PORT DICKSON

 

Overview

Port Dickson (PD) is a district of Negeri Sembilan in the southwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Port Dickson was named after Sir John Frederick Dickson, a British High Officer stationed in the Straits Settlements at the end of the 19th century. Owing to its location in a small bay, the town was known as Tanjung among local Malays, while the local Chinese and Indians named it Alang or Arang, which means charcoalIt formerly had a carbon mine and was a charcoal producing town prior to being developed into a port by British during the Straits Settlements colonial rule. PD used to be a part of Selangor until 1880 when it was ceded to Sungai Ujong (present day Negeri Sembilan). Throughout the rapid development of the port into a busy trading centre the beaches were preserved and today serves as a tourist hot spot. The local economy is greatly supported by the Shell Refining Company and Petron Refinery located in PD.

Townships within this district include Linggi, Teluk Kemang, Pasir Panjang, Bandar Sunggala, Sirusa, Siliau, Lukut, Kuala Lukut, Kota Lukut, Bukit Palong, Jimah, Bandar Springhill, Permatang, Pengkalan Kempas, Bukit Kempas and Pantai Cermin.

Places of Attraction

It is a major tourist destination with several locations popular among sightseers.  Cape Rachado is a forest reserve and wildlife sanctuary with patches of mangrove swamps and beaches visited by flocks of migratory birds between September to March. At the summit is a Portuguese built lighthouse still used today, which offers a spectacular panoramic view of the Sumatran coastline. Army Museum showcases various war artifacts, army vehicles and aircraft and an underground Communist tunnel. Other attractions are Wan Loong Temple, Fort Kempas, Kota Lukut (museum and fort), Alive 3D Art Gallery and Upside Down Art Gallery. But no tourist leaves Port Dickson without visiting its renowned beaches such as Teluk Kemang and Blue Lagoon popular for water sports such as snorkeling, swimming, wind surfing, water-skiing, canoeing and sailing.

Amenities and Facilities

The 5-star Admiral Marina & Leisure Club has top notch dock facilities for luxury cruise ships, sailboats and yachts and also acts as a transit point for several regattas. Tourists can choose from many 3-star to 5-star hotels for accommodation. Several shopping centers are available, namely, Oceanic Mall, Billion Shopping Centre, TF Value Mart, Family Store Port Dickson, Giant Superstore, Tesco Hypermarket, Pasaraya SAKAN and Pasaraya KU.

Accessibility and Transportation

Seremban-Port Dickson Highway connects it to Seremban and links to North-South Expressway at Port Dickson interchange (Exit 219).  The Lukut interchange (Exit 316) leads to PD. Federal Route 53 also connects it to Seremban. Federal Route 5 connects it to Klang in the north and Melaka and Johor in the south. Passenger ferries connect to and fro between PD and Dumai, Indonesia on a daily basis.

Demographics

Based on the Department of Statistics Malaysia's census for 2019, Port Dickson's population was 130,600, an increase of about 1% from the 129,300 recorded in 2010. About 96% of the population are Malaysians, with Malays making up slightly more than 50%, followed by Chinese (26%), Indians (20%) and others. Roughly 60% of the population falls within the 15-64 age group.

According to Zerin Properties managing director and CEO Previndran Singhe, "There has not been a drastic change in the demographics as there were no significant changes in terms of employment opportunities. Nevertheless, the average annual population growth between 2015 and 2018 of 4% can be associated with renewed interest [in the area] due to the influx of tourism, property developments such as PD Waterfront by TSR Capital Bhd and the Malaysia Vision Valley (MVV), as well as announcements of infrastructure projects. These denote a positive outlook for growth in employment opportunities."

Spearheaded by Sime Darby Property Bhd, the Malaysian Vision Valley (MVV) project is aimed at creating a new growth corridor of 153,411ha in the districts of Seremban and Port Dickson. "While there is migration of the youth to the Klang Valley for better employment opportunities, there has also been increased purchasing interest from young homebuyers who are seeking affordable homes and/or investment properties," said Previndran

Landed Property Preferred

According to CBRE | WTW managing director, Foo Gee Jen, landed homes, in particular single-storey terraced houses, are the most common residential properties in Port Dickson. He says the average prices of such homes range from RM250,000 to RM280,000 in the primary market and from RM150,000 to RM180,000 in the secondary market.

Previndran notes that the new landed projects in Lukut and Teluk Kemang are seeing good demand.

Data from Zerin Properties shows that between January 2015 and December 2019, 949 transactions were for terraced houses and the popular areas were Taman Intan Duyung, Taman PD Utama, Taman Vista Jaya and Taman Selasih.

A total of 137 transactions of other landed residential types was recorded during the same period. Meanwhile, there were 217 transactions of non-landed properties in Port Dickson, comprising condominiums, flats and serviced residences, from January 2015 to November 2019.

Upping Its Appeal

Foo believes tourism will continue to underpin Port Dickson's economy and its industrial landscape is expected to remain focused on petroleum refinery. "Going forward, more diversified economic opportunities will be a boon to Port Dickson. This will help to boost its industrial and commercial vibrancy to be on par with surrounding locations like Senawang, Seremban 2 and Nilai. Increases in economic opportunities and the subsequent population growth will spur Port Dickson's residential sector, which, at present, is mostly reliant on more passive spillover effects from other growth factors."

Previndran believes that there are a few potential boost factors for Port Dickson. Among them are building quality and functional MICE facilities that are effectively marketed; integrated tourism developments offering various activities and experiences that cater for families and solo travellers; the rejunevation of old and abandoned tourism attractions; developing affordable and quality resort-type housing townships to attract local professionals; and promoting Port Dickson under the Malaysia My Second Home programme.

There is also a need to do more green initiatives such as landscaping, and beach and flora fauna protection, adds Previndran.

Foo agrees with Previndran, noting that one of the main shortfalls of the west coast, compared with the east coast, has always been water quality. "The Straits of Malacca is pollluted due to tourism, land reclamation and shipping activities. Therefore, environmental protection measures have to be taken to enhance the sutainability and credentials of Port Dickson's tourism industry," he comments.

The positioning of Port Dickson as a wellness and agrotourism destination in MVV 2.0 and the proposed railway connecting Seremban, Nilai, Port Dickson and KLIA will benefit Port DIckson, adds Foo. "There will be catalysts for the local industrial sector. It has to be noted that the progress of these plans remains to be seen."

He feels that several devleopments beyond the state boundaries will benefit Port Dickson. "The construction of the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway, which is also linked to the North-South Expressway, has shortened travelling time to the Klang Valley. Linked to the West Coast Expressway, it extends the reach of Port Dickson's industrial market to the north and enhances the movement of people and freight by road in general. 

"Near Port Dickson and sharing the same coastline are two proposed water theme parks. One is being developed by Meridian Bhd as part of the Malaysia Tourism City in Kuala Linggi, Melaka, and the other is by Sentoria Group, which recently purchased land in Morib from Pemodalan Nasional Berhad. The latter's development will include a safari park and a boutique hotel. Both theme parks are sitll in the piepnline so the impact remains to be seen," says Foo

 

The sections Landed Property Preferred and Upping Its Appeal first appeared in City and Country on the July 27, 2020 issue of The Edge Malaysia