By Aida Aziz
Photo: Pixabay
IPOH: A new food court to house all the hawkers at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Recreation Park (Polo Field), here will be fully completed and operational by the end of this year.
The mayor of Ipoh, Datuk Rumaizi Baharin informed that the food focal point will be a food court concept and is half way to completion.
He said the new location is not just a place to sell food and drinks, but it has the potential to become another food-based tourism product in Ipoh in particular and Perak in general.
“Now near D’Polo (the new site) is being developed and is at 50% mark. The site is expected to be completed by the end of November.
“We will centralise all the restaurant sites in the new area and make it like a food court, it is not just for Ipoh people only but will be a tourist attraction.
“When we study the interests of Southeast Asian tourists, Singapore and Indonesia…they are interested in eating near food courts. Apparently that culture is popular in the country.
“They say food courts in our country are better and the quality of the food is better,” he said during press conference after August Council Full Meeting at the Ipoh City Council Meeting Hall (MBI) here today.
He added that the food court will later focus on food based on the Malay community, which was previously synonymous with the Padang Polo area.
In addition, it is also capable of accommodating 50 hawkers including those with food vehicles or stalls.
“There will be two concepts,the food vehicle section and the stalls. All the hawkers in the old area of Padang Polo will be moved there.
“They have agreed and negotiations have already been made before to reach the decision,” he added.
The Polo Field is famous for its recreation and leisure areas, including the existence of hawkers there who attract many visitors from inside and outside Perak.
Previously, the media reported that MBI had obtained approval from Padang Polo vendors to relocate the business site.
Rumaizi is reported to have said that the agreement of nearly 60 hawkers was made after taking into account MBI’s views on creating a new business sector based on gastronomic tourism.
According to him, through the concept, a food hub based on Malay food can be created which will give added value and more attraction to outside visitors.
