Author - Diana Gaban

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah plans to tap cities in the Pacific coast of America in a bid push for more visitors to the State. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said he will be visiting San Francisco and the City of Portland, Oregon beginning Sept. 26 for a change of strategy away from the Chinese market. "I will be meeting a couple of tourist agents in San Francisco, while stopping by Portland during the signing of the memorandum between Kota Kinabalu and Portland as sister cities. "I am open to any possibilities and I don't expect any miracles either," he said after launching of the Regional Specific Tourist Guide Licence, here organised by the Sabah Tourist Guide Association (STGA). The move also marked Sabah's first foray into the American market for tourism. Earlier, he said more efforts are now being undertaken to bring in more visitors here due to the sharp decline in the number of Chinese nationals visiting the State, due to the east coast kidnapping incidents and the MH370 disappearance. Sabah experienced a 47 per cent drop in the number of arrivals from China in the first six months of 2014 compared to the same period last year. Masidi said one of the reasons why he chose the two cities is due to connectivity, with daily flights from San Francisco to Hong Kong and Seoul, while there are also frequent direct flights from the said cities to Kota Kinabalu. "It's a logical decisionÉ of course the travelling time is more but it's a convenient link to Sabah," he said. Masidi also hoped that the domestic market, which makes for the biggest bulk of arrivals to Sabah and arrivals from Korea, Japan and Europe will bolster the declining tourism sector. However, he said further tourism promotion in China has been re-strategised to avoid any insensitive approach that may offend the Chinese people due to recent tragedies involving their nationals. On another note, Masidi commended local tourist guides who had worked very hard to improve their situation and for taking on the challenges of an unpredictable market. "Guiding is not a glamorous job. Sometimes you make money sometimes you don't as you depend on customers," he said. Masidi also contributed RM10,000 to STGA in an effort to boost their activities. Source: Daily Express

KOTA KINABALU: Neither rain nor shine could dampen the spirit of the Harley Davidson bikers as they ride off towards Kota Belud, the first destination of the inaugural Malaysian international Harley Owners Group (HOG) 2014 rally yesterday. “Most of our rides will stop at places where there are safety concerns, especially in Sandakan, Semporna, Lahad Datu and Mabul Island,” said HOG Malaysia chapter vice president Nik Adelin. “But that is our duty here. Our duty to our country is to show to the foreign people that Sabah is safe,” stressed Nik. The multi-national participants of the 10-day rally consisted of members from Brunei, Thailand, China, Singapore and Malaysia HOG club. There are 1.6 billion Harley Davidson owners worldwide and participants in this convoy will act as ambassadors who will help spread the word to other riders in their respective countries, said Nik. “The responses from the riders are good and we have police escorts taking care of us. “We are feeling very confident,” added Nik. “Sabah Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Malek Harun also came to personally assure us of our safety at the rally’s dinner last night.” Sabah Tourism Board chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai flagged off the rally consisting of 80 participants and 50 Harley Davidson motorcycles at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa yesterday. The convoy, led by Sabah Parks chairman Datuk Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin Mahamood, will be visiting tourist spots located en route in their journey through Kota Belud, Ranau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Mabul. This includes their stops at Mabul Island, Sandakan’s Labuk Proboscis Sanctuary and the Sepilok Orangutan Sanctuary, where several participants are expected to adopt an orangutan baby. The rally will also attend a charity dinner that will be hosted by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman on September 20. Sabah-themed Harley Dyna Super Glide, the dismantled bike that was brought up and reassembled on top of the Mount Kinabalu on March 25, this year will be auctioned off at the dinner. The bike has made it into the Malaysian Book of Records for the highest running engine of a Harley bike in Malaysia or even the world. The event jointly organized by HOG Malaysia chapter and Sabah Tourism Board aims to promote biking in the country. All proceeds from the auction will go to a charitable organization in the state.

KOTA KINABALU: San Francisco is the next marketing target for the State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry in its effort to promote Sabah. Its minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, said that he would be visiting San Francisco on September 25 and will be meeting with tourism players there. He said that this would be the State’s first effort to promote Sabah to the Americans. Masidi also expressed his optimism on the venture as air-connectivity that would link San Francisco and Sabah (Kota Kinabalu) is already in place. “There are direct flights from Hong Kong and Seoul to San Francisco as well as to Kota Kinabalu. The air-connectivity is available. It is important to promote Sabah to places that have these access/facilities in place because it will not be difficult (for those keen) to come to Sabah,” he said at the launching of the Region Specific Tourist Guide (RSTG) licence here yesterday. He added that without direct air-connectivity, it would be difficult for the people to come to Sabah. “And we want the people to keep coming here.” While in the US, Masidi will also be visiting Portland, Oregon which will become Kota Kinabalu’s first sister-city in the country. In his speech, Masidi also mentioned that although his ministry may seem to have scaled down its effort to market Sabah to the Chinese market, in reality this was not so. “We have not stopped … but they (Chinese tourists) are coming to terms with the MH370 and the kidnapping incidents. We just have to modify our (marketing) strategies. We will continue to market, but in a quiet and subtle way. We don’t want to be looked at as aggressive marketeers,” he said. He added that the number of visitors from China had dropped in June, this year, by 47 percent following the flight MH370 incident and the spate of kidnappings involving Chinese tourists in the East Coast of Sabah. Nonetheless, the number of Korean and Japanese tourists has risen by 19.7 percent and 23.4 percent respectively, he said. The State also experienced a double digit growth in European and American tourist arrivals, he said. Also seeing growth are the arrival of domestic tourists from other states, he said. “We are also looking into other growth/market areas such as Indonesia and Singapore,” he added. Present at the event was Sabah Tourist Guides Association president Grace Leong. Source: Borneo Post

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 13 : Community airline MASwings has the potential to enhance trade and tourism in the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), says Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. He said MASwings, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), can still compete with the other airlines that have established themselves in Sabah and Sarawak. The Sabah market is becoming more competitive with more airlines interested in linking Sabah with other international routes as well as increasing frequency within the state itself, Masidi told reporters after launching MASWings' Like Never Before promotion and 8.88 Million Passengers celebration here Saturday. Masidi commended MASwings' management and staff for being able to achieve the number of passengers within just seven years and for fulfilling its obligation as an airline appointed by the government to provide rural air services. Meanwhile, chief executive officer Captain Ritzerwan Rashid said MASwings will work with the state government to expand its services in the region in the future. It will also hold roadshows at every potential destination in Sabah and Sarawak in conjunction with this promotion, starting with Labuan followed by Tawau, Miri and other destinations until year-end, he said. He said MASwings is offering one-way fares of RM88 to or from any destination in Sabah and Sarawak until Dec 31 for travel from Sept 10 to March 31 next year. Source: Bernama