KLIA2 on schedule to open on June 28.

28th March, 2013

KLIA2 on schedule to open on June 28.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Airports Holding Bhd (MAHB) says the klia2 - the new low-cost airline hub - is on schedule to open on June 28. The airports operator said on Thursday all efforts were underway to meet this target date.

"MAHB is closely monitoring the progress of the work being done by the contractors," it said. Although some works by the contractors were behind schedule, they were ramping up their efforts to meet the deadline, it said.

MAHB is employing 1,102 new staff for KLIA2, of which 746 are aviation security, 86 are airport fire and rescue services, 98 are engineering and maintenance and 172 are operations services.

MAHB also said its managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid, who has been with the company since 2003, had requested the board seek a suitable successor. Bashir's contract ends in June.

However, MAHB said the board would like Bashir to continue to guide the company through the current challenges facing the aviation industry. "The board will in due course identify a successor and will provide sufficient time for a proper transition. The board has deliberated the matter and has forwarded the matter to Ministry of Finance for its decision," it said.

By: Leong Hung Yee

Copyright@1995-2012 Star Publications (M) Bhd

Bangladesh Wants To Emulate Malaysia's Infrastructure Development To Attract More Tourists.

28th March, 2013

Bangladesh Wants To Emulate Malaysia's Infrastructure Development To Attract More Tourists.

KUALA LUMPUR - Bangladesh is keen to emulate Malaysia's infrastructure development to attract more tourists to the country, said Bangladesh's High Commissioner to Malaysia A.K.M. Atiqur Rahman. He said tourists were easily attracted to Malaysia because of its infrastructure.

For example, an average of 500 people from Bangladesh fly to Malaysia each day, with three flights operating daily between Kuala Lumpur and Dhaka, he told Bernama in an interview recently, in conjunction with the country's 42nd independence anniversary celebration yesterday.

Atiqur Rahman said the lack of infrastructure facilities had restricted the country from getting more tourists from around the globe. "Once we can do these things (rebuild infrastructure), I think we will get more tourists, not only from Malaysia but also from other countries," he said. However, he noted that a lot of work needed to be done, not only to improve Bangladesh's infrastructure but also to develop air links, hotels and restaurants.

The High Commissioner said Bangladesh had many tourist attractions, including the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and home to the Bengal tiger. The Sundarban forest covers around 10,000 square km, of which a major portion is in Bangladesh, while India's portion is estimated to be around 4,264 square km.

Atiqur Rahman said Bangladesh is also known for its Cox's Bazar beach, which is one of the world's longest natural sandy beaches and also a fishing port, an added value to attract more tourists.

Touching on investments, he said a number of Malaysian companies were investing in housing projects in the country. However, he sees the need for more collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry as Bangladesh maintains a high standard of medicinal products at very competitive prices. "So, we hope that by the next three to five years, there will be lot of Malaysian companies investing in Bangladesh in the medical sector also," Atiqur Rahman said.

Touching on bilateral relations, he said diplomatic ties with Malaysia began in 1972, a year after Bangladesh attained its independence. He lauded the Malaysian government and its people for being the first Muslim and Southeast Asian country to recognise Bangladesh, just within months after its liberation on Dec 16, 1971 (regarded as Victory Day).

By: Azzah Mohamad

Copyright@BERNAMA

Taiwan aiming to attract more Muslim tourists.

27th March, 2013

Taiwan aiming to attract more Muslim tourists.

Taipei (CNA) - Taiwan is working to attract more Muslim tourists as part of its efforts to expand its tourism, the Tourism Bureau said Monday at a briefing by Muslim travel market experts.

Last year, the number of foreign tourist arrivals to Taiwan reached a record high of 7.3 million, but the percentage of Muslim tourists remained small, said Eric Lin, director of the bureau’s international affairs division.

Lin said the bureau has been working with the Taipei-based Chinese Muslims Association over the past few years to create a Muslim-friendly environment that would include the certification of Muslim restaurants and hotels.

With the focus on Muslim tourists, “we now need to step up our efforts” to understand and cater to their needs to make Taiwan more attractive to them, he said.

To this end, the bureau commissioned the association to invite experts on the Muslim travel market to meet Monday with representatives of restaurants and hotels in Taiwan.

Darhim Dali Hashim, chief executive officer of the Malaysia-based International Halal Integrity Alliance, said that the majority of the world’s Muslims live in the Asia-Pacific region. Taiwan is within short distance by air from many Muslim countries in Asia such as Malaysia, he said. “That represents an opportunity for Taiwan,” he added.

On the subject of restaurant services, one expert said Muslim diners would need to have Halal food and a prayer facility. Halal restaurants do not serve certain foods such as pork or wine, as these are not permissible under Islamic law.

There is no big difference, however, between Muslim tourists and other travelers, said Fazal Bahardeen, founder and CEO of Crescent rating, a travel portal dedicated to Muslim tourists. Muslim visitors just need to be able to preserve their religious values, he added.

After the briefing, the tourism bureau held a ceremony at which it granted Halal certificates to an additional 16 restaurants around Taiwan.

By: Elaine Hou

Copyright@2001-2012 MuslimVillage Incorporated

Capitalising on Sarawak’s tourism opportunities.

26th March, 2013

Capitalising on Sarawak’s tourism opportunities.

KUCHING: For Sarawak to succeed in providing new tourism opportunities in order to attract more travellers and reach its target, it will have to resolve the issue of air connectivity. In its 2012 report on the state, Inside Investors highlighted that the Sarawak government and its Sabah counterpart were in agreement with Malaysia Airlines Systems Bhd (MAS) subsidiary MASwings to be East Malaysia’s own airline.

The latest developments indicated that this was the right decision. With added air capacity, the state could evolve into a tourism destination of choice for people who were not necessarily looking for the usual mass treatment but more for adventure, nature, cultural heritage and festivals.

Sarawak has recently found a niche in the so called musical tourism by staging several events the most famous of which were the Rainforest World Music Festival and the Miri International Jazz Festival. Both events are big draws for people who otherwise will probably bypass Sarawak compared to other tourism destinations.

“One other area is eco-tourism, which is part of the state’s development plan for the tourism sector. The government has indicated that all industry players will have to be responsive to the new plan, as it aims to create Sarawak’s own niche market to make its tourism offers more attractive,” Inside Investors enthused.

Meetings, incentives conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector is also gaining traction. This form of tourism in Sarawak could be easily related to projects in the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE), an area in which the Sarawak Convention Bureau (SCB) was focusing on. As far as the conferences related to SCORE, there would be, for example, the upcoming Hydropower Association conference in Kuching in May.

The government would use this as a platform to showcase how they could move forward in terms of hydropower utilisation and related technologies. All the events around SCORE offer a perfect opportunity for stakeholders to network with others who were also active in sub-sector business.

The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) responsible for the conventional tourism, hopes to see more funds allocated for the tourism sector in the future. Under the Tenth Malaysia Plan, the state government had allocated a five year RM30 million fund to cover all tourism activities as well as its operation costs to the board, which made RM6 million a year.

This was however deemed too low by STB which meant that funds need to be raised from private investors to ensure the tourism industry stays on track.

By: Jonathan Wong, jonathanwong@theborneopost.com

Copyright@2010-2013 BorneoPost Online

Tourism Malaysia's New Frankfurt Director To Reach Out To Consumers.

26th March, 2013

Tourism Malaysia's New Frankfurt Director To Reach Out To Consumers.

FRANKFURT - Tourism Malaysia's new Frankfurt director will not only reach out to the tourism and travel trade but also directly communicate with the German consumers through a reach-out strategy that aims to add to the shine of Malaysia's image as an attractive tourist destination.

Maizan Ahmad, who assumed the post of director of Tourism Malaysia's Frankfurt office just two months back, said she would not just promote business-to-business contacts but also sharpen the consumer awareness about Malaysia's attributes as an attractive destination that would especially appeal to German tourists.

"It is equally important to directly communicate with the German consumers who are known to be passionate about foreign travel, and experience new lands and cultures," Maizan said in an interview with Bernama.

German tourists spent a mind-boggling 65 billion Euros (about RM262.3 billion) during 2012 on travel and tourism-related activities, according to Maizan.

"German tourists are among the world's top spending-tourists. Indeed, travel is an important part of a German's life. Germans are trend-setters. But Germany is also a challenging market. There has been a shift in the ranking of Germany which was until a couple of years back the second highest source of tourism traffic to Malaysia, behind the UK, in Europe. Meanwhile, Germany has been overtaken by France in terms of tourist arrivals in Malaysia ... while 131,277 German tourists were clocked in Malaysia in 2012, we received 136,172 French tourists visited Malaysia in the same year.

"In 2011, we had 124,670 German tourists visiting Malaysia compared with 127,980 French tourists," Maizan said. "One possible reason for the surge in French traffic could be the air connectivity. AirAsia operated a daily flight to Paris until early 2012, in addition to the daily flight operated by Malaysia Airlines," she explained adding that in contrast, MAS operates only five flights a week to Frankfurt.

"Consequently, our strategy is to also work with foreign airlines which operate flights to Malaysia through their hubs, even though these are not direct flights which German tourists usually prefer to take," she said.

But she is also planning to intensify contacts with German tour and travel operators and also going to break into a niche segment -- the upper-market segment -- in the area of luxury travel and lifestyle.

Also on the cards are several events planned in Germany in connection with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, which would include organising familiarisation tours for travel and tour operators as well as the media.

By: Manik Mehta

Copyright@BERNAMA

Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

25th March, 2013

Malaysians spread wings to new destinations.

Malaysians are taking advantage of new air links to explore a broader range of tourist destinations, a new study of online bookings has shown.

Travel search site Wego looked at the behaviour of 100,000 travellers using the company’s Malaysian site, www.wego.co.my. The results found that Malaysians searched for 2,500 flight destinations in 2012 – 900 more than in 2011. This trend was matched in terms of accommodation searches, with a rise of 400 hotel destinations taking the total to almost 2,000.

And while Wego noted that regional hubs such as Bangkok, Jakarta, Taipei and Singapore are still most popular, Malaysians appear to be developing an appetite for new destinations, driven by the proliferation of new low-cost air routes being launched from Kuala Lumpur.

“Users are constantly finding new routes with AirAsia, Jetstar, Malindo Air and other carriers which soon become popular, especially if they are seen to be affordable,” said Dean Wicks, Wego’s Chief Marketing Officer. “It’s driving a shift away from the traditional selections of Bali and Phuket in favour of destinations like Bandung, a favourite weekend retreat with Jakarta residents, Hat Yai, Macau and Perth.”

Only a quarter of flight searches on www.wego.com.my are domestic, with Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu trending up, according to Wego, along with Penang and Johor Bahru. And Wicks said he expects Malaysians to expand their horizons further in future, as airlines continued to add new routes.

“AirAsia’s push into India with Chennai as the hub, Malaysia Airlines joining oneworld and teaming up with partners Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Qantas will change the mix again, especially on the mid- to long-haul. Istanbul, for example is another destination gaining share of our Malaysian users’ attention,” he said.

Malaysians are also now moving more up-market. A record 16% searched for five-star properties in 2012, up from less 14% in 2011.

By: Mark Elliott

Copyright@www.traveldailymedia.com

2,000 hotel bookings cancelled.

22^nd March, 2013

2,000 hotel bookings cancelled.

Sandakan: About 2,000 rooms that were booked online with the various hotels here were cancelled following the Suluk terrorist intrusion in Lahad Datu and Semporna recently. It is feared that the situation would lead to the closure of many businesses.

A newly-opened international-class hotel suffered a great loss when 600 guest rooms booked by foreign tourists over the next few months were cancelled.

Tourism industry player, Datuk John Lim Shau Ket, also revealed that renowned local hotels here incurred huge losses when about 90 arrangements were cancelled within one day on March 6. "The misleading information disseminated (by foreign countries) contributed to this phenomenon," he said.

Foreign tourists, he said, were given travel advisory by their respective governments that the East Coast of Sabah had turned into a battlefield. "But the hotspot is actually about 200km from here," he said.

He urged the Federal Tourism Ministry to negotiate with countries that imposed travel advisories through Malaysia's diplomats to lift the ban. "They must explain to the foreign tourists the actual situation here. Especially the hotspot in Felda Sahabat, which is well under control by our security forces," he said.

He said even the inbound tours here were badly affected with similar cancellations the past few weeks. The former Sabah Tourism Board Director said a committee co-named as Sandakan Tourism Association (STA), of which he is protem chairman, has been set up to monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, former Sandakan Municipal Council deputy president, Thomas Lau Chi Keong, said the participation of government departments is vital to stop the rumours that were created by irresponsible elements, including by the media in the Philippines. Lau said that by ceasing business operations, it would only create panic among the public. "We must have confidence in our security forces," he said, adding that his cafŽ business dropped by 50 per cent. Lau advised the people to verify the information they received by checking with the police.

Copyright@2013 Sabah Publishing House Sdn. Bhd

Health Tourism Generates RM570 Million In Revenue Last Year.

21^st March, 2013

Health Tourism Generates RM570 Million In Revenue Last Year.

KUALA LUMPUR - The health tourism sector has generated RM570.5 million in revenue last year, following improved customer experience, proactive alliances and niche marketing.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said: "We have seen a more than 20 percent growth in terms of health tourism since the past three years."

Health tourism has been outlined as one of the entry point projects under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA), and the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council was established to drive the promotion.

Speaking at the launching of the Healthcare in Asia 2013 conference, here, today, Liow said as for the national budget allocation, the ministry hoped to push for at least 10 percent to be allocated for the health sector compared to the current eight percent.

However there would be no cut back in budget allocation for the health sector, he added.

Copyright@BERNAMA

Industry players welcome country's tourism achievement.

20th March, 2013

Industry players welcome country's tourism achievement.

KUALA LUMPUR: The success enjoyed by the country in the tourism sector through 50 million tourist arrivals in 2011 and 2012 with a Gross National Income reaching RM100 billion, received positive reaction from the industry players.

According to Dinar Holidays Sendirian Berhad executive, Saudi Muhd, the achievement showed that the country was on the right track towards achieving developed nation status and hitting the 36 million tourist arrival target even before 2020.

"Many programmes have been initiated to encourage more tourists to the country, including the Homestay programme and I am proud with the achievement of the tourism sector," he told Bernama when commenting on the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) annual report tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, here last night.

As for Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) vice president Jeffri Sulaiman, the achievement would be a stepping stone for those in the travel and tourism industry to enhance the quality of their services.

"Tourism industry players must be wise in seizing the opportunities available through research to study the latest trend and new developments and initiatives offered by the government to attract tourists," he said.

He said the availability of many hotels, cheap flight tickets, cheap holiday packages and qualified and experienced tour guides has been able to attract more tourists who come to learn the traditions, culture and way of living in multi-racial Malaysia. - BERNAMA

Copyright@2011 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Joint committee to help Sabah tourism.

19th March, 2013

Joint committee to help Sabah tourism.

KOTA KINABALU: The State and Federal tourism ministries have agreed to set up a joint ‘Tourism Recovery Committee’ to look at ways to help Sabah tourism industry which has taken a toll because of the ongoing conflict in Lahad Datu.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said that the committee would look into getting people to travel to Sabah again as the intrusion in Lahad Datu had affected the state’s tourism sector.

Masidi said that the committee would start off by setting up a RM500,000 fund on a 50-50 basis between the state and federal governments. “We are trying to put up aggressive advertisements to woo back visitors and the fund will be used to do all the public relations work as we need to ‘sell’ back Sabah to the world.

“The fund that we proposed is going to be jointly managed by the state and federal tourism ministries,” he told reporters after officiating at the Visit Malaysia Year (VMY) 2014 briefing for tourism players in the state yesterday.

Masidi said the joint committee was not only an indication of good collaborative relationship between the state and federal governments as it reflects the federal government’s willingness to be fully involved in the recovery process of Sabah’s tourism industry.

“It will be set up and the Tourism Ministry’s Chief Secretary Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng has agreed we will start working immediately. We do believe that with the development that is going on in Lahad Datu and the various decisions that have been made by the government the recovery will be fast,” he said, adding that the fund for the public relations work would be reviewed from time to time.

Masidi also said that all planned tourism events in Sabah such as the annual Regatta Lepa Lepa which is held in Semporna every April would proceed according to plan. As far as Sabah is concerned, nothing has been cancelled or postponed, he said, adding that having the state as part and parcel of VMY 2014 was actually a stamp of confidence in Sabah’s security.

Masidi also lamented that for an industry that is quite young, a lot of people in the state’s tourism sector have been badly affected by the conflict in Lahad Datu. “The tourism receipts for Sabah last year was RM5.2 billion compared to the national revenue of RM60.6 billion and it is just a pittance. This is being divided by many players in the industry and obviously they feel the pinch. Maybe not now but definitely they will feel it after sometime,” he said.

Masidi also expressed hope that the media will publish more positive news about the security situation in Sabah as many people have expressed their wariness about travelling to the state due to what is happening in Lahad Datu. “I understand the fact that we need to amplify the seriousness of the intrusion but now I think that the security forces are on top of the problem so if possible, we should try to make it sound more positive for everyone. What is published in the media will indirectly influence people, I say this because people have told me that they get frightened by what they read,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board Director General Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab said that work to be done by the recovery committee would be over and above the Board’s regular promotion program. “We have familiarization tours coming to different parts of the country and that will go on… RM500,000 may not look sufficient but on top of everything we will be doing what is necessary,” he said.

Ong added that the federal Tourism Ministry had confidence in the security situation in Sabah and would be supporting all the activities organised by the state government.

By: Nancy Lai

Copyright@2010-2013 BorneoPost Online

The race to woo more tourists.

18th March, 2013

The race to woo more tourists.

KUALA LUMPUR: WITH the 15th edition of the Formula 1 Grand Prix taking place from Friday to Sunday, Tourism Malaysia  is set to take advantage of the spike in tourist arrivals to embark on another promotional blitz. The 1Malaysia Grand Prix Sale, launched at the Pavilion in Jalan Bukit Bintang here recently, features 23 days of shopping mania with great discounts and promotions at participating outlets until April 7.

Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, who launched the event, said she was proud of the fact that last year Malaysia received some 25 million tourists who spent RM60.6 million, of which shopping contributed 30.7 per cent (or RM18.56 million) of the total tourism revenue. "The 1Malaysia Grand Prix Sale is one of the promotional activities in the run-up to Visit Malaysia Year 2014. The government is targeting to receive 36 million tourists and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020," said Ng.

In a symbolic gesture, Ng flagged off one of three Ferraris stationed at Pavilion when launching the event. This was followed by a fashion show, with models displaying the latest creations from leading fashion brands.

Among the participating malls in the on-going promotion are Sunway Pyramid, where most outlets are offering discounts of up to 70 per cent and a chance to win F1 GP grandstand tickets, and Fahrenheit 88, which is having its 100 Pairs Giveaway special. The latter promotion has shoppers who spend RM100 in a single receipt at any specialty store, or RM300 at Uniqlo or selected branded outlets, standing to win a pair of shoes, with up to 100 pairs of footwear worth RM20,000 to be given away.

After the promotion ends, shopaholics can look forward to the 1Malaysia Mega Sale Carnival (June 29 to Sept 1) and the 1Malaysia Year-End Sale (Nov 16 to Jan 5 next year). The 1Malaysia GP Sale is jointly organised by Tourism Malaysia and Bukit Bintang-KLCC Tourism Association.

By: RICKY YAP | streets@nstp.com.my

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Indian airlines keen to fly to Malaysia.

18th March, 2013

Indian airlines keen to fly to Malaysia.

MUMBAI: Airlines from India, which have yet to make a foray into Malaysia are now keen to do so, says Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) general manager for marketing Mohamed Sallauddin Mat Sah. "We have had discussions with several Indian airlines that are keen to fly to Malaysia," he said.

The airlines might start flying to Malaysia by year-end, said Mohamed Sallauddin but he, however, declined to give details. "We can't reveal their names as yet as usually we give the benefit of announcing the new routes to the airlines themselves," he told Bernama on the sidelines of Routes Asia 2013, an annual networking gathering for airports, airlines, tourism authorities, policy leaders and exhibitors.

As for Indian Airlines which is currently operating in Malaysia, he said MAHB would try to see if there is an opportunity to increase capacity and expand its services.

Currently, only Air India Express operates direct flights to Malaysia while Jet Airways has ceased operations into Malaysia but continues its code-sharing for the Kuala Lumpur-Chennai sector with Malaysia Airlines. Besides the flag carrier, Air India, other major airlines in India are Indigo, Spicejet, GoAir, Jet Lite, Jet Airways.

Two of the fast expanding airlines are Indigo and Spicejet. - Bernama

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

KLIA to be developed into major aeropolis soon.

19th March, 2013

KLIA to be developed into major aeropolis soon.

PETALING JAYA: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) will soon be developed into a major aeropolis or airport city. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad said this would be the airport’s next phase of growth.

“We will have Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA, the first upscale Japanese factory outlet park by Mitsui Fudosan Co Ltd in South-East Asia. Aside from retail and commercial offerings, KLIA will also host operations of a high-tech industrial and logistics complex to serve the need for aviation-related MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) activities as well as high-value, time sensitive cargo operations,” he said.

KLIA had come a long way since it was first opened in 1998. Bashir said MAHB airports handled 67.2 million passengers last year, of which 32.8 million were international passengers. KLIA handled 85.4% of the international passengers. He said KLIA handles 59.4% of Malaysia’s total passenger traffic and 84% of international cargo. “As such, most of the economic contribution by the aviation sector in Malaysia originates from KLIA,” he said.

He added that KLIA is also the main revenue generator for MAHB and supported 29 other non-profitable community and rural airports. “Some rural airports in East Malaysia operate on a corporate social responsibility basis, with no airport tax or passenger service charge being imposed on travellers,” he said.

Meanwhile, Plus Expressway Bhd (PLUS) managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Noorizah Abdul Hamid said those who worked on the North South Express-way (NSE) in 1986 – considered one of the country’s first major privatisated projects – had benefited from the experience in terms of knowledge transfer. She said locals learned from the foreign consultants working on the project. “This gave them international exposure and many are now working overseas,” she said.

Besides shaving off travelling time and cost, the NSE had also provided an economic lifeline to more than 700 traders as well as mobile hawkers operating at its rest and recreation (R&R) areas. As per Plus’ policy of benefiting the local community, only locals who are staying within a 20km radius of the R&R areas are allowed to trade there.

“In the early days, traders would hang their produce by the guardrails and not many vehicles stopped. “Because of that, we built the R&Rs so that they have safe and comfortable areas to sell their products. The expressway had also become the main artery around which townships, commercial centres and industrial parks have sprouted.

Copyright@1995-2012 Star Publications (M) Bhd

Kuching To Host Routes Asia Conference Next Year.

18th March, 2013

Kuching To Host Routes Asia Conference Next Year.

KUCHING - Kuching will be hosting the Routes Asia 2014 conference and exhibition, a premier annual event for the meeting of airlines and airports operators throughout Asia.

Sarawak Tourism Minister, Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, said today the city was chosen as the venue for the event ahead of three other well-established cities, namely Osaka in Japan, Brisbane (Australia) and Hong Kong.

"Next year, all the CEOs (chief executive officers) of airlines and airports will come here to see what we can offer and we hope that they will bring their planes or flights over to Kuching. We want Kuching to become the international destinations," he said.

He made the remarks when speaking to officiate the handing over ceremony of a Quality Environment Practices (QE5S) Recognition Certificate to Dormani Hotel here.

He attributed Sarawak's success in winning the bid to become the host of the event to the strong collaboration with the Federal government and Malaysia Airports Berhad.

Copyright@BERNAMA

Turkish Airlines Sees Malaysia As Top 5 Asian Revenue Contributor.

14th March, 2013

Turkish Airlines Sees Malaysia As Top 5 Asian Revenue Contributor.

KUALA LUMPUR - Turkey's national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, en route to resuming its Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul direct flights on April 25, is confident Malaysia will be one of the top five revenue contributors to its Asian operations.

General Manager for Singapore Cengiz Inceosman said the airline discontinued the Kuala Lumpur-Istanbul via Bangkok flights in 2002 as the route was not commercially viable back then.

"We have been planning to resume this service for the past three years but we had a shortage of aircraft back then. We picked Malaysia because we already have a partner here (Malaysia Airlines), and we see a huge potential for this market," he told a media briefing today, adding that Turkish Airlines eyes more than 80 per cent load factor.

Inceosman said the airline would also leverage on the Umrah market here to Jeddah and Madinah via its Istanbul hub, by offering three to four flights daily. The KL-Istanbul service, priced from RM2,000 for return tickets, will kick-start with three flights weekly, increasing to four flights weekly from June 17.

Copyright@BERNAMA

Malaysians Pleased With Results Of The Berlin Tourism Fair.

14th March, 2013

Malaysians Pleased With Results Of The Berlin Tourism Fair.

BERLIN - Taking stock of their participation in the just-concluded Berlin International Tourism Bourse (ITB), Malaysian exhibitors said they were pleased with the positive response received from trade visitors.

Azrina Muslim, director of sales and marketing of Rainforest Resorts in Perak, said she was going back home with "lots of good business enquiries with potential to translate into tangible business". "Germany has become our major market in Europe. We notice a sharp rise in German arrivals despite the (economic) crisis in Europe. Germans are adventurous people and love nature," Azrina said in an interview with Bernama on the outcome of her third year at the ITB show, billed the world's biggest travel trade fair.

Noting that Germans stayed an average of three days or two nights and spent about US$120 per person per night, she said her resort received 1,531 arrivals from Germany in 2011.

Asian Overland Services Tours and Travel Sdn Bhd group director Anthony Wong said the company's strategy was to offer creative and innovative products ranging from nature tours to conferences. Noting that Malaysia was seen as a diverse nation, he said it had its own niche following, thanks to factors such as safety, wide use of English and the fact that it was easy to travel within the country.

Wong, a veteran of the international tourism and travel industry, said he had observed Malaysia's rise as a tourist destination, with tourist traffic surging to over 20 million now. He said economic uncertainties in the United States and Europe did not "have much of an impact" on tourist traffic to Malaysia as it had been minimised with the strong growth posted by a sharp rise in traffic from Asia.

"We were able to get good contacts at the ITB. We met our old contacts but also got many new ones. In short, it was a very satisfying performance for us," Wong said. Asian Overland gets the bulk of its business from Germany, he said, adding that it was also getting business from far-flung places as the turnout from around the world at his booth confirmed.

By: Manik Mehta

Copyright@BERNAMA

Sarawak Promotes Eco Tourism Through Overseas Academic Collaboration.

13th March, 2013

Sarawak Promotes Eco Tourism Through Overseas Academic Collaboration.

KUCHING - The second annual Southeast Asian Studies Symposium being held in London last week was one of the opportunities to promote Sarawak as an eco tourism destination through academic collaboration in the United Kingdom (UK) and Europe.

Sarawak Housing and Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Abang Openg took the opportunity to promote and market Sarawak as an eco-tourism destination at the event, which was held on March 9 at the historical Balliol College, Oxford University in London.

The state Tourism Ministry had hosted a dinner for the 210 symposium participants, comprising academicians, researchers and scientists from United Kingdom, Europe and Southeast Asian countries, where guests were also entertained to a 30-minute Sarawak Cultural extravaganza by dancers from the Sarawak Cultural Village.

"The minister was given the honour and privilege to address the audience," said the ministry in a statement released here today.

It said a special paper on "Edible Bird Nest" in Borneo was also shared by Datuk Seri Lord Cranbrook, who had done extensive research in Sarawak on its rich biodiversity and ecosystem as well as written a few books and articles on Sarawak and Borneo.

Copyright@BERNAMA

Step up efforts to promote islands.

13th March, 2013

Step up efforts to promote islands.

JOHOR BARU: THE Johor Tourism Department has to step up efforts to promote 14 islands in the state as tourist destinations in a bid to attract more visitors. Last year, the state recorded 22.3 million visitors, which was an increase of about 33 per cent in comparison to 16.7 million in 2011.

Johor Tourism, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Hoo Seong Chang said the department will focus on promoting the beaches and islands to tourists. "Johor has at least 14 islands including Pulau Tinggi, Aur, Pemanggil, Sibu, Tengah, Rawa, Kukup and Besar with resorts offering pristine beaches," he said at the launch of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair at the Danga City Mall here recently.

"European tourists have returned to visit our islands. They are also fascinated with the wetlands of Kukup Island which has been recognised as a Ramsar site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance."

He said the department is encouraged to speak to travel agents and the international media to provide them with information on the state's tourist attractions and gather feedback. "This is important in preparing for the run up to Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Meanwhile, Tourism Ministry Johor office director Mohamad Isa Abdul Halim said that travellers are not affected by the upcoming 13th General Election. "Although polling date has yet to be announced, there was no drop in travel bookings in the state," he added.

Also present were MATTA Johor chairman Kenny Ngi and fair organising deputy president Steven Chung.

By: MAHANI ISHAK | johor@nst.com.my

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Tourism carnival boost for LIMA 2013.

13th March, 2013

Tourism carnival boost for LIMA 2013.

PUTRAJAYA - In conjunction with the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA 13) exhibition from March 26 to 30, the Tourism Ministry will be hold a Lima Tourism Carnival. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said among the events are tax-free goods sales, sales of delicacies from all over the state as well as a 2014 Visit Malaysia Year exhibition.

"We will also hold the 1Malaysia Clean Campaign quiz and competition and the 1Malaysia Contemporary Art Tourism Festival," she said at a media conference on LIMA, here today.

She said there will also be an exhibition on careers in spa therapy and foot massage to attract more youths to be involved in the field. "To develop further lifestyle tourism, the country needs about 6,000 local residents, to be skilled in the field of spa therapy," she said.

Apart from the Tourism Ministry, Lima will also its own attractions such as aerobatic display, exhibition of Royal Malaysian Air Force aircraft at the Mahsuri International Exhibition hall and the Maritime Sector at Awana Porto Malai. Air shows will be held each day from 12.30pm to 2pm on March 26, 27 and 28 and two sessions on March 29 and 30 from 10am to 11.30am and from 2.30pm to 4pm at the Langkawi International Airport. – BERNAMA

Copyright@The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

ASEAN Aviation Market To Develop Significantly Following 'Open Skies' Policies.

11th March, 2013

ASEAN Aviation Market To Develop Significantly Following 'Open Skies' Policies.

KUALA LUMPUR - The ASEAN aviation market will grow significantly in the next few years following the development of 'open skies' policies in various regions of South-East Asia, an analyst said. Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific, aerospace & defence, consulting analyst, Neil Dave, said considerable increases in infrastructure investment and planned policies will boost air travel and growth.

"Consumers will look to benefit from increased choice of destinations, routes and greater affordability with rising standards of living and cost savings passed down from airlines due to improved efficiency and profit maximisation," he said in a statement Monday.

Dave said the demand for a well-knit air travel infrastructure system and the increasing demand for low-cost travel were the main drivers for the implementation of 'open skies' policies in the region. However, the implementation of these policies may adversely affect aviation growth, especially in countries with a developing aviation industry, he said.

"Stiff competition from mature, foreign players may eventually squeeze out smaller players from a developing aviation industry leading to loss of aviation-related jobs," he said.

Dave said India and China had been experiencing rapid growth in air transport services and domestic aviation infrastructure and were major competitors in the market. He said other Asean countries will be forced to improve their air transport services across the region to stay competitive. "The current lack of infrastructure in developing Asean countries to support the change in policy may lead to overcapacity of airports," he said.

In the long run, Frost & Sullivan predicted that the implementation of 'open skies' policies will bring about real and spill-over benefits to various industries. "The 'open skies' agreements will look to boost economic and trade growth," it said.

Copyright@BERNAMA