All information of tourism sabah

01Nov

Need to preserve beauty of Sabah to ensure tourism remains sustainable

PENAMPANG: Tourism players want Sabah’s tourism to remain sustainable with continuous conservation of its natural heritage and biodiversity in 33 years to come. Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said Sabah, being the second largest state in Malaysia, has a massive potential to contribute in bringing large arrival of tourists into the country by 2050. “We expect tourist arrival will grow but we have to ask ourselves how this tourism growth impacts the environment. “There is a need to have plans. Therefore the aspirations of Sabah people, especially those in tourism, are vital to ensure the industry stays sustainable and the environment remains preserved as the nation develops,” she said. Mas Ermieyati was speaking at the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) dialogue for Sabah tourism players at the Penampang Cultural Building here today. Speaking to reporters, she noted that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has listed Malaysia among the top 12 countries that have the highest number of tourist arrival. “I see Sabah as a big potential (to boost arrival) and the UNWTO statistic needs to be taken into account to further propel arrival of tourists from abroad. “Can we become top 10 or 5 five in the world in years to come? The government needs the view and aspiration of Sabah people because the state has many interesting places and cultures with its diverse ethnic background.” Mas Ermieyati stressed all these needed to be shared so the people’s hopes and aspirations could be highlighted, which would assist in the implementation of 2050 national tourism policy. This will ensure the government will take into account the sustainable culture, heritage, and eco-tourism in the state, she added. In sharing her personal aspiration, Mas Ermieyati spoke of the beauty of Sabah and hoped to see the state’s attractive scenery stays the same in 2050. “I hope I can still enjoy the beautiful scenery and underwater with the same feeling I have today,” she said. Being an avid diver herself, Mas Ermieyati noted that the diving industry in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, was growing and developing well. She stressed conservation of the state marine biodiversity was vital to keep tourism booming by 2050. Among the aspirations shared by participants in the TN50 dialogue were preservation of ethnic languages, setting up of a cultural agency to provide financial assistance, and continuous environmental conservation, among others. Participants also expressed hope to see ethnic languages being promoted as tourism products and handicraft from the various ethnic groups were well documented for 2050 generation. Source : New Straits Times
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
31Oct

Unveiling the brand new Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre

Kota Kinabalu has long been a popular gateway for international travellers headed to the rainforests and pristine coral reefs of eastern Sabah and Borneo. This coastal city a short flight away from capital Kuala Lumpur, is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Mount Kinabalu, the fifth highest point in South-east Asia, and renowned for its indigenous tribes and cultural diversity, despite being one of Malaysia’s fastest growing cities. Only 15 minutes’ drive from Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre with its convenient access to and from the city’s major roads, banks, office complexes and the new Sabah International Convention Centre, is the ideal place for business travellers to base themselves. While leisure visitors will be thrilled with the walking distance to entertainment venues, eateries, shopping malls and tourists attractions. Just a stone’s throw away is the historical Jesselton Port with ferries to nearby islands, among them Pulau Sipadan which draws adventurous divers to its waters. The 4-star hotel offers a choice of 310 contemporary guest rooms comprising 135 Superior rooms, 40 executive suites and 135 suites in configurations of one-, two- and three-bedroom, spread over the 25-storey building with guests residing on the higher floors enjoying views of the ocean. Garth Simmons, Chief Operating Officer, AccorHotels for Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore, says that “the opening of Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre strengthens our network in Malaysia, where we currently operate 16 hotels offering more than 5,000 rooms.” Of the 27 properties AccorHotels plans to open in Malaysia, adding some 8,400 rooms to our network over the next three years, three developments are in Sabah. For events, meetings, weddings or social gatherings, the hotel’s function room on the roof top, which also houses the hotel’s gym and swimming pool, features state-of- the- art audio visual equipment and can accommodate up to 40 guests. For those who wish to dine in, Maupassant offers all-day dining while Fratini’s serves a wide range of Italian favourites. Phileas Café in the lobby is another rest stop for a quick hearty meal, while the Compass Lounge on the rooftop is the perfect place for a leisurely wine and dine affair while admiring the ocean in the distant. Hotel General Manager Mr. Jacques Leizerovici, who fell in love with the city 11 years ago and stayed for good, says that “Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre is well positioned to cater to the needs of both business and leisure travellers, and the ideal location for social and corporate events. With the ambience and facilities offered within this hotel, we hope to achieve a standard of guest experience that surpasses others in this city.” From now until 31 December 2017, celebrate the opening of Mercure Kota Kinabalu City Centre with the opening special offer of MYR 245.30 ++ per night with breakfast in a Superior room. For reservations, email HA9416-RE@accor.com, call (+60)154876188, or for more information, visit http://www.mercure.com/9416 Source: Mercure Hotel
By Announcement, Inside KePKASComments Off
Read more...
31Oct

Hotel construction to boost tourism in KK

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government welcomes construction of hotels to complement the current state’s economic growth, part of which depends on the tourism and service sectors, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman said on Monday. He said in the service sectors, hotels were crucial to complement the current economic growth in the state, apart from infrastructure development provided by the government. “Efforts to promote Sabah is very dependent on cooperation with the right partners from the private sector and tour associations. “Therefore, construction of the Kota Kinabalu Mercure Hotel is very much welcome and I can assure that the decision to invest here is very apt,” he said when opening the hotel here on Monday.
Musa said the state government would remain committed to develop the state's tourism sector with the cooperation of private entities.
“The tourism sector will continue to help develop the state's economy,” he said, adding that Sabah had various products to attract tourists, including places of attraction, food and culture. He said measures had been taken by the state government to ensure the sustainability of tourism products in Sabah. Musa, who is also state Finance Minister, hoped more investors, local and foreign, would help develop and promote the state's tourism and service sectors. Source : The Star
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
30Oct

MOTAC considers volcano tourism

TAWAU: The Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia (MOTAC) Sabah office is mulling the idea of promoting volcano tourism in Sabah. They have seen the potential after exploring the Tawau Hills National Park recently under its Sabah Sustainability Volunsharing Programme (SSVP) in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Volcano tourism is not a new global phenomenon, but something new in Malaysia. During the expedition, volunteers inspected the dormant Bombalai volcano which last erupted thousands of years ago. What remains of it is an ancient crater. Its cinder cone is only a half-an-hour’s jungle walk from the entrance of the park. The exploration involved 10 students and staff of UMS and MOTAC Sabah with the guidance of the park’s authority. The entourage was welcomed by the park’s assistant senior manager Jufri Nasri. There are two volcanic attractions within the park – the sulphurous springs with warm turquoise water and white sulphur substance deposits, and the ancient crater at Mount Lucia, one of the three large mountains inside the park. Outside the park, there are other volcanic attractions such as Columnar Joints along the Balung River and Conical Sprouts at Andrassy. Both sites are accessible from Tawau town. UMS Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, senior lecturer in tourism Dr Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran Bagul said volcano tourism usually integrates with recreational activities such as sightseeing, hiking, climbing, camping or even mountaineering. If the volcano tourism site is highly popular, it can be recognised as an independent tourism sector or as a value added adventure experience under the umbrella of geo-tourism, he said. “We were excited to learn more about Sabah’s volcanic geo heritage and I believe the identification of the different aspects of geo heritage site values is part of a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development of Tawau Hills Park and the surroundings area,” said Dr Hassanal. MOTAC Sabah director Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar said: “We are happy with this programme (SSVP) and wish to continue this in the near future. We had been collaborating since 2015 and won few recognitions”. Both bodies have been running the SSVP focusing on the sustainability issues in the tourism industry with previous theme of heritage trail and tagal ecotourism. The SSVP is the winner for IKON Award (High Impact University-Community Engagement Award) from UMS in 2016. Source : New Sabah Times
By Inside KePKAS, , Comments Off
Read more...
26Oct

Ctrip awards Hotel Grandis “Best Family Hotel” 2017

KOTA KINABALU: Hotel Grandis has been awarded “Best Family Hotel” for 2017 by Ctrip with a guest score of 4.7 out of 5 and 97 per cent guest recommendation rate. Ctrip, founded in 1999 with its headquarters in Shanghai, is a leading online travel platform in China, with more than 90 million registered members in addition to 5,000 member hotels available domestically and overseas. This year, Ctrip invited 12 Malaysian hotel operators to attend their 2nd Ctrip Global Hotel Partners Summit. Four of these hotel operators were from Sabah, and the others were from Penang, Langkawi, Johor and Kuala Lumpur. The summit also included a tour of Ctrip headquarters to further understand their operations and administrative process of room reservations. During the summit, Ctrip released its “2017 One Belt One Road Travel Report” which among others stated that outbound Chinese travellers increased 71 per cent in 2016 compared to the previous year. And, Chinese travellers to Malaysia went up 129 per cent, followed by Thailand (up 91 per cent), and Singapore (up 47 per cent). The general manager of Hotel Grandis in Kota Kinabalu, Michael Tan received the award on behalf of Grandis Hotels and Resorts. “We are thankful to the China travellers who recognised Hotel Grandis as their preferred hotel. We also appreciate our associates for their continuous support in providing distinctive service to our guests,” Tan said. Source : New Sabah Times
By Inside KePKAS, , , Comments Off
Read more...