Tag - Tourism

Kota Kinabalu: State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun believes the local fashion industry is capable of attracting more tourists to Sabah. "I received positive feedback from tourists about Malaysian fashion products which they feel are not expensive and cannot be found in their country. Some even said the quality of Malaysian goods is better than other international brands found in their homeland," he said. He said this at the launching of the Suria Sabah Spring/Summer Fashion Month 2014, themed "Holiday Escapade", from April 4 to May 4. "I would like to congratulate Suria Sabah Shopping Mall for coming up with such creativity not only to improve its business but also to enlighten the atmosphere," he said. "I hope this event will more or less contribute in attracting tourists to visit Sabah even if it is on a smaller scale for now," he said, adding that lately, there were less Chinese tourists coming to Sabah. However, Masidi said he was confident that this phenomenon would be temporary and tourists from China would return in droves in the near future. "In fact, yesterday, I saw many Chinese tourists checking in at a five-star hotel here," he said, adding Sabah could be turned into a retail destination selling local brands in the scale of mid range by increasing flights between Sabah and other market countries such as China, Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam. "I am impressed with the quality of the clothing paraded by the fashion models a while ago. I realised that the flower prints on the women's clothing are almost the similar with those sold in United Kingdom," he said. "I am not trying to be bias but its elegance shares the same similarities with those sold in big stores, for example, at Liberty in London. Besides, the price offered here is worth and I'm confident that if we build up the industry well, coupled with good marketing, we can turn Sabah into a place famous for mid range products," he added. Masidi hoped more shopping complexes would follow Suria Sabah Shopping Mall in making Kota Kinabalu attractive, providing tourists not only the best destination for their holidays but also goods for them to purchase as souvenirs. "I believe in our strength in offering goods with reasonable prices, giving satisfaction to customers and making their visit to Kota Kinabalu more worth than they have expected," he added. Meanwhile, Suria Sabah Shopping Mall General Manager Tan Ting Wai said several activities would be held in conjunction with the Fashion Month such as Kiddy's Catwalk Competition and Deejays and Dance Performance. "Customers will also be able to win prizes such as Star Cruise's line packages by simply purchasing RM150 from any of our participating outlets," he said. The fashion week, according to him, would also showcase 13 fashion brands and 10 beauty and fashion counters. Source : Daily Express

Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah state Government has frozen all applications to rent lease from Sabah Parks pending a move to take over powers held by the latter's board of trustees to approve leases for companies to set up resorts. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, said the decision was made by the State Cabinet in the wake of the abduction of two foreign tourists foreigners in Semporna on April 2. "We have decided to temporarily freeze all applications. Security is extremely important in Sabah's agenda to convince tourists that our place is safe. The State government is in a better position to evaluate the suitability of any area leased by Sabah Parks for the purpose of setting up resorts. "The land lease applications are frozen pending new regulations. It would involve re-organisation of Sabah Parks' functions as well as the need for us to have the monitoring power to ensure they make good decisions based on security and utilisation of the lands," he said. This, he said, would also deter cases of overdevelopment of islands in the state. Sabah Parks is a conservation-based statutory body established in 1962 with the purpose of conserving the scenic, scientific and historic heritage of the state. The organisation is also responsible for the management and promotion of the various protected reserves in Sabah, in particular those designated as national parks. It is also mandated to develop tourism-friendly facilities to accommodate tourist arrivals to these reserves and ensure that the state of the reserves is not compromised. Source: Daily Express