Ipoh awoke from years of economic slumber about 12 years ago, tourists started flocking in as crumbling centuries-old shophouses in its Old Town were converted into stylish guest houses and hip cafes.
Hip cafes abound in Ipoh. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Ipoh made its wealth on a tin mining boom in the early 19th century, and the last vestiges of the colonial era remain, like the railway station and High Court. An alley with mostly vacant and neglected buildings was transformed in 2016 and rejuvenated as the tourist hot spot Concubine Lane.
It is lined with cafes and shops selling street food and apparel, and draws many visitors on weekends. Concubine Lane is lined with cafes and shops selling street food and apparel. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN A thriving street art scene emerged here after Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic painted murals around Ipoh Old Town, which followed his 2012 street art which successfully captured the essence of Penang’s George Town.
Ipoh was listed in Lonely Planet’s top 10 destinations in Asia in 2016, and was described in The New York Times’ travel section in 2018 as “roaring back in style”. The number of passengers using Ipoh’s Sultan Azlan Shah Airport surged to 222,606 in 2015 from 98,768 in 2014. In 2018, the figure skyrocketed to 894,737.
From January to June 2024, some 43,000 passengers passed through the airport per month on average, compared with about 8,000 passengers 10 years ago, said MAHB. The Covid-19 pandemic cut short Ipoh’s transcendent rise, and local businesses say the economy and tourism sector have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. They add that more needs to be done to rejuvenate the city and foster greater awareness of its rich heritage and history among visitors from outside Perak.
Ipoh Old Town has a thriving street art scene, with colourful murals such as this adorning its alleys. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Despite the hordes of tourists, small businesses say they are not earning as much as before the pandemic, and most shops in the Old Town shut at 6.30pm.
Ipoh has always been a stopover for people travelling up north or down south, either for a quick meal stop or a one-nighter, said architect Seow Wee Liam, who returned to Malaysia after having worked abroad. “A second rebirth is very much needed,” he told ST. In 2019, he rented and refurbished a bar and restaurant, rescuing it from 11 years of abandonment and giving it a fresh lease of life.
Formerly called FMS – an acronym for Federated Malay States – and thought to be Malaysia’s oldest bar, it is now Durbar At FMS, a restaurant serving colonial British-Hainanese cuisine such as Hainanese chicken chop and baked stuffed crab. Architect Seow Wee Liam rented and refurbished a bar and restaurant, rescuing it from 11 years of abandonment and giving it a fresh lease of life. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN As a young boy, Mr Seow often used to pass by the colonial building where his restaurant is located, as it was near his school.
Its incredible past inspired him to rebuild the pre-war structure. “It’s such a landmark, an institution to so many people. It used to be a planters’ and miners’ bar, where they would stop by in between travelling through estates.
” The facade of the building, which dates back to 1906, has been retained while the interior has been decorated with historical memorabilia and old photographs. He said more can be done to raise awareness of the city’s storied past and that a number of historical attractions, inactive museums and landmarks such as the Ipoh Railway Station are in need of refurbishment. The colonial building where Durbar At FMS is located.
ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN MAH’s Mr Wong agreed that most tourists are there merely for short layovers, adding that “there is a lack of activities to retain tourists for a longer duration in Ipoh”. Better maintenance is needed for natural attractions and historical sites such as Gunung Lang Recreational Park, added Mr Wong. Although 2024 is Visit Perak Year, many sporting events, art festivals and musical performances which will be held this year in the city are not well-publicised, noted Mr Seow.
There also appears to be a lack of coordination among stakeholders when it comes to promoting Ipoh as a destination. “There is not enough input, participation and collaboration from stakeholders – for example, hotels, F&B outlets and transportation companies. Everyone is doing their own little thing,” he said.
Despite its rich history, finding details about the city’s past or its attractions can be difficult, which may deter tourists. “My tourist friends say that information is scattered and sparse. It should be compiled in one spot where it’s easy to see,” said a local artist who wanted to be known only as Kareem.
He noted that in a town where the majority are older people, older business owners may find it harder to keep up with technology to promote their products. One project to inject new life into the city is Sunway Ipoh Mall, part of Sunway City in Ipoh, which hopes to recreate the successful Sunway City in Selangor. Expected to be completed in 2027, the mall, set to be Perak’s biggest, is just one of the latest projects by Sunway Group in its township nestled in a quiet corner of Ipoh, cocooned by 260-million-year-old limestone hills, caves, jungles and geothermal springs.
A 260-million year old natural limestone cave, located within a luxury resort in Sunway City Ipoh, has been turned into an ethereal restaurant and wine bar. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN Along with an upcoming medical centre and university next to it, also built by Sunway, it is hoped the development will revive the state’s capital, and create job opportunities for at least 5,000 locals. Ipoh, which has a population of about 850,000, has long been seen as a retirement town, with many youth leaving for Penang, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.
Perak state’s percentage of residents aged 60 and over is 14.9 per cent. Located in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Tambun constituency, Sunway City Ipoh already has a theme park, hotel, residences and a luxury resort, with a gross development value of RM2 billion (S$595 million).
An additional RM4 billion worth of investments by Sunway is planned for the 545ha township over the next decade. Perak's largest mall is being built as part of the Sunway City Ipoh township. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN “Sunway City Ipoh is my contribution to my home state and its beloved people.
The older Perakians would know that this place was a sleepy hollow when Sunway first set foot here back in the early 1990s,” Sunway Group founder and chairman Jeffrey Cheah said in his speech at the ground-breaking ceremony of Sunway Ipoh Mall on Aug 1. With its rich cultural heritage, vibrant food scene and majestic natural beauty, Ipoh has seen a surge of international tourists in recent years, he said. “You can get all kinds of food here, it’s nice and cheap,” Tan Sri Cheah told ST.
“It (the mall) will bring a lot of business. By how much? I think by leaps and bounds for Ipoh. The government.
.. needs the private sector, people like us to help them deliver more products of tourism value.
This is something that we are contributing to.” He also hopes it will help to encourage younger generations to remain in Ipoh. “It has been said that Perak’s biggest export is neither pomelo nor white coffee, but human talent.
It is my hope that by establishing a thriving ecosystem through an integrated township like Sunway City Ipoh, it will help reverse this trend and also attract the best and brightest from around the world to make Ipoh their home.” Meanwhile, back at the fringes of Ipoh Old Town, Mr Seow is hoping that one day, he might rebuild the hotel that used to be above his establishment. “There are some challenges, but we are studying it.
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