26Jun

More five-star hotels approved

KOTA KINABALU: The State Government has approved the construction of more five-star hotels here and in the east coast of Sabah in tandem with the tourism boom, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew. She made the announcement at the Matta (Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents) Raya Open House celebration at Le Meridien Hotel on Sunday night. “This is in view of the rising demand for hotel accommodation. International tourists are coming to Sabah in droves. It’s incredible, simply, we just don’t have enough hotel rooms,” she said. Liew, who is also Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, said she was told by an incentive tour package organiser from China that the latter preferred hotels that can provide accommodation for two to three thousand clients at any one time. “For her incentive reward trips to Sabah, she is not in favour of spreading out her guests in different hotels.” The celebration was organised by Matta (Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents) Sabah Chapter led by its chairman, Lawrence Chin. Turning to the members of Matta, Liew said while the government formulates policies favourable to the tourism industry, it is incumbent upon all tourism players to do their part to ensure the success of the industry. “The government can only facilitate. It is you (tour operators) who will make a difference by luring tourists here. All of you are Sabah’s tourism ambassadors. Do promote the State’s attractions to the international community,” she added. Meanwhile, Matta president Datuk Tan Kok Liang assured tour and travel agents that the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac), Datuk Isham Ishak will address pressing issues confronting the tourism sector in Sabah. “I have brought issues such as illegal tour operators and zero-dollar tourism to his attention,” he said while urging the secretary-general to provide funding for tourism projects in Sabah. Isham, who also spoke, commended Sabah for its high performance in terms of tourist arrivals under the leadership of Liew. “In this respect, Sabah can be a leader to other states in the country from the tourism perspective.” Also present were the Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kota Kinabalu, Krishna Djelani; Consul of the People’s Republic of China in Kota Kinabalu Wang Kai; Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sabah Office Director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar; KKIA Airport manager Sunif Naiman, Sabah Tourism Board general manager Noredah Othman, deputy general manager Kevin Chin and senior marketing manager Tay Shu Lan. Source: Borneo Post Online
By Inside KePKAS, , , Comments Off
Read more...
15Mar

Ministry’s Support For Capsule Hotel in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU:  The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment supports the ‘capsule hotel’ concept which is increasingly becoming popular in the world. Its Minister Datuk Christina Liew said this type of budget hotel with self-contained accommodation units will be in demand, given the booming tourism industry in Sabah. “Apart from conventional hotels, I would encourage existing or potential investors to consider investing in capsule hotels to meet the growing demand for accommodation facilities. “Such facility is a solution provider as we need rooms, especially now when we are so short of hotel rooms. It is an ideal hotel for those in the outskirts coming to the city to attend conferences, seminars or meetings. “It will also provide employment opportunities for locals,” she said after a courtesy call by a delegation from JSK Group led by its Managing Director, Datuk Johnny C.Y. Wong. Liew, who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said a capsule hotel can be a ‘transit point’ for travellers who need a place to rest before catching the next flight. A capsule hotel (also known as a pod hotel) is a type of hotel developed in Japan that features a large number of small bed-sized rooms known as capsules. Capsule hotels provide cheap, basic overnight accommodation to travellers who do not require or cannot afford larger, more expensive rooms offered by conventional hotels. Briefing the Minister, Wong, who is involved in the tourism industry, said the capsule hotel, which originated from Japan, has since been adopted in many countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, USA, Australia, China, Korea and Russia. “Given its affordability, cleanliness and safety features, travellers patronising capsule hotels is a current trend. The fare for this low-budget hotel is only RM70 to RM80 per night. “We have both single and double capsule. When two capsules are put together, it is like a container. For privacy, there can be four capsules in one room for four persons respectively. Alternatively, the capsules are placed in one big hall,” he explained. Wong, who is also Managing Director of the W Group, revealed his proposal for a capsule hotel with rooftop recreation at Sadong Jaya, here. “Our market survey shows there is a genuine need for capsule hotels in the State capital. Domestic customers aside, we are looking at 250 pax mainly from the FIT (Free Independent Traveller or Tourist) category. “We will submit our building plan for the proposed renovation of four blocks of shop lots to serve as a capsule hotel to the relevant authorities. “In the meantime, we will place an order for the capsules from China, and these will be installed when the renovation works are completed. “We hope to get off the ground by October this year to capitalise on the peak season,” he said, adding it could be the biggest such hotel in Sabah when ready for occupancy. Meanwhile, an ambitious Wong also disclosed plans for an international resort and entertainment centre at Jalan Lok Kawi, Beringgis in Papar, to cater to international tourists. He said it will consist of 250 units of service apartments/business suites and 200 units of hotel rooms while the proposed entertainment centre will provide facilities such as a spa, swimming pool and ballroom  (or banquet hall). “To attract visitors and tourists, we will promote seawater sports involving the use of jet ski, water scooter, banana boat and the like. And to facilitate connection from the resort to nearby islands, a jetty and sea transport will be made available,” he added. The islands off Kinarut include Pulau Dinawan, Pulau Ampak-Ampak and Pulau Mantukud about 30 minutes’ boat ride from the mainland. To turn an existing fruit farm at Kinarut into an orchard villa, surrounded by jungle, Wong plans to build 60 units of villa complete with an adventure park. Also present were the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, William Baya, Sabah Parks Head of Parks Management, Justinus Guntavid, JSK Development Sdn Bhd Director of Development (Hospitality), Peter T.S. Wang, JSK Tours & Travel Sdn Bhd General Manager, Tony Kam and JSK Business Development Manager, Leonard Leow. Source: Sabah News Today
By Inside KePKAS, , , Comments Off
Read more...
25Feb

Charting new tourism directions

KOTA KINABALU: The State Government will set new strategic directions and provide an enabling environment for industry players to help drive tourism growth in the State. Deputy Chief Minister cum State Tourism Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew (pic) said for 2019 the government was targeting a diverse range of tourists in order to balance the increasing number of Chinese tourists to the State. “As such she said the government was also looking at increasing tourists from Asean countries.   “With resilience innovation, product quality and excellent service standards, the state Tourism industry will continue to drive the nation forward, thus making the state a preferred travel destination. “I believe we can come together to make tourism the best in the state and in the country. The State Government will stand fully behind every effort. Let us work hard to ensure fruitful outcomes,” she said, adding her Ministry and State Tourism Board have a blueprint to achieve this. “In addition to tourists coming from China which we intend to open up maybe two or three new market destinations from China, we decide to expand our route to Europe which is why we are going to ITB Berlin 2019 travel trade show in March. “It’s the gateway to Europe and we would like to have more European tourists and also open up markets in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan and Korea.  All these are important we believe in balanced tourism promotion. Hopefully we are able to get more tourist arrivals to the state than last year. “We will be visiting these countries and doing promotions to sell Sabah as a destination to all these tourism players in Europe.” On the expected number of European visitors coming to the State, Liew said she would know how to assess the number after going to Berlin. “Sabah has always been an attractive place for Europe because of what we can offer. We have elephants and orang utans, clean rivers and clean air, nice seafood and unique culture.   “So Sabah is a nice place for Europeans. This will be my first time as the State Tourism Minister to go to Europe to do the promotion so I would be able to assess it then. “With the help of Matta and Malaysian Tourism Board, I am very sure we would be able to push for the European Tourist market. We have set our target but we are striving to push it higher.” She said this to reporters at the B2B session between Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Sabah Chapter and 40 Asean Tour Operators at a hotel in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday. Meanwhile Matta President Datuk KL Tan when asked about his comment that only six percent of tourists from Asean countries that come to Sabah with the remainder more towards Kuala Lumpur in the Peninsular, he said traditionally the Sabah market was from China, South Korea and domestic tourism. So Asean market is something that the State can tap into. “For tourists from Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia going to  Kuala Lumpur is popular but today we want a breakthrough for Sabah because of our attractions of diving, trekking and mountain climbing, our food, beaches and clean air so we should be able to attract them. “With air connectivity from Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei  we should be able to tap a bigger share of the market  together with the assistance of the State Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia. “These Asean countries generally tend to have a much bigger population than Malaysia. So we just need a small percentage of them.”   He said Matta Sabah Chapter was fully hosting the 40 tour agents delegates from the Asean countries. “This includes their air transport, accommodation and ground handling in order that they come to Sabah as they have been selling very well for Malaysia generally.” Meanwhile on the B2B event itself, Liew  said it was the first time an Asean tourism conference was  held in the state. “All this while it was held in Kuala Lumpur, but this year was the first time it was held in the state so that we can promote Sabah to them,” Liew said adding that she was sure the delegates would be able to understand what the state had to offer. “We hope today’s B2B session  will be able to produce results. We have spent some money on this as an investment but we believe that there will be a good result from it.” Sabah recorded 1.36 million international arrivals and 2.52 million domestic arrivals which increased by 10.2 percent and 2.8 percent respectively last year.  - Neil Chan Source: Daily Express
By Inside KePKAS, , , , , , , Comments Off
Read more...