Lecturer’s Name:

Zulkifly Nazatul Na'aimah

Subject code & Name:

2023-01_MPU3312_Malaysian
Experiential Tourism
FACULTY OF HOSPITALITY AND TOURISM
MANAGEMENT

Assignm
ent Submission

Title :Report on tourist attraction: Aquaria KLCC

STUDENTS DECLARATION OF WORK

We declare that the work submitted is our own. We confirm that we have read and understood the
University regulations with regard to Plagiarism, Collusion and Cheating in this work will be penalised.

Student name : Abdulrahman Badreddin Shaibani

Student ID 1002268381

STUDENT NAME STUDENT ID

Abdulrahman Badreddin Shaibani 1002268381
Aufa Ananda Rizqi Wibowo 1001955006
Introduction
Aquaria KLCC is an aquarium located within the KL convention center. With large and small exhibits
showcasing aquatic, semi-aquatic, and some terrestrial animals in a simulated natural habitat, it provides an
opportunity for both entertainment and education.

The idea to establish an aquarium in the Kuala Lumpur City Centre was first proposed in the mid-1990s as part
of the overall development of the KLCC complex. The Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre was completed in 1998
and plans for the aquarium were finalized in the early 2000s.

Construction of Aquaria KLCC began in 2003 and took about two years to complete. The aquarium was
designed by a team of international designers, including Peter Chermayeff, who also designed the iconic
aquariums in Boston and Osaka.

Aquaria KLCC was officially opened to the public on August 20, 2005, by the then Prime Minister of Malaysia,
Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Since then, it has become one of the major attractions in Kuala Lumpur,
drawing in both locals and tourists alike.

In 2012, Aquaria KLCC underwent a major renovation and expansion to improve its exhibits and facilities. The
renovation included the addition of new exhibits and a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system. Today,
Aquaria KLCC is one of the largest aquariums in Southeast Asia and continues to attract visitors from all over
the world.

Current state and maintenance

On our last visit to Aquaria KLCC, the place seemed lively and popular, despite the fact that we went on a
monday to avoid the weekend crowd, the place still felt cramped and crowded.

Most big exhibits were well maintained, but others were far from that. Too many of them were plain empty
either because the animals died, or they were only leased from somewhere and for one reason or another, they
could not have them anymore, either way visitors were left looking at empty enclosures with signs and pictures
merely teasing what they have missed out on.

The place by nature felt humid, which is to be expected from an aquarium, but it also smelled a bit moldy and a
lack of ventilation felt evident. Some areas were hot and humid to the point of discomfort, and due to it being
designed as a linear tour, a visitor does not have much of a choice on where to hang around.

The main attraction is the Living Ocean exhibit, which is a long see-through tunnel inside a giant saltwater tank
with sharks, turtles and all kinds of fish. To minimize congestion of people walking through and standing around,
the tunnel was set up with a one way slow moving conveyor belt to move people through. The tunnel at the time
had parts where it was obnoxiously squeaky and jittery, and between the loud noise and trying to maintain
balance, it was hard to really immerse with the scenery.

For aquaria KLCC to be sustained for the future, three general directions can be considered.

● Financial sustainability: To ensure that Aquaria KLCC can continue to operate and improve its facilities
and exhibits, it is important to maintain a steady source of funding. This can be achieved through various
means, such as ticket sales, merchandise sales, sponsorships, and partnerships with other organizations.
● Conservation efforts: As an aquarium, Aquaria KLCC plays a critical role in promoting marine
conservation and raising awareness about environmental issues. To sustain its efforts in this area, the
aquarium can work closely with conservation organizations and scientific institutions to develop
educational programs and conduct research on marine life.
● Visitor experience: Providing an engaging and memorable visitor experience is essential to sustaining the
popularity and success of Aquaria KLCC. This can be achieved through regular updates and
improvements to exhibits and facilities, as well as offering interactive experiences such as touch tanks
and behind-the-scenes tours. It is also important to prioritize visitor safety and comfort by maintaining
high standards of hygiene and cleanliness.

Marketing and Advertising

Ever since the pandemic, the marketing of KLCC Aquaria has shifted its focus on digital advertising to enhance
the promotion of tourism. The government of Malaysia has been boosting the advertisement of tourism (Aquaria
KLCC included) by using strategic partnership with global travel platform apps and advertisement.

One of the partners is Expedia Group, which is a travel partner company that’s located in the US that promotes
international tourism in Malaysia to foreigners. Expedia made a joint campaign to promote attractions of
Malaysia especially in Kuala Lumpur, which includes the Aquaria KLCC exhibition.

Aquaria KLCC also promotes locally by advertisements and marketing via education programs. Aquaria KLCC
implements guided education tours and video screenings for schools.

Suggestions for Improvement

Since the architecture of the exhibit is linear, we would like to suggest to add more rest areas during the visits,
such as adding chairs or benches along the route so the visitors could rest along the way. The event-timed
exhibitions such as feeding could take in between hours to wait, so it’s possible for the crowd to congest the
route of the exhibits. It’s also possible to add more routes along the way, though it might be difficult to move
exhibitions around due to the design of the area.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Aquaria KLCC is a great tourism exhibition spot that benefits from financial stability, easiness of
access via transportation, and memorable experience with a variety of marine and aquatic life to observe. Its
conservation efforts and educational programs also help spread awareness regarding sea life of the world.