KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Renowned outdoor musical series “Impression” by award-winning Chinese film director Zhang Yimou that was to be staged in Malacca this year was postponed after the Flight MH370 tragedy.

The New York Times (NYT) reported last week that the decision was a “commercial” one, as explained by Pang Bak Chua, a senior project manager at PTS Properties, the Malaysian firm responsible for bringing the act to the historical southern state.

“One of the reasons we postponed the Impression launch date is due to the commercial decision after the MAS airline event,” Pang was reported saying in an email to the NYT.

He declined to discuss the matter in more detail, the report added.

The show, dubbed “Impression Melaka”, was an idea two years in the making, according to the paper. It was to involve a staggering RM300 million investment which, among others, includes the construction of a theatre that would fit over 2,000 spectators.

NYT reported that PTS Properties founder Boo Kuang Loon had lobbied hard to bring the musical series to Malacca, which would have been the show’s first staging at a venue outside of China.

Citing Boo’s remarks in a 2013 interview with StarBizWeek, the NYT wrote that the directors of “Impression” likely chose Malacca because of the state’s historical ties with Zheng He the mariner.

Boo reportedly said in the interview that the stage for “Impression Melaka” would be in the shape of a junk from Zheng He’s fleet, and that there would be “Islamic elements as part of the backdrop, depicting Zheng He’s voyages and the Malacca sultanate”.

According to PTS Properties’ website, Malacca beat 150 other cities around the world in the “stiff competition”.

“Impression Melaka” was originally meant to kick off this October, the NYT wrote. But on March 8 this year, Flight MH370, a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Boeing 777 jetliner carrying 153 Chinese nationals, mysteriously disappeared off the radar shortly after take-off.

In the months following the disappearance, simmering anger felt by the Chinese over the loss of their countrymen and Malaysia’s handling of the aviation tragedy led to a dip in tourist arrivals from the republic.

Observers have also warned that Malaysia’s vital tourism sector would likely suffer greatly from the disaster, which was made even worse when MAS lost yet another one of its planes in a second air tragedy this year, just months after MH370.

On July 17, Flight MH17 was shot down over the skies of eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 passengers on board.

According to the “Impression Melaka” website, the series is the world’s first outdoor scene performances involving the surrounding natural environment. So far, nine productions have been staged all over China, of which, seven of them were outdoor.

“Impression Melaka” originally targeted to host two or three shows every night, each approximately 70 to 90 minutes in duration, according to a press release on the Performance Management & Delivery Unit’s (Pemandu) website.

The release dated September last year also said the performance venue boasts of a rotating audience seating. It was also estimated to create some 500 direct employment and thousands of indirect job opportunities for the locals, it added.

The NYT said its efforts last week to reach out to the Beijing offices of the China Impression Wonders Art Development, the company founded by Zhang and his co-directors that puts on the “Impression” shows, were unsuccessful.