PAHANG: Genting Malaysia Bhd expects to complete by 2016 the world’s first Twentieth Century Fox World theme park at a cost of about RM1 billion.

A new hotel and cable-car station will also be completed in the next two years.

“One of the projects that will see completion in the first half of next year is an additional 1,268 rooms at the First World Hotel,” said Genting Malaysia president and chief operating officer Datuk Seri Lee Choong Yan at the introduction of Resort World Genting’s brand ambassador and official launch of Horizon 50 yesterday.

“Other projects that will be opened by 2016 are The Sky Avenue and Sky Plaza shopping malls, a new cable-car station and the Twentieth Century Fox World theme park,” he added.

Genting Malaysia has appointed Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh as its new brand ambassador to enhance the brand globally as the resort enters a new era of transformation.

Genting Malaysia is currently embarking on its RM5 billion Genting Integrated Tourism Plan. With the transformation plan, Genting Malaysia aims to attract some 26 million local and foreign tourists in 2018, increasing to 30 million by 2020.

“Our goal is to develop a mall with distinctive and energetic retail environments that create a great sense of excitement and differentiated experiences for local and foreign tourists alike,” said Lee.

He also introduced a new attraction named Horizon 50. The RM4 million attraction showcases the birth and growth of Genting Highlands. Panasonic Malaysia will provide high- definition projectors, fly-through videos, visual boards, video walls and LED television screens, he added.

Lee hoped Horizon 50 would attract five million visitors in the next two years.

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on December 5, 2014.