02Oct

Sabah, New Zealand to form joint council on tourism and trade

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah and New Zealand will form a joint council to boost tourism and trade. Key tourism and trade players from both sides will sit on the proposed Sabah-New Zealand Council of Tourism and Trade to formulate policies and make recommendations to the government.
The idea was mooted by Deputy Chief Minister and state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew, and New Zealand High Commissioner to Malaysia Hunter Nottage during the latter’s courtesy visit to Liew’s office, today. “I will brief the chief minister (Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal) on the matter. “The ministry’s permanent secretary and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) will do a follow-up,” said Liew. Liew and Nottage believe the council will benefit both sides enormously from the perspective of tourism and trade growth. “It’s a new idea in terms of structure and architecture, but the theme for cooperating in trade and tourism is one that we have been doing for a while,” said Nottage “This is a great start... We will work on this (proposed Joint Council) and we will put more shape around this. The ideas are there.” Nottage added that they would work with senior ministry and STB officials. Nottage said he would send a full report to Wellington and also call on the chief minister on his next trip here. Liew and Nottage concurred that their first meeting was a great start to encouraging more New Zealanders to visit Sabah and vice versa. STB’s statistics show that there were 3,262 New Zealand tourist arrivals in Sabah between January and December last year. The first six months of this year recorded some 1,256 tourist arrivals from the country. During the meeting, Nottage also pointed to the possibility of having a cultural exchange to showcase cultural heritage, adding that he hoped to bring Maori arts and culture over to Sabah. He also suggested a focus on “Borneo” branding in efforts to promote Sabah and Sarawak. The high commissioner attended the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival, which featured, among others, a filmmaking course led by award-winning Maori filmmaker Paula Whetu Jones.
Source: New Straits Times
By Inside KePKAS, Comments Off
Read more...
22Oct

Sabah to tap more markets from Europe, US, Australia, New Zealand

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is planning to “balance” the tourism sector, especially among foreigners, said State Tourism and Culture minister Datuk Christina Liew. “Sabah has been putting focus on China market which takes about 50 per cent of tourist arrivals in the state. “The (Tourism, Arts and Culture) ministry, through Sabah Tourism Board, needs to balance influx of tourists to the state through participation in roadshows to explore and tap more markets from Europe, United States, Australia and New Zealand,” she said, adding that the Board would be sending representatives to World Travel Market in London next month to promote Sabah. Liew, who is also Api-Api state assemblyman, was speaking at a press conference after site inspection at Sinsuran, Segama, Bandaran and Kampung Air here. It was reported that Sabah Association of Tour and Travel Agents had said the occupancy rate of hotels had fallen to 50 to 60 per cent in October, as compared to an average of 80 to 85 per cent occupancy in the same period last year. Liew, however, said the ministry was optimistic with the oriental market as China knows the State’s attractions such as the mountains, sea and food. “Next week there will be a press conference on this (tourists from China) whereby Southern China Airlines will have more flights (coming into Sabah),” she said. On the site inspection, Liew said it was to fulfil her election promise to solve issues on hygiene, and repair works, among others, in the constituency. She said the constituency’s Community Development Leaders unit office and website would be established soon for people to lodge complaints and check on distribution of development fund. Meanwhile, on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement on two terms limit for people’s representatives, Liew said there were many things that could be done within the period. “However, whether it is sufficient (to bring significant changes), I will leave it to wisdom of top leadership and the time they need to repair the country’s debts,” she added.   Source: New Straits Times
By Inside KePKAS, , , , , Comments Off
Read more...
01Oct

Sabah can expect more tourists from NZ

Kota Kinabalu: The arrival of New Zeland tourists to Sabah that now stands at 10,000 yearly is expected to increase once a proposed arrangement on Indigenous Cooperation between the New Zealand High Commission and Sabah takes shape. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said her Ministry and others would be working on the matter. "Hopefully, the memorandum will materialise this year. The bilateral relations between New Zealand and Sabah will be rekindled and move a step further, especially in tourism. "I am optimistic it will boost tourist arrivals from New Zealand," said Liew, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister, after a courtesy call by NZ Acting High Commissioner Richard Mann, Wednesday. She invited Mann, who was on his maiden visit to Sabah, to visit Sandakan in the near future. Mann said New Zealand has a special relationship with Sabah and Sarawak based on educational needs and also indigenous peoples who have strong connections with the Maoris of New Zealand. "The Minister of Maori Affairs was here last year, so we are focusing a lot on developing indigenous people's links between New Zealand and Sabah and Sarawak. "That (courtesy call) was a wonderful meeting with the Minister, and I think we found a lot in common and a lot of interest in working together and going forward," he said. According to Mann, the objective of the Memorandum is to provide a framework for cooperation between New Zealand and Sabah on indigenous issues and between indigenous peoples in the areas of language and culture, trade and business, education, tourism, indigenous policy and legislative developments, environment and justice, on the basis of mutual benefit. Liew directed her Permanent Secretary Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai to liaise with the Ministry of Education and Innovation, Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Law and Native Affairs in working towards the realisation of the Memorandum. Also present were the Ministry's Assistant Secretary (Cultural), Tinus Manggam, Director of Sabah Wildlife Department, Augustine Tuuga, Director of Environment Protection Department, Hj Mohd Yusrie Abdullah and Sabah Tourism Board Cassie Forsythe.   Source: Daily Express
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
14Sep

Sabah and New Zealand working on joint memorandum

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah and New Zealand are working on a memorandum to boost cooperation between indigenous peoples of both nations. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry together with other ministries and agencies were working on the proposed agreement. Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, who is also state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said this after receiving a courtesy call from acting New Zealand High Commissioner Richard Mann at the state tourism ministry’s office here. “Hopefully, if everything goes well, the memorandum will materialise this year.
“Once the memorandum is inked, it will rekindle bilateral relations between New Zealand and Sabah.
“I am optimistic it will boost tourist arrivals from New Zealand which currently hovers around 10,000 every year,” said Liew who also invited Mann to visit Sandakan in the near future. Mann, who is making his first trip to the state, said New Zealand formed a special relationship with both Sabah and Sarawak through educational links. The indigenous people of both states also have strong connections with the Maoris of New Zealand, he added. “The Minister of Maori Affairs was here last year, so we are focusing a lot on developing indigenous peoples’ links between New Zealand and Sabah and Sarawak. “It was wonderful meeting with the minister. “We have a lot in common and will work together moving forward,” he said, adding that the planned memorandum of indigenous cooperation would be a stepping stone to greater cooperation. Mann said the memorandum seeks to strengthen the friendly relationships between New Zealand and Sabah, and acknowledge the cultural bonds and common interests between Maori and the indigenous people of Sabah. “The objective of this memorandum is to provide a framework for cooperation between New Zealand and Sabah on indigenous issues and between indigenous people in the areas of language and culture, trade and business, education, tourism, indigenous policy and legislative developments as well as environment and justice on the basis of mutual benefit,” Mann said. Liew, meanwhile, directed the Tourism Ministry’s permanent secretary Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai to liaise with the state Education and Innovation, Trade and Industry as well as the Law and Native Affairs ministries to work together to realise the memorandum. Source: The Star Online
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...