05Dec

Sabah set for new tourist influx record

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah tourism sector is set to create a new record this year as the influx of tourists continue to soar, probably hitting the 3.7 million mark surpassing the targeted 3.55 million. “In a few weeks (Dec 20), Batik Air (Indonesia) will commence Jakarta-Kota Kinabalu sector, making it the 14th international airline to be served by Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA),” said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun. “In the first quarter next year, Kota Kinabalu will be connected to Chengdu, Changsha and Tianjin that used to be charter flights now coming in as scheduled flights,” Masidi disclosed during the bi-annual 11th Sabah Tourism Awards 2017 at a resort here on Saturday. He also shared that Consul-General of China in Kota Kinabalu Liang Caide is working to mount a scheduled flight from Beijing to Kota Kinabalu either by this month or early next year. “This is good news for us because the Chinese government is making the arrangement for us and it will be operated by Xiamen Airlines. “I take this opportunity to thank the Consul-General of China in Kota Kinabalu for giving us the cooperation to bring in more Chinese tourists to Sabah. “This is another challenge as we are fast running out of hotel rooms; so my message to investors is please facilitate in building 4-5 star hotels because there is a real need for it,” said Masidi. Up to Oct this year, he said KKIA has welcomed 190 chartered flights from China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan making it the second busiest after Kuala Lumpur International Airport. KKIA is serving 171 international and 410 domestic flights weekly, connected to 16 international destinations via 13 foreign airlines. China and South Korea are the busiest routes with 84 and 35 flights respective per week, he said. “Cruise season have started. Last week over 3,000 passengers from the European cruise arrived at our port in Kota Kinabalu. “We are expecting three more cruises by year-end or at least l0,000 more arrivals from all over the world,” said Masidi. “We will not stop there. When the Sabah International Convention Centre is completed in 2018, the business events industry in Sabah will progress dramatically as the centre had 5,000 seating capacity,” said Masidi. As of Sept this year, he said Sabah had received closed to 30,000 MICE arrivals generating a revenue of some RM78 million, reflected the readiness of Sabah to stage large scale events and for this, the Sabah Tourism Board will set up MICE section next year. “By 2020, business events are expected to contribute RM3.9 billion in gross national income for Malaysia or 2.9 million extra business events visitors. Sabah will have a share of the market by next year,” Masidi revealed. He said 2016 was regarded as an outstanding year for Sabah tourism chalking up 3.427 million arrivals eclipsed the 2013 results, dubbed as ‘best year in tourism’. “We are expecting better results this year as up to Oct this year, the arrivals went up by 11.8 per cent to 2,929,181 million compared to the same period of last year, he said. From Jan to Oct, he said Sabah recorded an increase of 7.67 per cent to 1,004,354 international arrivals compared to last year. Domestic arrivals went up by 10.5 percent to 2,011,258 so far. The tourism receipts have been estimated at RM6.396 billion, a robust nine per cent growth compared to the same period last year, he said. “We commend the industry’s leaders in service excellence and recognise those that are raising the bar in terms of enhancing visitor experiences. “The award is a tangible symbol of recognition for your accomplishment. It is a competitive world and we need to be on the move all the time, not be complacent,” Masidi said. He said quality service culture is essential to sustain and drive the industry. “We need to inculcate the service oriented community. I hope to see this become a reality in years to come,” he said. Meanwhile, Masidi said next year the industry will emphasis on rural tourism as Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Haji Aman has set aside a fund in the State 2018 Budget to promote that sector. “We have achieved a good level in the urban areas and now we want to introduce the rural areas to visitors to allow Sabahans in the interior to have a share in the spillover we are enjoying now. “We have the foreign market for the rural tourism,” he said. The highlight of the evening was the presentations of the Minister’s Special Awards which respectively went to Sipadan-Mabul Resort chief executive officer Robert Lo and Kadamaian Tourism Association chairman Walter Duis Kandayon who received on behalf of their members. “These rural folks at Kadamaian are an exemplary group that fully embraced digital marketing to promote their destination. “There is no escaping the digital era. Even tonight (Saturday), the event can be seen live by our partners overseas and on your phones. This is possible with just a fraction of the cost compared to broadcasting in the past,” Masidi said. Lo is also the founder and president of Miss Scuba International and he was recognised for his efforts in using the beauty pageant to raise the awareness on the threat of ocean pollution to our planet.   Source: New Sabah Times
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05Dec

Focus on rural tourism: Masidi

Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said his Ministry will be focusing on rural tourism next year. "It is my hope that the Chief Minister's intention in the 2018 State Budget to focus on rural tourism will become a reality next year. "I am confident that we in Sabah have an excellent tourism product. We want the community in the rural areas to also enjoy the spill-over from the tourism industry. "We don't want those in the urban areas, hotels and airlines only to profit but also those in the rural areas. There is an interest from foreign tourists to go to the rural areas in the State to enjoy the tourism attractions there," he said to reporters at the 11th Sabah Tourism Awards, here, Saturday. He also took the opportunity to acknowledge the people at Kadamaian in Kota Belud who built their tourism industry from scratch without or little assistance. "I have given special mention (Ministers Special Award) to the Kadamaian Tourism Association Sabah (Kata) to emphasise that focus. We found that we have achieved a good level tourism wise in the urban and city areas and that there is also a need to focus on rural tourism. "What made me happy is that the local people themselves were actively involved in promoting rural tourism products," he said, adding that up to September, the Kadamaian people had earned up to RM500,000 and that they had fully embraced technology to promote their destination. Masidi also announced that there will be direct commercial flights between Kota Kinabalu and Beijing latest by early next year. "I have spoken to the Consul General of China, Liang Caide, and he informed me that he is arranging to have direct flights between Beijing and Kota Kinabalu. "This is good news for me as it reflects the confidence of Chinese government in our capabilities to give the best service to Chinese tourists," he said, adding that the route which would be facilitated by Xiamen Airways was under discussion. "This will happen perhaps before end of the year or early next year." Masidi also urged banks to facilitate investment in hotel construction, especially four and five-star hotels, to cater to the rising number of Chinese tourists amid concerns raised over the availability of accommodation with more tourists expected from Beijing. "We are running out of hotel rooms, so while I am very happy that the Chinese government is trying its best to help us to get direct Beijing-Kota Kinabalu flight service, at the same time, I am also quite apprehensive if we have enough rooms to cater to their demands. "My message is to all investors and banks, please facilitate the investment in hotels, especially four and five-star hotels, as there is a real need for them." Masidi said as of October this year, Sabah has welcomed 363,977 tourists from China. He said 2016 was an outstanding year for tourism in Sabah with total arrivals of 3.427 million. "That year, we surpassed the results for 2013, known as the 'best year in tourism'. "This year up to last October, we have recorded 2,929,181 arrivals or an 11.8 per cent increase compared to the same time last year. "From January to October, over a million international tourists (1,004,354) have visited Sabah, up 7.67 per cent compared to last year. Domestic arrivals have reached 2,011,258 (up 10.5 per cent). "So far, tourism receipts have been estimated at RM6.396 billion, a robust nine per cent growth compared to the same period last year. That's around more than half a million ringgit extra income earned for Sabah this year. He said Kota Kinabalu international Airport (KKIA) is the second busiest airport after KLIA, serving 171 international and 410 domestic nights weekly. "We are connected to 16 international destinations brought in by 13 foreign airlines, the busiest route coming from 84 nights from China and 35 nights from Korea weekly. "In a few weeks (December 20), a new airline, Batik Air (lndonesia) will commence direct Jakarta -Kota Kinabalu flights. It will be the 14th international airline served by KKIA. "For the next quarter next year, Kota Kinabalu will be connected to three more Chinese cities. Chengdu, Changsha and Tianjin. What used to be charter flights coming from these three cities will now be scheduled flights, showing that the routes have 'matured'. He said up to October, 190 charter flights from Northern Asia (China, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan) arrived in KKlA. "The cruise season have started. Last week over 3,000 passengers from the European cruise arrived at our port in Kota Kinabalu. We are expecting three more cruises up to the year-end or a total of at least 10,000 more arrivals from all over the world. "If we continue with this trend, we could exceed the targeted 3.55 million this year with total arrivals estimated between 3.6 -3.7 million. That could very well be the best achievement in history." On the Sabah Tourism Award 2017, Masidi said he was happy with it, adding the biennial awards was important to appreciate all tourism players and a testimony they had played their role to help boost the industry. Among the winners for this year were Ministers Special Awards (Robert Lo and Kadamaian Tourism Association Sabah), Best Tourism Attraction (Borneon Sun Bear Conservation and Mari Mari Cultural Village, Excellence in Hotel Services: (Shangrila Rasa Ria, Ming Garden Hotel, Hotel Sixty3, Borneo Nature Lodge, Koposizon Homestay Papar, Sipadan Mabul Resort Water Bungalow), Best Inbound Tour Operator: (Amazing Borneo Tours and Events ), Best Inbound Tour Package (3D2N Bird Watching Kinabatangan-Kinabatangan Jungle Camp), Best Tour Guide: Napoleon Dimus (Borneo Rainforest Lodge), Most promising Tour Guide: Mohd Shirou (S.I. Tours), Best Food Outlets: Naan- flavours of India, Shangrila Rasa Ria and Hokkaido Sakagura Restaurant, Best Shopping Complex: Imago, Best Night Spot Experience: (Shamrock Irish Bar), Best SPA Reflexology: (Helen Beauty Reflexology and CHI, The Spa Shangrila Tg Aru) , Best Airline Partners: (China Southern Airlines, Eastar Jet, Spring Airlines, Airasia), Best Community Based Tourism Initiative (Rural): (Padas Farmstay Tenom -TYK Adventure Tours), Best Golfing Experience: (Dalit Bay Golf and Country Club). - Neil Chan   Source: Daily Express
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04Dec

15,000 Sabah jobs linked to coffee

Kota Kinabalu: The local coffee industry is contributing a big chunk to the economic pie with some 15,000 locals being employed throughout its value chain generating over RM250 million of the State's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Industrial Development Minister Datuk Raymond Tan said agriculture, manufacturing and general service comprised almost 67 per cent of Sabah's GDP in 2016, with quantifiable value of RM49 billion. He said the local coffee industry also played an important role in servicing the ever growing tourism sector; not counting the exports of products once they return to their respective home countries. "It goes without saying that a successful coffee culture will serve as lead for Sabah's other agricultural products such as tea and cocoa to go higher too. "My Ministry has tirelessly focused on Sabah's industrial development by looking into the complete value chain, from raw materials to manufacturing and service at the other end. "We believe Sabah should utilise its natural advantage of abundant resources and value-add to transform into products and services. "Sabah imports almost 1,000 tonnes of raw coffee beans yearly, as needed by over 15 factories big and small, to churn out products for consumers and over 3,000 food and beverage outlets to serve customers. "This is expected to grow further with locals demanding better products and better service quality, as well as higher expectations from tourists visiting the State," he said at the opening of the second KK Coffee Festival at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, here, Friday. According to him, his Ministry welcomes proposals for collaboration or assistance, if needed, in expanding the value chain in the areas of manufacturing, logistical support and any services to improve efficiency and productivity. Tan also congratulated Borneo Cafe Alliance, a subdivision of Federation of Sabah Industries, in organising the successful event which, according to him, reflected the entire coffee value chain. "Your event certainly assists in bringing more sophistication to the industry by not just providing a platform to showcase latest products and promote higher service quality but also by having competition of this sort to bring up the skill levels of local coffee players. "This exposition event together with the Latte Art competition, I'm sure, have elevated the coffee standard here in Sabah to the benefit of not just locals but international tourists. "Therefore, I encourage Borneo Cafe Alliance to organise more events to better serve Sabah's food and beverage industry," said Tan. Meanwhile, Borneo Cafe Alliance Chairman Frankie Liew said there were 21 exhibitors occupying 30 booths, covering raw materials and equipment suppliers and cafes. "This event presents a good spectrum of products and services to guests as well as visitors in terms of exposure, increasing awareness and elevating the standard of coffee in the State and beyond. "We believe that the coffee industry contributes tremendously to the State's economy as well as completes the value chain from plantation to production to services," he said. Also present at the event was Federation of Sabah Industries (FSI) Honorary Life President Datuk Seri Wong Khen Thau. - Cynthia D Baga   Source: Daily Express
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04Dec

‘Huminodun’ complements Sabah’s creative industry aspiration — Musa

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman commended producers of the Kadazan-language film ‘Huminodun’ which premiered at a local cinema yesterday for their effort which complemented the Sabah government’s aspiration to develop the creative industry in the state. “The state government has identified the creative industry as an important area of development and seeing the work of so many Sabahans brought to life through this film complements our aspiration. “The effect of the creative industry on development is something that policymakers around the world have been waking up to with countries such as South Korea and New Zealand, making it the cornerstone of their economic growth,” he said in his speech text delivered by Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Musa was also glad to note that the filmmaker, Siung Films Sdn Bhd, comprised of 99 per cent of Sabah talents and had worked closely with various organisations in the state to ensure a true depiction of Sabah’s heritage displayed in the film. Among the organisations involved were State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, Sabah Tourism Board, Sabah Cultural Board, Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA), KDCA Women’s Council and Kadazandusun Language Foundation. — Bernama   Source: Borneo Post
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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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