Briefs

A local manufacturer has agreed to pour in 500 million ringgit (Bt4 billion) investment in Johor, Malaysia. 
State Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumerism committee chairman Tee Siew Kiong said the company was looking at Johor as an ideal location for investment purposes. 
It wants to set up an industrialised building system plant in the district.
“The company has chosen the district as it is located right in the middle, with the development taking place in Iskandar Malaysia and Pengerang.
“There are a few things that need to be discussed between the company and the state government but we are hopeful that the project will start by the middle of this year,” he said.
He declined to reveal the name of the company as the matter is still in the early stages of planning. He said this after conducting a working visit to Zublin Precast factory in Lukut Industrial Area.
Zublin Precast, one of Europe’s biggest construction companies, had invested 43 million ringgit in the last two years after opening up its factory on 4.86 hectares of land in 2015.
The company had agreed to invest 2 million ringgit as part of its expansion plan.
“This is a good sign that Johor has been a favourable destination in the country for both domestic and foreign investors,” he said.
The state had received 93 billion ringgit investment from 2013-16.
“This means that Johor is the champion in attracting manufacturing sector investment in Malaysia for four consecutive years,” he said. – The Star

Food, shopping at 
new HCM City market

A modern food and shopping market has opened at the September 23 Park in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1.
The underground Sense Market, built by Saigon Co.op Investment Development (SCID) and Cuu Long Trading Investment, cost 180 billion dong (Bt277 million) and spreads over 11,000 square metres, including 6,000m2 for parking. It consists of the Asiana Food Town with nearly 100 street booths selling Vietnamese, Japanese, Lao, Cambodian and Indian foods, and Taka Plaza with 400 booths selling various products at reasonable prices.
Sense Market also has a Co.op Food outlet, post office and foreign exchange counter.
Nguyen Thi Tranh, deputy general director of Saigon Co.op and general director of SCID, said the market would regularly feature free classes in workouts, aerobics and martial arts for locals and foreign visitors.
It would also hold tourism promotion events with the HCM City Association of Tourism, and have booths for students starting their own business, she said.
Many activities like traditional folk games, cooking and flower arrangement contests and art performances are being held until March 8 to mark its opening. |– Viet Nam News

Hotel, tourism industry 
ecstatic on Chinese tourists 

Driven by a rapidly growing middle class, Chinese outbound tourists are expected to reach 150 million in 2020 from 122 million last year.
More Chinese than ever are travelling to the United States and other foreign destinations. 
In 2015, more than 2.5 million Chinese came to the US, and that figure was expected to rise significantly last year, which was designated “2016 China-US Tourism Year”. – China Daily