10Nov

Star Cruises to make Sabah world-class tourist destination

KOTA KINABALU: The state government is calling for continuous support from Star Cruises to showcase Sabah to the world and make the state one of the key cruise destinations in the region. Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said this at the arrival of leading cruise line in Asia Pacific, Star Cruises at Sabah Ports yesterday. He said cruise tourism is a viable industry with excellent growth potential in Sabah, and is becoming increasingly popular among many locals and foreigners traveling to Sabah. “The home porting of Star Cruises’ SuperStar Aquarius today in Kota Kinabalu for the second season only reaffirms its commitment in promoting Sabah as a cruise destination to the region and world. “Star Cruises’ ongoing initiative in boosting the local tourism, especially the cruise tourism sector is commendable and we hope that Star Cruises will continue to take an active and leading role in developing and growing cruise tourism here in Sabah,” he said. Pang said Sabah is a place that lives up to its reputation as one of the most environmentally beautiful destinations in Malaysia and the world. With its climate-friendly weather, Pang added Sabah is home to many marvelous sights and natural wonders namely pristine beaches, vivid coral reefs and lush greeneries rich with flora and fauna unique to Sabah. For this second season, SuperStar Aquarius will be home-porting from November 2014 to March 2015 by introducing the all new three-night destination cruise to Puerto Princesa of the Palawan Island province in the Philippines, as well as the two-night and the regular one-night high seas cruise on-board the 13-storey ocean cruise liner. The arrival yesterday brought local and international passengers from Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, China, Singapore, America, Russia, Japan and many more travelers from across the globe. Disembarking passengers were greeted by a colorful multi-ethnic cultural dance performance and were presented with welcome souvenirs, courtesy of Sabah Tourism Board. On board, Star Cruises performance team entertained guests with their extravaganza dances and acrobatic moves. Meanwhile, executive vice president Sales, Marketing and Hotel Operations of Genting Hong Kong Limited Ang Moo Lim said Star Cruises will continue to strive to make Sabah, the best of Borneo and a well-known world class tourist destination. “Star Cruises is pleased to celebrate the return of SuperStar Aquarius to Kota Kinabalu and remains committed in developing the cruise tourism industry in Sabah. “Star Cruises remains passionate and committed in offering the best cruise experience with exciting new holiday itineraries and destinations. The three-night destination to Puerto Princesa will be a popular choice among many travelers, famous for its beautiful sights and natural wonders, especially the Subterranean River National park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and also one of the new Seven Wonders of nature,” he added. Also present at the event yesterday were chairman of Suria Capital Holdings Berhad Datuk Faisyal Hamdan Diego, general manager of Sabah Ports Authority Maisuri Besri and Sabah Health director Dr Christina Rundi.
Source: Borneo Post
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10Nov

‘Sabah honeymoon destination’ partnership

KOTA KINABALU: Six of the world's leading travel, lifestyle and wedding bloggers will visit Kota Kinabalu and Brunei with Royal Brunei Airlines which, along with Sabah Tourism, will showcase the best that the countries have to offer for recently married couples. This was announced at the World Travel Market in London's ExCeL Centre where Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) and Sabah Tourism have launched a partnership with iambassador to promote Malaysia as a honeymoon destination. The partnership, which marks a step change in the marketing strategies of the two brands, recognises the increasing influence of bloggers in shaping travellers' perceptions around destinations and airlines. The 12-day trip to Sabah and Brunei in mid-November will give the bloggers the chance to experience a largely undiscovered 'winter sun' destination at a time of year that is very popular for couples jetting off on their honeymoons. Offering everything from vibrant rainforests to pristine beaches, there is something to suit the interests of all couples. RBA's UK Country Manager, Aiden Walsh, said: "Sabah is a key destination for us and has much to offer UK travellers planning a honeymoon or holiday. Working with an influential blogger community such as iambassador gives us the chance to talk authentically about the benefits of the region and to show why it truly is a unique part of the world. Travel bloggers are an ever more important and influential way of reaching our audience, so we hope that this iambassador relationship is one that endures for years to come." iambassador CEO, Keith Jenkins, adds: "We're very excited to collaborate with Royal Brunei Airlines and Sabah Tourism on this creative campaign. Bloggers are ideal brand ambassadors and we're proud to be sending a team of highly-talented bloggers to discover the many facets that make Sabah, coincidentally my place of birth, a terrific destination for honeymooners and travellers alike. I can't wait to follow their travels around Sabah and Brunei." RBA currently operates daily flights out of London's Heathrow Airport to 16 cities around the world, with flights to Kota Kinabalu flying via Dubai and Brunei. Source: Daily Express
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10Nov

Local traditional foods can be tourist draw: Kamarlin

KOTA KINABALU: The local traditional foods can be promoted as one of Sabah's tourism products. "Tourists visiting our country do not just enjoy our beautiful nature, traditions and cultures but also like to get a taste of our local delicacies," said Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi. "I have seen tourists who are willing to pay a large sum of money just to learn how to make the traditional food ambuyat," he said. According to him, the Ministry welcomes people as well as tourists to experience and taste the traditional cultures and delicacies of the various ethnic groups in Sabah. "Therefore, the co-operation between Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the Government is important to promote our local delicacies," he said, adding that he believed the collaboration will gain success through the university's academic manpower. Kamarlin said this when officiating at the Sabah Ethnic Traditional Appreciation Day in the UMS Food Science and Nutrition Faculty, here, Thursday. He said Malaysia has diverse traditional delicacies with each state having its own way of cooking as well as recipes. "For example, Melaka is famous for its sour and spicy food whereas Sabah is famous for local traditional foods such as hinava, ambuyat, noonsom, tuhau, butod and others. "In Sabah alone, we have a total of 35 ethnic groups and there are lots of traditional foods we can enjoy. "The university can also do its part in terms of research on whether or not these foods are halal and be consumed among Muslims," he said. Speaking on the programme, Kamarlin said it was held in order to avoid the extinction of the people's traditional cultural heritage. "Most of the young people nowadays may not recognise the traditional foods or games such as the monopuk due to the evolution of modern gadgets," he explained. "The location for this programme is strategic as there are both local and foreign students pursuing studies in the university," he said, adding that the local students could also take the opportunity to get to know the various ethnic foods served. The event that was held in conjunction with the 20th UMS anniversary celebration also saw demonstrations in preparing local foods, research exhibition as well as traditional game competitions. There were a total of six booths showcasing the traditional foods of the Kadazan, Bajau, Sukang, Dusun, Suang Lotud and Iranun people. Source: Daily Express
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10Nov

Sabah targets RM8 billion from tourism

KOTA KINABALU: The Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry will continue to acknowledge the organiser of Sabah Hospitality Fiesta in their effort to promote the State’s diversity through its annual event which is recognised as an annual tourism event in Sabah’s calendar of activities. Its assistant minister, Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, said the hospitality and tourism industry had always been a significant force in Sabah’s economy. “Despite some setbacks due to several unfortunate incidences earlier this year, let’s look at things from a broader perspective and together put our best foot forward because under the 10th Malaysia Plan 2011-2015, Sabah aims to increase its tourism receipts. “Our target for the 10th Malaysia Plan is RM8 billion, while the nation’s 2020 Vision goal is aiming to achieve RM24 billion by 2020. I personally feel those young men and women who are in the industry have chosen a great platform, with huge potentials to grow bigger,” said Pang during the launching of the 17th Sabah Hospitality Fiesta 2014 at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall here yesterday. The event aims to bring about the best hospitality through sight, sound and taste. Themed “Colourful Scenes of Malaysia”, the fiesta is in line with the Visit Malaysia Year 2014, showcasing the unique selling points of the country’s rich cultural heritage with many ethnic groups living in harmony. Pang also said tourism always bring people together over and over again. In this year’s event, the fiesta has included a special event called Hawker Street Fiesta Charity Do where participating hotels, resorts, colleges and education institutions creatively set up hawker stalls with a common objective to achieve a total sales proceeds of RM10,000 which will be channeled to Sabah Cheshire Home, the beneficiary of the event. Chairman of the 17th Sabah Hospitality Fiesta 2014, Stanley Lajiun, said the total number of registered participants for this year is 245, which is a marked increase as compared to last year’s 176. “On behalf of the organising committee, I wish all the participants the best and look forward to seeing both culinary and hospitality talents in action. “It has been and will continue to be our aspiration to bring out the best hospitality through sight, smell and taste through creativity brought by the various industry players from hotels, resorts, private establishments and of course from higher education institutions,” said Lajiun. Ten participating groups who joined the Hawker Street Fiesta Charity Do were Asian Tourism International College, Grand Borneo Hotel, Horizon Hotel, Le Meridien Hotel, Palace Hotel, Promenade Hotel, Sabah Cheshire Home, Sabah Oriental Hotel, Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort and Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa. Ten hawker stalls are also set to compete for two coveted prizes. The prizes for the Most Creative Hawker Stall and The Highest Worth of Coupons Collected will be presented during the closing dinner of the event tonight (November 2) at Ming Garden Hotel and Residence. Also present yesterday was the chief executive officer of Asian Tourism International College, Datuk Wong Ken Thau.
Source: Borneo Post
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31Oct

Overseas promotion next year for local handicraft

KOTA KINABALU: Local handcraft entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to promote their products in overseas markets next year. This will be facilitated for them through the Overseas Entrepreneurship Incentive Programme 2015 under the Malaysia Craft Entrepreneurship Unit. "There will be a total of 11 overseas expositions next year and we will offer free assistance to those handcraft entrepreneurs involved," said Malaysia Craft Development Corporation Sabah Branch Director Abd Rahman Omar. He also said the programme is organised under the Malaysia Craft Entrepreneurship Unit. "The programme will allow local handicraft entrepreneurs to participate in the overseas promotion. "However, they must first be registered and own licences. The value of their products must also be more than RM10,000," he said, adding that their products must be of high quality and will be monitored. Abd Rahman said this during a press conference on the Craft 2014 Promotion from Oct 23 to Nov 2 at 1Borneo Hypermall, here, Tuesday. Meanwhile, Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said the promotion programme would enable local craft entrepreneurs to market their products besides helping with the development of the craft industry in Sabah. According to him, there has been an increase in the number of local handicraft entrepreneurs as well as its sales from the year 2012 to 2014. "In 2012, there were a total of 526 entrepreneurs which gradually increased to 1,483 in 2013 and 1,702 up till October 2014. The sales value also had increased from RM31 million in 2012 to RM56 million in 2013. Currently, the sales value is worth about RM45 million," he said, adding that he expects about RM900,000 to RM1 million in sales throughout the 10-day promotion. "The increase is probably due to the success in instilling interest in handicrafts among the people, especially those from the rural areas such as Kota Belud, Kudat and Keningau. "I hope more will have the opportunity to explore this field, especially women and those from the interior, to earn extra income," he said. The craft industry, he explained, would usually go hand in hand with the tourism industry. "There is a huge potential for local handicrafts with the development of the tourism industry in Sabah. Therefore, the Government had provided them with various incentives, outreach programmes as well as courses," Pang said, adding that handicrafts are exempted from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will be implemented next April. Pang also dwelled on the fallout from the disappearance of Flight MH370, the downing of MH17 as well as the series of kidnapping that occurred in the East Coast of Sabah. "We must not deny that these incidents had an impact on our tourism industry. We had expected a total of RM60 million generated through the sales of our local handicrafts this year. However, up till now, we have only earned a total of RM45 million. "This can be very challenging to most of us but we will try our best to make the best of it with just a few more months left." Pang later thanked the security forces for their effort in ensuring the safety of the people as well as the nation, especially at the East Coast of Sabah. Resource:  Daily Express
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