07Nov

Sabah and other states to benefit from tourism

KOTA KINABALU: The move to return half the tourism receipts to major contributing states in the country is seen to hugely benefit Sabah. Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said this was because one of Sabah’s largest economic contribution comes from tourism activities, and Sabah is actively involved in promoting the industry. “For example if the federal government records a RM50mil tourism receipt, then I am confident the related states will get RM25mil, and if the federal government gets RM100mil from tourism, then states will also get more,” he said after the Budget 2019 announcement on Friday. Shafie said this budget will see a boost in tourism activities in many states, not only Sabah. Meanwhile, he said the RM5bil allocation for Sabah could develop various aspects in the state but he wants to see its distribution details to know clearer which are the areas which would be involved. He said though Sabah actually needed more than RM5bil for the various long needed developments, he understood that this was what the government could give at the moment in view of the limited funds and current economic situation. “I hope the allocations for Sabah would cover security, education and health developments,” Shafie said. The Semporna MP hopes that the allocation can be used to also develop infrastructures such as roads, water, electricity and health facilities such as purchase of medications. “This is because apart from doctors and specialists as well as bigger hospitals, we need more medicines,” he said. Among the other aspects that is expected to see improvement and benefit the state include the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom), reduction of levy on workforce in estates, the continuation of the Pan Borneo Highway, and stabilization of prices of goods in Sabah and Sarawak.   Source: The Star Online
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26Apr

KK-Jakarta twice-weekly direct flight relaunched

KOTA KINABALU: The twice-weekly direct flight service between Kota Kinabalu and Jakarta operated by Batik Air was relaunched yesterday. The route which was inaugurated on Dec 20, 2017 is scheduled on Wednesday and Sunday, with departures from Jakarta via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport at 1am local time and arriving in Kota Kinabalu at 5am local time on a three-hour journey on board flight ID 7169. The returning flight from Kota Kinabalu will take off at 6am local time and arrive in Jakarta at 7.55am local time using flight ID 7168. Kota Kinabalu is one-hour ahead of Jakarta. “The Kota Kinabalu-Jakarta route was launched by Batik Air after AirAsia ceased its operation in Jan 2017, but many people are still unaware of the services provided by Batik Air. They boarded other airlines before transiting to Jakarta which is time consuming and not economical,” said Consul General of Indonesia in Kota Kinabalu, Krishna Djelani during the relaunching ceremony at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) here yesterday. “The direct flights will play a key part in boosting the economy of both sides particularly in trade, investment and tourism as it will reduce our travelling time and cost saving,” said Krishna. “It will also connect the people and the business community,” he added. Over time, he believes the airfares could be made affordable when more people are using the direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and Jakarta when the passengers load factor becomes encouraging. “We are also hoping to promote Kota Kinabalu as a tourism hub for the Chinese tourists to visit Manado in North Sulawesi which is a popular spot for its beautiful beaches and scuba diving activities. We can create a duel package for the benefit of both sides,” said Krishna, adding that the proposal is expect to be launched in July this year. He said the aspiration to explore the beauty of Manado was highlighted by Indonesia Ambassador to Malaysia Rusdi Kirana during the 3nd Indonesia Investment Forum on April 18 this year in Kuala Lumpur. He said Rusdi also held a discussion to foster the tourism sector between Sabah and Indonesia with Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun during his working visit to Kota Kinabalu in Sept 2017. Besides that, Krishna disclosed they are also mulling with the plan to introduce the direct flights between Kota Kinabalu and Balikpapan, Kalimantan to provide a nearer alternative for passengers to transit to other destinations in Indonesia especially its eastern part. “Balikpapan which is a two-hour flight from Kota Kinabalu has the second largest international airport in Indonesia after Jakarta which is now congested,” he said. Its consul for economy, Hendro Retno Wulan said they are working closely with the Sabah Tourism Board to promote the Kota Kinabalu-Jakarta sector via the social media to raise public awareness and improve the passengers load. “We encourage the people here to support the flights because when the demand is good the airline could offer affordable airfares,” she said. Malindo Air regional manager (Sabah-Sarawak) Wilfred Wong revealed: “To date, they are enjoying about 70-80 per cent of the passengers load between the Jakarta and Kota Kinabalu route. We hope this route will not only stimulate the movement of passengers but also the economic growth from tourism and other logistics.” “We are also happy to accommodate the needs of customers for business travel, tourism promotion, family vacation, medical treatment and pursuing education through this route,” said Wilfred. He said the Lion Air Group is also opening new routes from Indonesia to Malaysia such as its Wings Air flying from Pontianak to Kuching and Miri, while Malindo Air is servicing Banda Aceh to Penang and Medan to Ipoh. Source: New Sabah Times
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17Apr

Kg Tudan’s new business model

KOTA KINABALU: Kampung Tudan, Tuaran, is geared up for better economic growth with the construction of a mushroom cultivation facility there. The facility is part of a community and social entrepreneurship project called Kampung Tudan Sustainable Mushroom Cultivation Project, carried out by Hopes Malaysia with funding from Gammerlite Sdn Bhd. “The project is a continuation of an initiative by Hopes Malaysia to help bring villagers out of poverty,” read a statement issued by Hopes Malaysia in conjunction with the facility’s groundbreaking ceremony. The local-based non-governmental organisation also helped build a sustainable water supply system for the village in 2017, to resolve water disruption problems caused by damages during the Mount Kinabalu quake in 2015.
The organisation said the eco-friendly mushroom cultivation house would produce various species of mushrooms, which would be sold directly to local markets.
On the other hand, Sabah Oriental Hotel signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hopes Malaysia for the supply of mushrooms once they are available.
Gammerlite Sdn Bhd funded this project under its corporate social responsibility effort by flattening the 4,000sq ft land allocated for the cultivation facility. A formal agreement has been signed between the land owner and Hopes Malaysia to secure the land usage for the next 15 years. Meanwhile, a fundraising campaign will be held from April 28 to May 1, and May 26 to May 31, at the Imago shopping centre here for the facility. Members of the public are encouraged to join the event to learn more about the project, which is expected to be completed by year end. The first batch of mushrooms is expected to be cultivated early 2019. For details, call 016-811 7838 (Sam) or 010-931 9289 (June), email hopesmalaysia@gmail.com. Source: The Star Online
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16Apr

Bigger incentive groups eyeing Sabah – STB

KOTA KINABALU: The demand for larger meeting venues is greater now that bigger incentive groups are eyeing Sabah for their annual trips, said Suzaini Datuk Sabdin Ghani, General Manager of Sabah Tourism Board. Sabah recently welcomed more than 700 delegates from Herbalife China, she said. “For the first time, global multi-level marketing group Herbalife (China) chose Sabah as their incentive destination this year. They were driven by the preference for beaches and cultural elements. “The delegates who came from various parts of China ended their five-day four-night incentive tour to Kota Kinabalu after visiting the Manukan Island, cultural village, river cruising and rafting activity in Kiulu,” she added. Suzaini said last year, Sabah received two large groups from China of at least 2,000 pax each that spread out to several hotels in the state capital. “Until June this year, Sabah is expected to host an additional 1,500 delegates from China and at least 500 business delegates from Korea and Malaysia.” Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCeb), Datuk Zulkefli Sharif disclosed that incentive groups had contributed over RM3.4 billion of estimated economic impact to the country¡¦s economy since 2011. ¡§With the completion of the SICC this year, we are ready to welcome bigger incentive groups up to 5,000 pax to Sabah. In the past three years, MICE business brought in an average of RM125 million per year into Sabah. Looking forward, we will be targeting incentive groups from China because of the many large corporations located there,¡¨ said Suzaini. “China has been the top market source for tourism in Sabah since 2011. In the single month of February 2018, China market recorded a growth of 84.9%. A total of 431,026 Chinese visitors for the year of 2017 or an increase of 15% compared to 2016,” she said. Suzaini said new flights connecting China to Kota Kinabalu had been introduced every year. “There are now a total of 91 scheduled flights from China weekly,” according to Sabah Tourism. Source: The Borneo Post
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01Mar

Beach, scenery and shopping: Why more Chinese are visiting Kota Kinabalu for CNY

PETALING JAYA, Feb 26 — Yearning for the perfect selfie, Chinese tourists are increasingly choosing Sabah as their vacation destination. State Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said Sabah's stunning backdrops and locals’ ability to speak Chinese dialects made the Chinese nationals more “at home” during the Lunar New Year, reported the South China Morning Post. “We are unique because we are ‘the best Malaysians’. We don't have any problem with racial harmony and a lot of the non-Chinese here speak Chinese,” Masidi was quoted as saying. “This gives a lot of confidence to the Chinese tourists because they feel they are at home. We speak the language but we don’t have the crowds or traffic jams and we have the cleanest air in Malaysia. “Our beautiful scenery and islands make it perfect for their favourite activity: taking selfies.” SCMP reported that Chinese visitors to Sabah were increasing, with the East Malaysian state now in the top 10 of destinations for the 6.5 million Chinese nationals holidaying abroad during the Lunar New Year. Last year, 431,000 Chinese nationals visited Sabah, accounting for 35 per cent of all arrivals in the state and 75 per cent higher compared to 2015. “We are getting a lot more of the cosmopolitan types,” Masidi said of Sabah. “They speak some basic English, they are younger, and they know exactly what they want from the holiday so they just travel on their own without tour groups.” In Kota Kinabalu, the top three attractions listed by Chinese visitors were “viewing natural scenery”, “relaxing by the beach” and “shopping”, according to surveys. Air connectivity is also highlighted as a reason more of its people are heading to East Malaysia. Out of 186 international flights into Sabah each week, 86 are from China. Masidi called on private investors and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to take advantage of the tourism boom and pump more money into the state.   Source: Malay mail Online
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