08Jan

CNY Carnival at Padang Merdeka Feb 10-12

Kota Kinabalu: The Chinese New Year Carnival 2018 will be held from Feb 10 to 12 at Padang Merdeka here. It is jointly organised by City Hall and the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), with the State Government as sponsor and contributions from many donors. The carnival's organising committee held a meeting chaired by Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai recently. Also present were FCAS President Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima (Dr) TC Goh and Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Edward Yong, who is in charge of City Hall. According to Yong, the organising committee would be inviting the Chief Minister to launch the event on Feb 10. He said among the highlights of the programme are the 24 seasons drum beating, lion dances, "Lau Sang", cultural and singing performances, choir and others. He said more schools will be involved this time to encourage more youngsters to participate in the carnival. Fireworks are expected to be set off on the opening night. There will also be a ceremony for senior citizens and children at Padang Merdeka on Feb 11, which is expected to be launched by the Chief Minister's wife, Puan Sri Datin Seri Panglima Faridah Tussin. A Cheongsam beauty pageant and dancing contest will be held on the second night also, he said. The closing ceremony is expected to be graced by the Minister with Special Tasks, Datuk Seri Panglima Teo Chee Kang, which will also see the finale of the Cheongsam and dancing competitions and a fireworks display. Visitors will also have the chance to shop for goods from the 200 stalls that will be set up throughout the carnival. The stalls will be opened at 6pm selling goods in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration. For the first time this year, the stalls at Padang Merdeka will be allowed to continue their business for another two days up to Feb 14 which will coincide with the yearly Chinese New Year night market. Yong said this will give more business opportunities to small traders and hawkers and will be an added attraction for tourists visiting the city during the festive season. Application for the stalls can be made starting Jan 9 2018 at City Hall's Hawkers Management Counter, City Environmental Health Department at 7th floor, Centre Point Sabah. Permit for the stalls are RM60 per lot. For more information on the stalls, call 088-244000 or 088-223437.   Source: Daily Express
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08Jan

Sabah needs more hotels to cater to tourists influx

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry has expressed concern over the insufficient number of hotel rooms to accommodate the growing number of tourists to the state in the future.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun said as the state was enjoying encouraging numbers in tourism receipts, the state government feared its promotional efforts would an exercise in futility. “There are limitations to promote Sabah as we do not want the tourists to pitch up tents simply because we do not have enough rooms (for them). “If there are not enough hotels, in the future, we will definitely have a big problem. Eventually, growth will become a plateau if the state tourism’s growth does not equal the availability of hotel rooms,” he told reporters after opening a Taiwan-based cafe Camaco Gelato Concept Cafe here today. Masidi said his ministry, through its agencies such as the Sabah Tourism Board, was striving to ensure that there were enough hotels to meet future demands. He said the state recorded RM7.25 billion in tourism receipt in 2016 and expected last year’s (2017) numbers to hit the RM7.7 billion mark. On the cafe, Masidi said Camaco’s decision in setting up an outlet here was a manifestation of the company’s confidence in the business climate of the state capital and its growing sophistication. With 14 foreign airlines flying to Kota Kinabalu and 178 flights per week, of them 84 from China alone, he said it clearly showed that the growing number of flights was a manifestation of tourist confidence in city’s ability to grow. – Bernama   Source: Borneo Post
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28Dec

Festive visiting strengthens unity, togetherness and brotherhood: Musa

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman (pix) said the practice of visiting especially during festive seasons could strengthen unity and promote the feeling of oneness among the people. According to Musa, the practice of visiting among the people of various races and beliefs in Sabah such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Tadau Kaamatan and Christmas could deepen the feeling of brotherhood among the people. "We will continue with this (mutual visiting) to boost unity among us and enhance our relations. With this we can develop our beloved state of Sabah together," he told reporters when visiting the open house of United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) in Tamparuli, Tuaran today. Present were acting Upko president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin, State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor and Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai who is also Sabah Tourism Board chairman. — Bernama   Source: The Sun Daily
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20Dec

1.7 million trees planted in all

Kundasang: Even Lembah Permai, the site for the grand finale of the "1 million trees for Sabah" project here can get flash floods due to the disappearance of trees, said State Local Government and Housing Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam. He said this when closing the programme by Kota Kinabalu High Court environmental working group and later planted the millionth tree seedling. "We all want Kundasang to be green and environment friendly to enhance the image for tourism," he concluded. Earlier, High Court Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru, representing Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjun, said the project is about fostering respect for the environment, creating awareness and the priceless inheritance for the future generation of Sabah. Meanwhile, Deputy Registrar and coordinator of the programme, Elsie Primus, informed the final tally of 1,707,981 trees that really exceeded the target was due to contributions by other companies who held their own tree planting programmes and wanted their efforts to be counted. For example, Forest Solutions Sdn Bhd had planted 516,000 while Sapulut Forest Development planted 50,000. From the schools in Sabah that participated in the tree planting competition, their total contributions were 140,587, she said. During the weekend, a total of 3,000 trees were planted in Kundasang involving 18 villages where 2,000 seedlings were contributed by Forest Solutions while the rest were from Timberwell Sdn Bhd, she said. - Oswald Supi   Source: Daily Express
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19Dec

Imbak canyon homestay thriving

KOTA KINABALU: Located deep within the heart of Sabah, some 300km from here, Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (Icca) is home to one of the state’s last remaining virgin rainforests. At the very edge between civilisation and wild, untamed forest, acting as a gateway between the two is Kampung Imbak, where some 700 people of the Dusun Sungai and Murut communities have lived off the land for generations. A new initiative by Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has provided the villagers with an alternative way of making a living by opening their homes to visitors. “Kg Imbak is a strategic location for homestay programme. Not only is it on the way to Imbak Canyon, it is close to the trekking trail to Gunung Tinkar Forest Reserve,” said Sunsing Palatai, a member of the Tongod tourism community. “Gunung Tinkar itself is a huge attraction as its peak is right at the centre of Sabah. Quite a number of tourists hike there to feel the excitement of being right at the heart of the state.” Sunsing, who also operates a homestay at neighbouring Kampung Entilibon, has been teaching Kg Imbak’s villagers about managing a rural homestay. These efforts come as part of Petronas’ community development programme named Planting Tomorrow, a project with the Yayasan Sabah group that started in 2010 to assist the locals in setting up their own homestay operations. Aside from providing funds and building materials for the homestays, the oil and gas giant also installed a gravity-fed water supply system to deliver clean water to all homes in Imbak. There are now 22 registered operators for the homestays, which are known as “Homestay Po’pomponan” or “a place of gathering”. Haina Sapah, 33, one of the operators in Kg Imbak, said setting up the homestay was challenging for her initially. “I had to come up with funds, besides the provisions by Petronas, to equip my house with the required facilities. “But I enjoy doing homestay. It helps supplement our main income from the oil palm plots. “As long as Imbak Canyon is here, I think our homestay will thrive,” said Haina, who has three children. According to Homestay Po’pomponan chairman Apal Sagit Uloi, 32, the homestay programme was still a work in progress. “A lot of work still needs to be done to improve the homestay’s offerings and the overall upkeep of the village to enhance the visitors’ experience. “We hope to see our village develop and more visitors at our homestay. We hope to showcase our cultural heritage one day, like the red durian which is one of our delicacies here,” said Apal. The Icca was gazetted as a Class 1 (Protection) Forest Reserve in 2009 with much of its growth attributed to the partnership between Petronas and Yayasan Sabah. Petronas has to date contributed RM83 million towards the Icca’s growth and conservation. It is fast emerging as a major destination for not only tourists, but also scientists who carry out research activities following the completion of the Imbak Canyon Studies Centre (ICSC) last year.   Source: New Straits Times
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