Tag - Culture

KOTA KINABALU: Cultural troupes from 20 countries will take part in the Sabah International Folklore festival from July 8 to 17. To be held at the Sabah Cultural Centre in Penampang, it will see troupes from Finland and Timor Leste taking part for the first time. Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday said troupes from 75 countries inquired about the event but they could only host 20 due to budget constraints. "This festival has been an effective tool for us to promote Sabah as a tourist destination to the world," he said, adding the most effective promotion for Sabah was by word of mouth from those who came here. He said this during the launch of a campaign to promote the event in the state. Source : New Straits Times

KENINGAU (Sabah), June 14 (Bernama) -- The national Kaamatan Festival is being held on Saturday (June 16) for the first time in the rural district of Keningau, allowing thousands of rural residents to participate. The festival in Keningau will also become the meeting point for local residents and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who will be in attendance to launch the festival. Many residents from surrounding areas, including Tambunan, Nabawan and Tenom, are planning to visit the Tadau Kaamatan Malaysia Open House. Since 2009 the festival has been held in Padang Merdeka Kota Kinabalu and this is the first time it has been moved to the outskirts. RURAL DWELLERS ARE EXCITED Among the excited local residents are Dr Helen Seminggau, a dentist, who has never had the opportunity to attend the national celebration in Kota Kinabalu due to the distance involved and time constraints. Dr Helen, who comes from the Sook sub-district, noted that she would not miss the opportunity to participate in the festival this year. "We, the dwellers here, thank the Information Communication and Culture Ministry under the leadership of Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, and the Sabah state government under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, for choosing Keningau as the venue for the festival," she told Bernama. Dr Helen, who operates a dental clinic in Keningau town, said choosing Keningau was a brilliant idea and reflected the government's earnestness in realising the 1Malaysia concept envisioned by the prime minister. Other than that, the national level Kaamatan celebration is another honour for the Keningau district, since Kadazandusun-Murut College (KDM College) is to be launched on the following day by the prime minister in Tambunan, she said. HELPING TO DIVERSIFY SABAH'S TOURISM PRODUCTS The National Level Kaamatan Festival is one of the activities surrounding the Kaamatan festival, celebrated every 30 and 31 May in Sabah, to bolster national unity and the tourism industry. It also highlights the good relations between both the state and the federal government. In his closing speech at the Pesta Kaamatan celebration on May 31, Kadazandusun Cultural Association President (KDCA) Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan noted that the Pesta Kaamatan actually served as a unity platform for the various ethnic groups in the state. The deputy chief minister noted that Keningau, being the host, received support from thousands of Sabahans, especially those from rural areas. Meanwhile, Melalap (Tenom) State Assemblyman Datuk Radin Malleh described Keningau as a timely choice for this year's celebration. "This is the best platform to preserve and encourage our local culture, while celebrating our thanks," he said. NAJIB'S PRESENCE TO STRENGTHEN 1MALAYSIA RESOLVE The Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Office noted that Keningau is the perfect choice in hosting the event, as it was the location where Pairin, the paramount leader (Huguan Siou) of the Kadazandusun community, hailed from. Morinie Linus, 32, from Lumondou, near Tambunan, noted that Keningau, as the host, would provide Sabah the best opportunity to display the state's ethnic cultures, especially those of the Kadazandusun Murut. "With the prime minister's presence in Keningau, it is hoped that more people from numerous ethnic groups will come to the festival in the spirit of unity and 1Malaysia," she said. As for promoting local tourism, she said the festival served as the best opportunity to promote the interesting tourism sites in the state, especially Keningau and Tambunan, as both were relatively unknown, with Sabah having numerous eco-tourism attractions. RESIDENTS HOPING FOR "OLE-OLE" FROM NAJIB "My hope is that the prime minister, during his visit to Keningau, will be able to see the development in Sabah, especially on the outskirts, which is still less developed than are the towns," she said. Efah Petrus, 44, a villager from Kampung Toboh Laut in Keningau, said she was happy to learn that the prime minister would be visiting Keningau and officiating at the Sabah Foundation's Handicraft Centre. This indicated that Najib has always been a leader, with the people close to his heart and looking into the problems faced by the people in the rural areas. "These are the leaders that we want. Apart from focusing on towns, the number one leader in the country has never forgotten the plight of the villagers in rural areas like in Keningau," she said. Efah believed that thousands of villagers were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the prime minister, who had introduced numerous programmes to reduce the people's burden, including the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), the RM100 cash for each student and RM200 for undergraduates. Wendy F.Gabrial, 26, from the Belia Tiulon Resettlement Village in Sook, noted that the prime minister's visit to Keningau is very meaningful for the villagers. She said in jest that in those days, leaders who entered the village for the first time would announce a boon, or "ole-ole" like the locals called it, as something to remember. No matter what, Najib's presence at Keningau is a boon for the local residents, who would definitely enjoy better amenities in the future. Source : Bernama

KUDAT: A collaboration between MASwings and the Homestay Association Sabah is expected to bring the tourism industry to a higher level. Dubbed the MASwings Adventure – Misompuru Homestay Kudat, the programme is also part of the Tourism Ministry’s effort to include locals in the rural areas to play their part in the industry. “MASwings realised that the homestay programme is a niche tourism market and I believe this is not a bad investment since it is not available anywhere else in the world. “We want to show the world that Malaysia is a multi-cultural country, the people come from different ethnics and cultures and yet we can live together in harmony,” said Tourism Minister Datuk Sri Dr Ng Yen Yen, adding that the packages are sold through their brandings ‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’ and ‘Cuti-Cuti Malaysia’. She added that even the tourist turnout for homestay programmes in Sabah doubled from 17,528 people in 2010 to 34,578 people last year. “The tourism receipts also increased from RM2.46 million in 2010 to RM3.54 million last year, and for the first four months this year, the revenue is totalled at RM1.04 million derived from 7,714 visitors,” she said when launching the package here yesterday. Ng said that locals in the rural areas now have an alternative to earn a living, adding: “You no longer have to depend on agriculture or the forest to earn a living. It is time to divert to the service industry which brings more lucrative returns.” She pointed out that the homestay programme is another way to promote the local cultures and their way of living. “You can take them to catch fish, rubber tapping or beading activities … these are the experiences they are looking for and I believe they will bring home the sweet memories of their stay here and share them with friends.” Ng said that this is also in line with the move to promote Airline Homestay in East Malaysia, similarly to Railway Homestay in Peninsular Malaysia. She added her ministry is also aggressively promoting the homestay programmes, and currently through an application which can be downloaded from the Ipad and Iphone gadgets by clicking ‘Go 2 Homestay’. The Misompuru Homestay was named as among the top three best homestay programmes in Malaysia. It is two-hour-and-a-half drive from Kota Kinabalu, and recorded a total of 1,126 visitors in 2010 earning a total of RM276,381. The number of visitors swelled to 14,912 last year and revenue collected increased to RM710,943. MASwings Business Development and Charters head Zamani Maran Abdullah disclosed that response has been encouraging to the package. “We rather had a slow start when the programme was introduced in September last year but bookings have picked up this year, thanks to the promotion by the ministry and the Sabah Homestay Association,” he said. Zamani said they are enjoying a 20 per cent increase in bookings this year, adding that MASwings will also be exploring other homestays in Sabah for a similar package. MASwings currently flies twice weekly to the district on a 19-seater Twin Otter aircraft on Mondays and Thursdays. Meanwhile, Sabah Homestay Association president Jeffry Yahya said the programme participants are complimenting each other. “We should not outdo one another but rather compliment each other. We need not be the best but be the ‘shiniest’ of all,” he said. Also present at the event was Sabah Tourism Malaysia Ministry Office director Nely Nasir.