All information of tourism sabah

04Jul

Help the sun bears via fundraiser

KOTA KINABALU: The Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sandakan is aiming to raise RM500,000 to partially fund the construction of a second bear house before the facility opens to the public early next year. Part of the money raised will also go to creating a one hectare enclosure for the new bear house, and to meet operational costs for this year to sustain the Centre that begun in 2008 with seven rescued sun bears. The Centre now provides refuge to 28 bears. A fundraising dinner will be held on July 20 at the Hakka Association Hall. Five years ago, a similar event was held in Kota Kinabalu that saw RM1.3mil generated for the Centre’s early days including the construction of the first bear house. BSBCC chief executive officer and founder Wong Siew Te said this year’s operational and construction costs runs into RM2mil and that despite commitment of generous donors. The Centre needs fall short in expenses. “We appeal to Malaysians, especially the Sandakan business community to support this fundraiser. We believe that by doing your bit and attending the event, you will be able to better understand the significance of sun bears and the types of threats faced by this species. “This Centre is the only facility of its kind in the world. We rescue, educate, research and rehabilitate, and as Malaysians, we should be proud that the Centre is located in Sandakan,” Wong said in a statement to announce the fundraising dinner. The Centre is located next to the world-famous Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and is also close to the increasingly popular Rainforest Discovery Centre. Habitat loss, poaching for parts used in traditional medicine and the pet trade are among key threats that have led to a decline by at least 30% of the sun bear population in the last three decades. Sun bears are the smallest of the world’s eight bear species. Found throughout mainland Asia, Sumatra in Indonesia and Borneo, the exact number of sun bears in the wild remains unknown, making it even more pressing to reduce pressure on a species that is classified as “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature), and at risk of becoming endangered unless circumstances threatening their survival improved. Sun bears are also classified as a Totally Protected Species under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enact-ment 1997, providing it the same status as orang utans and sumatran rhinoceros. Wong said prior to the setting up of the Centre, sun bears were kept illegally as pets while confiscated bears were housed at a government facility. He said the Centre provides care and a chance for the bears to learn what it is like to live in the forest by accessing an attached natural forest within an enclosed area. Wong said an observation platform and boardwalk were completed last year, and that the Centre was poised to become an important education and awareness facility, and could additionally serve as an eco-tourism destination. “However, we need a second bear house and enclosure to accommodate all the bears before we can officially open the Centre, and we also need to complete the visitor centre and educational exhibits,” he said. He said the Sime Darby Foun-dation, the Sabah State Government including the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Ministry of Tourism Malaysia, and several foreign organisations and zoos in the United States were among generous agencies that had contributed towards the Centre’s development. The fundraising dinner with the theme “Big Dreams, Little Bears” will see Wong sharing with guests updates on sun bears, as well as an exclusive photographic art auction by Jonathan Tan. Performers lined up for the evening include Jaclyn Victor, Gary Chaw @ Cao Ge, Pink Tan and Amir Yussof and friends, while the masters of ceremony are Lina Teoh and Vincent Huang. A free documentary screening is scheduled for July 21 at the Sabah Hotel for 500 students, teachers and representatives of local associations. The event is supported by the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry and the main sponsor is Sabah Hotel, which is creating a unique banquet menu. Other sponsors include CPL Printing, Jonathan T Gallery, IM Magazine and Merdeka Daily News. The BSBCC was set up through collaboration of the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP). To learn more about the bears, visit www.bsbcc.org.my and Facebook page www.facebook.com/sunbear.bsbcc. Source: The Star
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04Jul

MASwings, Royal Brunei Airlines Collaborate To Promote Sabah To Asian Countries

KOTA KINABALU, June 28 (Bernama) -- The collaboration and sharing between MASwings and Royal Brunei Airlines' (RBA) is set to further promote Sabah among Asian countries, says State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun. He said both airlines were on the right track to provide more services which would not only benefit the Sabah community but also Asians. "Both airlines have realised the potential and this coupled with the strategic partnership and potential, would accrue more profits," he said after the signing of a codesharing agreement between MASwings and Royal Brunei Airlines today. The partnership will provide connectivity to three major cities namely between Kota Kinabalu and Bandar Seri Begawan and between Kuching and Bandar Seri Begawan effective July 1. "MASwings is confident Royal Brunei's current 15 times weekly service will provide sufficient capacity between Sabah and Brunei to meet existing and future demand from travellers. Through the partnership and combined resources both carriers can further grow the market by proving customers with better services and connectivity. This partnership is expected to benefit airlines, customers and the industry as a whole," said MASwings Chief Executive Officer Datuk Captain Mohd Nawawi Awang. Meanwhile, Royal Brunei Airlines' Chief Commercial and Planning Officer Karam Chand said the airline was delighted to enhance ties with Malaysia. "The code share partnership is also one of the key platforms of our commercial strategy to expand RBA's network and to provide more choice to our customers," added Karam Chand. He said RBA would welcome its new B787 Dreamliners in September, making it the first airline in the region to fly the modern aircraft to regional destinations and later long-hauls. Source: Bernama
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28Jun

Masidi moots folklore promotion in schools

KOTA KINABALU: Folklore and traditional music and dance will be widely promoted in Sabah if the ‘powers that be’ in the educational and cultural fields have their way. Realising the importance to keep this tradition alive, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun has proposed that the relevant authorities work closely with the State Education Department to ensure that the message gets across, especially to the young children. “We will look for a way to work with the State Education Department on how we can incorporate the folklore and traditional music and dance into the system, It will not be absorbed as part of the curriculum but more like a friendly competition to instil the love and interest amongst the schoolchildren so as to keep our tradition alive,” he said. Speaking to reporters after launching the 8th Sabah International Folklore Festival 2013 (SIFF) on Tuesday evening, he described Sabahans as natural when it comes to music. “We are exposed to traditional music from young, and our interest builds up from there. But of course, we have to find ways to ensure that the interest can be expanded. Take the SIFF this year, for the first time, the Sabah Cultural Board has decided to focus on folklore and traditional music, this is a trial basis and if we see the potential, we will adsorb this event as part of the festival’s highlights, apart from the dancing, which has obviously lured a lot of enthusiasts since it was introduced,” said Masidi. He said maybe in the near future, apart from luring more participation, they would also come up with other programmes that would attract more people to come in. “Because the reason of having such event is to have people watching. It will be a failure if we do not have an audience. If an event is only held just for us to enjoy, then we would not have achieved our target, which is to educate, share and promote our tradition, culture and folklores for all to know,” he said. He said SIFF is an avenue for both participants and the audience to learn the global folklores. Touching on the event, Masidi said he was impressed with the performances from the participating countries, namely, South Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. “Take the performance from Sarawak, they were able to incorporate sape (traditional guitar-like instrument) into the music and performed it in the pop and modern genre … I was impressed with them,” he said. Masidi hoped that local music enthusiasts would also do the same with the available traditional instruments in Sabah. Source: Borneo Post
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28Jun

Smaller-scale Folklore Festival this time

Kota Kinabalu: The Eighth Sabah International Folklore Festival (SIFF) from June 25-30 will be a celebration of goodwill, brotherhood and culture. It is being held on a smaller scale this time - three nations to be exact. Sabah Cultural Board Deputy Chairman Jaimin Samintah said on Monday the SIFF participants are not only promoting their respective cultures, here, but also peace, which is in line with this year's theme "Peace through Culture". "Participants can take this opportunity to promote each other's country, friendship and culture tourism," he said before about 300 SIFF participants from Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea and Sarawak during their welcoming dinner, here. Samintah also urged the participants to take the opportunity to learn the culture of others and visit the local tourist spots while in the State. Sabah Cultural Board General Manager Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai meanwhile reiterated that this year's SIFF will focus more on songs and music, instead of dance. This is among reasons why SIFF had a smaller number of countries taking part, apart from the on-going renovation of its original venue, the Penampang Cultural Centre. Last year's SIFF saw 18 countries participating. "We want to experiment on folklore music and songs to participating nations,' he said. He said there are already 80 entries for next year's SIFF. About 10 teams will take part in the folklore song event, while 40 schools are expected to take part in this year's folklore dance. The performances will be held at the Arts and Culture Department Complex auditorium. Source: Daily Express
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28Jun

KK French’ip to help attract more French tourists

KOTA KINABALU: Collaborative effort is needed between France and the state of Sabah to develop the French language and culture in the state in order to attract French tourists to Sabah. KK French Friendship Association (KK French’ip) founding president, Veronique Chapeland, said, Sabah is the most exotic place in the world and there is a need to attract French tourists to come here. Chapeland believed that learning French culture would benefit Sabah and its people in terms of cultural exchange and tourism. “Not many French people know about Sabah, and we need some sort of collaboration to make them know about the state and we want to be able to welcome them. “It would be a bonus point to learn French, especially among tourism players, to lure French people to visit East Malaysia,” she said. Chapeland, who is French and is currently residing in the state, added that most French tourists are making their stop in Kuala Lumpur and only a few fly onwards to Sabah. “I have met with several Sabah people who have expressed their interest in learning our culture and this is where KK French’ip can plays its role. “Bringing French culture here is new to the people and we hope to promote the language and culture through organizing social occasions, classes and workshops,” she said. KK French’ip, established in 2012, currently has 47 members and have organized various activities such as free French and Malay language classes, cooking lessons and also co-organizing the European Union Film Festival. On Saturday night, the association celebrated the official opening of its new office at Wisma Wanita here, where members gathered to exchange views and were entertained to performances in French. The event was in conjunction with the French World Music Day also known as Fête de la Musique. Dean of the Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Center for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language, Prof. Dr. Vincent Pang Ah Fook, said, French language is one of the popular elective subjects among UMS students. “Many of our undergraduate students have shown a high interest in learning the foreign language and I see KK French’ip as a platform for them to join and actually interact with others. “Learning a language in a classroom alone is not effective. In the context of life, it is important for them to mix around and attend social gatherings and this is where our students can learn more,” he said. Pang added that the centre would look into establishing a cooperation with KK French’ip as well as varsities in France in regards to educational development and improvement. Source: Borneo Post
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