28Nov

Surfing picking up in Kudat, says Sabah tourism minister

KOTA KINABALU: Surfing is picking up as a new tourism draw with the district of Kudat being the best place in the state for the sport activity, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Masidi Manjun says. “Based on the feedback that we received, there has been an increasing number of surfers in Sabah and it is also an exciting sport tourism activity,” he said. “Kudat is the best spot for this sport in the whole state because of its great surfs. “Each district in the state should explore its niche, and I’m proud to say that Kudat has found its.” Masidi was in Kudat yesterday to kick off an annual surfing and music festival which combined both activities for the first time at the Kalampunian Beach in Tanjung Simpang Mengayau. He said it might be a good idea to separate the events again in the future. “Maybe we need to rethink the music festival and move it back to its original location, the Tip of Borneo, also in Tanjung Simpang Mengayau,” he said. “We can start the music festival earlier because its location is far from the town and people may be concerned about going home late.” Professional surfers have described Sabah as a potential surfing destination like that in Bali, Indonesia. Sabah’s beaches are reportedly good enough to cater to between 50 and 100 surfers at a time. Kudat, which is about a three-hour drive from here, has wave rolls from about 1.5 metres to 2.5 metres, and also half-foot surfs which are good for beginners. Sabah’s northern district also boasts more beautiful beaches and pristine waters compared to those in the state capital. “Kudat is a paradise for surfing enthusiasts. Some of them even rode the waves there during the supermoon phenomenon in November last year,” Sabah Surfing Association president Ivan Tan said.   Source: Free Malaysia Today News
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27Nov

Marian Hill set to charm tourists with its unique attractions

SANDAKAN: Little-known Marian Hill here is set to be a new attraction with its pristine natural surroundings, as well as religious and historical significance. A church has teamed up with Sandakan Tourism Association to promote the hill based on these elements, as well as the view it has from the hilltop. During a recent hike with the media, St Mary’s Parish Pastoral Council chairman Pilis Malim said it took less than an hour to reach to the peak where climbers could see the expanse of Sandakan town below. “The 2.5km journey provides views of beautiful flora. “It begins from Marian corridor, a name dedicated to Mother Mary, who is the guardian of the parish. “The first stop is a ‘Japanese Bunker’, which was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War 2,” he said, adding that there were about 10 bunkers in the area. After a 300m climb, hikers will reach a 16m-wide by 8m-tall dam. Pilis said the church committee members discovered the dam by chance when it was almost damaged by treasure hunters in 2013. “The dam is believed to be built by a company in 1902 and was used by the Imperial Japanese Army as their main source of clean water. “The committee renamed the structure as Mill Hill dam in honour of a visit by Mill Hill Missionaries at St Mary’s Cathedral here,” he said. Hikers will continue their journey to Marian spring where Catholics believe that its water had miracle powers. Pilis said the new attractions on Marian Hill would complement the other existing eco-tourism products in the district. In 2015, the Sabah Forestry Department gave a licence for the church to conduct religious activities on the hill, which is located near the cathedral. The Sandakan Diocese is working on providing infrastructure in fulfilling the hill’s status as a tourist destination that is on a par with other tourism products in the state. Sandakan Tourism Association president Johnny Lim said he would soon invite the Sabah Tourism Board and tour agents to help promote Marian Hill. Those interested to visit the hill can go individually but for a group of up to 15 people, they are required to book at least a week in advance.   Source: New Straits Times
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27Nov

Sabah passes 5 bills including on heritage conservation

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state assembly passed five bills related to heritage conservation, culture, biodiversity, railway and sewerage services today. One of the bills tabled by State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi was the State Heritage Enactment 2017. The proposed enactment seeks to make provisions for the conservation and perservation of state heritage, heritage site, and heritage object, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, and for related matters. “Sabah is a state with diverse ethnicity and culture as well as significance historical legacy that have become our pride. All these valuable treasures have attacted the attention of scholars, researchers and tourists. “It is our duty to respect and protect them and for that reason the government is enacting the bill so the state heritage can be managed properly,” he said at the state assembly sitting. Kamarlin said the existing Cultural Heritage Enactment (Conservation) 1997 covers only matters relating to tangible heritage, while care and protection aspects of integible heritage are not provided in the enactment. “Procedures for gazetting and enforcemen powers are also not clearly defined. Therefore, this bill is aimed at improving the existing law by taking into consideration all categories of heritage and its importance,” he said. In debating the bill, Junz Wong (Parti Warisan Sabah-Likas) porposed the proposed enactment to include protection of underwater cultural heritage. This was following a controversial research undertaken by University Sabah Malaysia (UMS) in collaboration a local company Ugeens Berjaya Enterprise early this year. The research focused on WW2 Japanese shipwrecks at popular diving sites in Usukan waters, where salvaging works on three wrecks were carried purportedly for UMS’ research “We have seen the failure earlier Jan this year. This shows the importance of (having) this law,” said Wong. In Jan, Ugeens Berjaya Enterprise commissioned a Chinese-registered dredging ship Chuan Hong 68 to conduct the salvaging works. The process was brought to a halt after State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun instructed UMS to cease its research following concerns raised by the fishing and diving fraternity. However, by then, the three wrecks sites, said to be teeming with marine life were later found to have been destroyed and the wrecks, missing. Meanwhile, the Sabah Biodiversity Enactment 2000 tabled by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Ellron Alfred Angin seeks to introduce new sections and amend certain words and expression as well as inserting new ones to the enactment. The amended enactment will come into operation on Jan 2 next year and may be cited as the Sabah Biodiversity (Amendment) Enactment 2017. Another bill - Sabah Cultural Board Enactment 2017 - seeks to amend the 1996 enactment to widen the functions of the Board in conserving and preserving culture. Tabled by Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment assistant minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, the bill will include establishment of mechanism for cultural conservation and to add art galleries in the function to establish, maintain, coordinate, and promote cultural centres. Sabah Deputy Chief Minister cum State Infrastructure Development Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan also tabled the two proposed enactments. The proposed Sewerage Services Enactment 2017 seeks to provide for and regulate sewerage services and for matters connected therewith, while the proposed Railways Enactment 2017 seeks to revise and reenact a new law relating to railways.   Source: New Straits Times
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27Nov

Tattoos part of local culture, says Masidi

Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said tattoos in this part of the world have long been associated with culture and should not be equated with negative traits. "In fact if you read the papers some of those caught for abuse of drugs are well mannered and groomed. "So having tattoos alone does not reflect the character of a person. If you look at the Dayaks or Iban people in the olden days it is a sign of a warriors' bravery and manhood. "Even my late father he came back with a tattoo and later on in life I asked him about it, he said every brave man had to have a tattoo. "In the case of North Borneo i.e. Sabah and Sarawak, tattoos are part of the local culture and have nothing to do with any negative implications," he said, after officially launching the Third Sabah International Tattoo Convention 2017, Saturday. The event at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu would end today (Sunday). Some 72 artists from 27 countries including Australia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Finland, Mexico, China and Malaysia are taking part in the annual event. "I have met (and spoken) to some of them (International and local tattoo artist participants) for the third year now and they are reasonable people. I don't see them as a spokesperson for 'bad habits'. "Eventually it's all about personal choice and what they want to put on their bodies. Yes, there are issues but I think we should focus on the positive parts of the convention itself." On the event itself, Masidi said the number of (artists) participants to the event has grown. "We realise the response from the international community has been very good. We may need to have a bigger venue because of this increase in a participants. "I believe later on today and tomorrow the crowds will come over to admire the various works by tatooists and this can only mean this convention which started as a small event is slowly become a good draw for international participants and tourists. "I believe Sabah will become more well known with this event. If you look at the number of nationalities of participants its obvious that the its reputation is growing far and wide and Sabah's image is spread all over the world." Event Founder and Organiser Carlos Benny Majakim said the Tattoo Convention event attracts many nationalities and was a platform also for them to engage in an exchange of their art and culture in a way. "So basically it iss also an event to educate (each other). The tattoo artists participating here are generally in their 20s but you can also see a few artists who are over 50," he said. - Neil Chan   Source: Daily Express
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23Nov

Sabah ready to welcome medical tourists seeking world-class treatments, facilities

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is ready to compete with neighbouring countries in offering world-class medical tourism products. Its minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state has been developing its medical tourism sector since last year, which has brought it up to par with other countries. “The state capital is ready to receive international (patients seeking medical treatment at the best) private hospitals, such as Gleneagles, KPJ Sabah, KPJ Damai and the Jesselton Medical Centre. “The Sabah Tourism Board is also working closely with the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, which is an initiative by the Health Ministry, to facilitate strategic development on the healthcare travel industry in Malaysia,” he said when winding up his speech at the 14th state assembly sitting here. Masidi added that the Sabah Tourism Board has also built connections with several agents in Indonesia to handle medical tourism promotion activities. “The air connectivity between Tarakan (in Indonesia) and Tawau (in Sabah, for example, will) enable those private hospitals to receive Indonesian (patients). “(Meanwhile), the Ministry has also (consulted) with several airline companies to introduce direct flights from Balikpapan and Pontianak (in Indonesia) to Kota Kinabalu,” he said. As for tourism receipts, Masidi said that the federal government collected revenue of RM6.396 billion until last month, including from Sabah.   Source: New Straits Times
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