11Jan

More work needed even though KKIA second busiest airport – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: Although Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is now rated as the second busiest airport in the country, there are still work that needs to be done to ensure that the statistics can be translated into success. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun revealed that there are now 14 foreign airlines that fly to Sabah using KKIA and on a weekly basis, there are 178 international and 418 domestic flights operating out of KKIA. “If you sum up the two figures, I believe we have overtaken Penang International Airport as the second busiest airport in Malaysia, after Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). “This, however, is not something that we want to gloat as numbers do not always necessarily equate to success. Numbers must be translated into profitable ventures,” he said when hosting a dinner for the Malaysian Airlines Partners A350 at The Pacific Sutera on Tuesday. Masidi said it important for Sabah to showcase to the world that our airport is one that is at par with some of the best airports in the region, considering the fact that KKIA is very clean and efficient. He cited Singapore Changi Airport as a good example, adding that KKIA could achieve the same as the former if it were to have the proper equipment and machineries. Even though KKIA is not even half the size of KLIA, it had managed to be one of the most profitable airports in the country, he said. “If you look at the entire perspective on this part of the world, you will realize that the future of the tourism industry is in the north … but, of course, we are targeting the Europeans as well. “The overall marketing strategy for us in Sabah is that, there should be, if possible, only 15 percent of passengers in each tourism basket of any particular region. “However, due to the influx of China visitors, they have now accounted for up to 34 to 35 percent of the total number of international arrivals…and more are expected,” he said. Masidi rues that the lack of four and five-star hotels in the state may affect the arrival rate of Chinese tourists. “When rooms are scarce, it can give a wrong impression to potential visitors. They may opt for other destinations if there are no available rooms in Kota Kinabalu,” Masidi said, adding that the need for more hotels to be constructed in the state had been addressed to the state cabinet. “In 2016, we thought that we had broken the record, but preliminary records have indicated that we have done even better last year, in 2017, at least, in terms of the number of tourist arrivals. “The point that I am trying to tell you is that there is no limit to what we can achieve if all the fundamentals (that we have) are well taken care of,” Masidi said, adding that the roles of Malaysia Airlines Berhad (MAB), Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) would be vital in improving the state’s tourism industry. Masidi, who was a passenger on the MAB Airbus A350 which conducted its test flight from KLIA to KKIA on Wednesday, said he was pleased with the overall experience of the flight. “We are fortunate and honoured that you have chosen Kota Kinabalu as a destination to try out your new aircraft,” he added. Also present at the dinner event were MAB chief commercial officer Arved von Zur Muehlen and Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.   Source: Borneo Post
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08Jan

Sabah needs more hotels to cater to tourists influx

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry has expressed concern over the insufficient number of hotel rooms to accommodate the growing number of tourists to the state in the future.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said as the state was enjoying encouraging numbers in tourism receipts, the state government feared its promotional efforts would an exercise in futility. “There are limitations to promote Sabah as we do not want the tourists to pitch up tents simply because we do not have enough rooms (for them). “If there are not enough hotels, in the future, we will definitely have a big problem. Eventually, growth will become a plateau if the state tourism’s growth does not equal the availability of hotel rooms,” he told reporters after opening a Taiwan-based cafe Camaco Gelato Concept Cafe here today. Masidi said his ministry, through its agencies such as the Sabah Tourism Board, was striving to ensure that there were enough hotels to meet future demands. He said the state recorded RM7.25 billion in tourism receipt in 2016 and expected last year’s (2017) numbers to hit the RM7.7 billion mark. On the cafe, Masidi said Camaco’s decision in setting up an outlet here was a manifestation of the company’s confidence in the business climate of the state capital and its growing sophistication. With 14 foreign airlines flying to Kota Kinabalu and 178 flights per week, of them 84 from China alone, he said it clearly showed that the growing number of flights was a manifestation of tourist confidence in city’s ability to grow. – Bernama   Source: Borneo Post
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04Jan

First Digital Tourism Workshop

KOTA KINABALU: The tourism industry in Sabah must fully embrace the information and communications technology if it was to modernize and effectively reach out to today’s consumers. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said that industry players can benefit from relevant training to move in tandem in terms of digital marketing and build a stronger branding for Sabah. For this, Sabah Tourism will be organizing a Digital Tourism Workshop on January 23-24 which is open to industry players and interested business owners. The speaker will be Damien Cook, founder and CEO of E-Tourism Frontiers who has made presentations in international forums including the World Information Summit in Tunis, the Global Experts Panel on E-Tourism, ITB (Internationale Tourismus-Börse) in Berlin as well as PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) Tourism Forums. E-Tourism Frontiers has worked with South African Tourism, Indonesia Ministry of Tourism, Athens and Rhodes Tourism (Greece) to name a few, and has partnered with TripAdvisor, Facebook, YouTube, Expedia and Google. This first ever workshop will be subsidized by Sabah Tourism Board. Early bird fee is RM500 per participant until January 12, and normal fees will be RM650. Closing date for registration is January 17. To register, contact Francesca Lydia francesca@sabahtourism.com or call 088-232121.   Source: Borneo Post
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28Dec

Ministry backs ferry service

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment is fully supportive of the soon-to-be launched Kudat-Palawan roll-on, roll-off ferry service. “My ministry and I are in full support of the initiative of the Palawan Provincial Governor, Jose C. Alvarez, to open the new Kudat-Palawan sea link in February,” said Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun. Masidi gave the assurance during a courtesy call cum dinner event held at a leading hotel here, in the belief that the opening of the new sea route will surely enhance the relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines, particularly the province of Palawan. He said, the Kudat-Palawan ferry service will also be beneficial to both parties specially in the tourism sector. “I am happy to note that the Kudat-Palawan ferry service is now set to start operation in February after a long wait. “I am very encouraged by the initiative of Governor Alvarez. Palawan is considered as one of the peaceful and environmentally friendly place in the Philippines,” Masidi stressed. The minister reiterated that Palawan is the nearest neighbour of Sabah and there are many opportunities that the people of both borders can take part in and utilise to their advantage, especially in the tourism sector. “I consider the visit of Governor Alvarez as a clear testimony of his desire to have better working relationship with Malaysians, particularly Sabahans,” said Masidi. He added: I have personally assured Governor Alvarez and his people that my ministry will work together with Palawan to ensure that we will all benefit from the tourism industry, which is fast becoming a major revenue earner of Sabah and Palawan. “I also informed Governor Alvarez that I will be visiting Palawan soon to build up the foundation for a common ground which will encourage foreign visitors to visit both places,” Masidi disclosed. Upon arrival here on his private jet on Tuesday, Alvarez went about to meet several local businessmen to brief them on details and other business opportunities, including other preparations of the much awaited ferry service. In the evening, Alvarez, together with his group paid a courtesy call on Masidi at a leading hotel here where the latter was also officially briefed on the mechanics of the much awaited ferry service. Alvarez thanked Masidi and the Sabah Tourism Board for the warm welcome extended to him and assured that he will also continue to work together with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment for the benefit of both borders. He added that the bad weather conditions in the Philippines had caused the postponement of the maiden voyage of the ferry service. “We were supposed to have our maiden voyage before Christmas, but was forced to cancel our plans because of two strong typhoons that hit the country last week. Palawan and other places in the Philippines recorded dozens of deaths and severe damage as a result of the typhoons,” he explained. Also present during the courtesy call cum dinner were Sabah Tourism Board general manager, Gordon Yapp, and his officers, BIMP-EAGA Sabah executive chairman, Datuk Roselan Johar, officials and invited guests.   Source: The Borneo Post
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20Dec

KK-Beijing flights set to start Jan 16

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 19 — Direct flights linking Sabah's capital to Beijing, China will commence in January and are set to bolster the state's tourism sector. Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the new air link is expected to begin on January 16, and noted that China was already one of the state's biggest source of visitors. “But the direct flight from China will be a game changer. There will be an opportunity to improve on the quality of tourists as we can tap into the rich Northern Chinese market from Beijing,” he said at his ministry’s Christmas celebration here today. He added that details were being finalised and the necessary paperwork being prepared for Xiamen Air to begin flying the route. Sabah is additionally expected to add at least three more Chinese cities — Changsha, Tianjin and Guangzhou — to its air connectivity network next year. Masidi also announced today that Indonesia-based airline, Batik Air, will commence direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and Jakarta beginning tomorrow, December 20. “This is good news for us, not just for the tourism industry but also speaks volumes about their faith in us and how stable we are as a state,” he said. AirAsia previously had direct flights running the route, but these were cancelled.
  Source: Malay Mail Online
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