Man Shows How Empty Puteri Harbour In JB Looks Like Now With Only 1 Store Open
The commercial region used to have two theme parks, Thomas Town and Hello Kitty Town, which are now closed.
By Aqasha Nur’aiman — 14 Mar 2023, 06:15 PM — Updated over 1 year ago
A Singaporean man recently went viral on social media after he shared the current state of Puteri Harbour, Johor Bahru, on his TikTok account
In the 59-second clip, user @joshconsultancy recorded the surroundings of a shopping mall inside the Puteri Harbour commercial region.
According to the man, the area used to be bustling with tourists and locals who visited the locality for its attractions, which included lively restaurants and theme parks.
However, the mall can now only be seen with one Starbucks outlet open.
"You see, some of the restaurants have already closed. It is [now] totally empty," the man said in the video.
The man showing the surrounding area of the mall, which only has one Starbucks outlet open.
Image via @joshconsultancy (TikTok)He also showed a residential apartment located inside the commercial region, which he claimed no one is living in anymore
"The last time I came here, which was about five years ago, things were still bustling," he said.
The man then showed the interiors of Thomas Town, a children's park centred on the popular animated television (TV) show, Thomas & Friends.
Thomas Town used to have special themed rides with characters from the TV show, and the area was right next to an equally kid-friendly theme park, Hello Kitty Town.
However, as seen in the man's TikTok, both of the entertainment parks are now empty. Harian Metro reported that both theme parks were officially closed on 31 December 2019.
"When we buy foreign properties or investments, we never know what will happen in five to 10 years because the upkeep is just not there," he added.
The allegedly empty residential apartment and the now-closed Thomas Land.
Image via @joshconsultancy (TikTok)
His video was shared on Twitter and netizens reminisced about the time when Puteri Harbour was booming with visitors
One user remembered the time when they used to study in Skudai, Johor, from 2015 to 2017.
They claimed that the area used to be lively, especially at nighttime.
Meanwhile, one user, who claimed that they are currently living in Puteri Harbour, said that the residential apartment the man mentioned in his video is empty due to a price mismatch.
"The restaurants and entertainment centres are too expensive and the locals can't afford to go there, so no one is buying anything," they wrote.
"Even Johoreans themselves can't afford to buy a house in Johor so all these houses are left empty, just waiting for an owner. It's not just happening in Puteri Harbour, but Forest City too," another user wrote.
