All information of tourism sabah

19Nov

Rundum can be No1 for interior eco-tourism: Liew

Kota Kinabalu: Kampung Rundum in Tenom has the potential to be the next best tourist destination in the interiors. Deputy Chief Minister cum Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew said her Ministry already made a study on the history of the place in 1995. She cited "The Rundum Rebellion" or "The Rundum Uprising" led by Ontoros Antanom against the British North Borneo Chartered Company in 1915. She said this during her winding-up speech in response to the recommendation by the Kemabong Assemblyman Jamawi Jafaar to conduct a study on Kg Rundum. Liew said examinations on the former site of the British administration were also carried out. "My Ministry will conduct further research for the purpose of attracting heritage tourism products," she said. She said Rundum is also surrounded by tropical rainforest with temperature reaching 16 degrees Celsius. "It has the potential of being developed for eco-highprofile agricultural land-based tourism," she said. She said the beauty of the waterfall and the fishes, if managed properly by the local community, can potentially make Rundum the best eco and agro tourism destination in the interior of Sabah. "In this regard, my Ministry has already discussed with the Tenom District Tourism Action Council and the Tenom District Tourism Association to hold a tourist awareness briefing with the community at Kg Rundum," she said. She said to further enhance the tourism sector, her Ministry has identified the East Coast of Sabah namely Tawau, Lahad Datu and Semporna as a new hub of tourist destinations to be given focus. " My ministry is aware of the need for international airports besides Kota Kinabalu. "For that purpose, my Ministry has raised the motion to upgrade the status of Sandakan and Tawau airports as an alternative entrance for foreign tourists to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. "If this is realised, the tourism industry in the East Coast will continue to grow," she said. She said Kota Kinabalu will introduce a new event from Dec 1, this year, to attract tourists, called the "Api-Api Night Market". Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal is scheduled to launch the programme which is aimed at providing opportunities for small entrepreneurs in addition to being a tourist attraction. The programme will be held eight times a month, every Friday and Saturday, from 6pm until 2am and open to food, seasonal fruits and handicrafts traders. On another note, she said global tourism for 2018 is expected to record a good growth at four to five percent. She said arrival of Asian tourism is expected to record better growth at around five up to six per cent. For the period January to September, Sabah received 308 unscheduled flights (special and extra charter) linking Sabah with 297 destinations. As of Oct 30, this year, Sabah is connected with 24 international flights by 13 foreign airlines providing 216 flights per week. Liew said her ministry will continue to develop Sabah's tourism sector by focusing on quality and digital marketing activities. She also stated that her Ministry is aware of the importance of domestic tourists as the sector is more stable than international travelers who are sensitive to external factors. She was responding to the Karanaan Assemblyman Datuk Masidi Manjun's suggestion for the State tourism to focus on domestic tourism. She said to date, the Ministry maintains 60 per cent of the domestic market and 40 per cent of the international market. "I have also directed efforts to attract domestic tourists to be enhanced through several initiatives," she said. Among them is to collaborate with AirAsia to bring domestic Key Opinion Leaders (KoLs) from the media and social media to promote routes, namely, Kuala Lumpur-Sandakan, Tawau-Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur-Tawau and Johor Baharu-Tawau. Her Ministry also took note of the recommendation by Masidi for them to collaborate with hotel operators in creating tour packages. "Discussions with hotel operators to produce creative packages are being intensified," she said On the tourism tax collected in Sabah, she said her Ministry will discuss with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture for tourism purposes in Sabah. On the proposal by Kuala Penyu Assemblyman Limus Jury on the entry of tourists to Pulau Tiga, Liew said the matter was determined by the tourism agency offering travel packages to Kuala Penyu, including to Pulau Tiga Park. However, travel agencies ferrying tourists to Taman Pulau Tiga are encouraged to enter through Kuala Penyu town. On the collection of entrance fees to Taman Pulau Tiga collected by Sabah Parks, she said the money is used to cover the cost of park operations. The total collection fees is only RM216, 000 in a year. "This amount is only about 28 per cent of the total operating and maintenance costs of the Park which reaches RM780,000 a year, excluding staff's salary and allowance of 24 people," she explained. - Sherell Jeffrey Photo Source: Christina Liew FB Page   Source: Daily Express
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15Nov

East Coast travel packages launched in WTM

KOTA KINABALU: The East Coast of Sabah gets a significant push at the World Travel Mart held in London. A properly-packed travel attraction has been put together to ensure that the region is benefiting from the fast-growing tourism industry. It has been said that the world’s centuries-old love affair with Borneo centres around her impenetrable rainforests and exotic creatures and cultures. Sir David Attenborough had said that Borneo is one of the most unique and biodiverse places on this planet. Today, much of Borneo specifically Sabah are still mostly untouched, and the Government intends for it to stay that way. Sabah Tourism Board introduces a sampler of this exoticness through an East Coast-themed packaged tours loaded with Bornean wilderness. Tour designs vary from length of stay to levels of difficulty for experiences in Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau divisions where high concentration of rustic surroundings, natural settings and wildlife can be seen. Visitors can expect to enjoy primate-spotting of up to ten species, from the smallest Western Tarsier to the great ape orang-utan; to bizarre creatures like flying snakes and carnivorous plants all compacted in Sabah. About 60% of Sabah is covered with vegetation and out of that, 30% or 2.2 million hectares will be totally protected areas by 2025. General Manager of Sabah Tourism Board, Suzaini Sabdin Ghani who was representing the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, when launching the East Coast packages at Excel said, “Sabah is the lead for conservation work in Malaysia and it shows. Our strong policies keep much of our land intact and conservation areas like Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon exemplary models. “These areas are open to visitors and are suitable for long-haul guests who appreciate quality nature-based attractions and high-end treatment at the same time.” Suzaini also stated that the board is partnering with various regional airlines in reestablishing long-haul connectivity and direct access to Sabah’s wilderness. The recent partnership with BBC presenter Kate Humble, who experienced Sandakan herself, enabled the board to reemphasize visiting the East Coast to a wider audience, Suzaini said. Next year, the board will further use digital marketing to intensify the exposure and reach needed to draw interests in Sabah’s conservation gems in the East Coast.   Source: New Sabah Times
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13Nov

Sabah on track to achieve 3.85m tourist arrivals target, says deputy CM

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry is on track to achieve its target of 3.85 million tourist arrivals, with RM8.154 billion tourism receipts, by the end of the year. In the first nine months of this year, minister Datuk Christina Liew Liew, who is also deputy chief minister, said the state recorded 2,865,322 tourist arrivals, compared with 2,726,788 during the same period last year. She said Sabah had recorded a 40.2 per cent increase in tourist arrivals from China. She said 464,271 Chinese tourists visited the state from January to September, followed by 244,230 tourists from South Korea, which saw an increase of 8.3 per cent. Liew was replying to a question from Datuk Jahid Jahim (GBS-Tamparuli) at the Sabah assembly sitting on whether the ministry would be able to achieve its tourist arrivals target this year. “Sabah contributed 20 per cent of the tourist arrivals from China and about 52 per cent from South Korea to Malaysia. “Air accessibility growth is one of the main factors leading to the increase in the number of international tourists as the state is now connected to 24 international destinations via 216 direct flights a week, with a capacity of 37,210,” she said.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew says growth in air accessibility is one of the main factors for the increase in the number of international tourists visiting the state.
“This year, we have received seven new services from Kunming, Chengdu, Changsha, Xiamen, Beijing, Macao, and Bangkok. “This has made Kota Kinabalu International Airport the busiest airport after Kuala Lumpur International Airport.” She said the ministry had set a target of 1.275 million international tourists and 2.575 domestic visitors for the year. On steps taken by the government to ensure that tourist arrivals continued to grow, Liew said her ministry, through the Sabah Tourism Board, had participated in roadshows, carried out familiarisation trips for media, promotional activities, worked with airline companies and other programmes.   Source: New Straits Times
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09Nov

Miss Scuba International pageant Nov 17

Liew receiving the invitation from Lo. Also seen are Datu Rosmadi (second from right), Suzaini (right) and Yee.

  KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Christina Liew has extended her warm welcome to 22 contestants of the Miss Scuba International pageant. They hail from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, United States, Mexico, Germany, Poland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Belize (a country in Central America), Australia, New Zealand, Iran, South Africa, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea. She noted that nature has endowed the competitors with both beauty and brains. Among the professionals are Salvina de Pacheco Kan, 28, an English teacher from Macau; Sarah Young, 28, an interior designer from New Zealand; Noelle Fuentes Uy-Tuazon, 26, an anthropologist from the Philippines; Natalia Magdalena Janoszek, 28, an author and entrepreneur from Poland; Ko Songmi, 24, a costume designer from South Korea; Leung Yan Kuen, 27, an artist from Hong Kong; and Brittany Daniels, 27, an aquatic invasive species research associate from the United States. On Tuesday, the contestants were transferred from the Tawau Airport to Mabul Water Bungalow on Mabul Island where they will spend nine days engaging in personal training, scuba diving, attending conservation talks and participating in photo shoots and other related activities to boost their confidence level. “Welcome to Sabah. I wish you all the best and do enjoy your stay in the Land Below The Wind. There is so much to see here, and I am sure you will bring back beautiful memories of Mabul Island and other scenic spots. “As you play a vital role as ambassadors, it is my hope that you will help promote Malaysia, in particular Sabah, when you return to your respective countries,” said Liew who is also Member of Parliament for Tawau. The minister has been invited to officiate at the event on Nov 17 at the Magellan Sutera Hotel. Founder cum president of Miss Scuba International Ltd, Robert Lo said the Miss Scuba International pageant aims to raise awareness on the importance of marine conservation. Some of the contestants arrived a week ago to undergo training in scuba diving designed to develop their passion for ocean conservation. On Nov 14, they will leave Tawau for Kota Kinabalu for a two-day grooming session and speech therapy prior to the finals. “The ladies will be enlightened on environmental issues under the tutelage of WWF Malaysia,” he added. Also present were the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Datuk Datu Rosmadi Datu Sulai, Sabah Tourism Board General Manager Suzaini Datuk Sabdin Ghani and tourism player Alexander Yee.   Source: Borneo Post Online
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09Nov

Sabah East Coast packages launched in London

First row (standing) left to right: MATTA President Datuk KL Tan, STB General Manager Suzaini Sabdin Ghani, Tourism, Culture and Arts Malaysia Minister Datuk Mohamadin Ketapi, Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Ahmad Shah Hussein Tambakau with Sabah agents (standing behind) witnessing the launch of the East Coast package.

KOTA KINABALU: The world’s centuries-old love affair with Borneo centres around her impenetrable rainforests and exotic creatures and cultures. Sir David Attenborough once said that Borneo is one of the most unique and biodiverse places on this planet. Today, much of Borneo, specifically Sabah, the northern Malaysian state in the island, are still mostly untouched, and the government intends for it to stay that way. This month at the World Travel Mart, Sabah Tourism introduces a sampler of this exoticness through an East Coast-themed packaged tours loaded with Bornean wilderness. Tour designs vary from length of stay to levels of difficulty for experiences in Sabah’s Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau divisions where high concentration of rustic surroundings, natural settings and wildlife can be seen. Promises of primate-spotting of up to ten species, from the smallest Western Tarsier to the great ape orang-utan; to bizarre creatures like flying snakes and carnivorous plants all compacted in Sabah. About 60% of Sabah is covered with vegetation and out of that, 30% or 2.2 million hectares will be totally protected areas by 2025. General Manager of Sabah Tourism Board, Suzaini Sabdin Ghani who was representing the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Sabah, when launching the East Coast packages at Excel said, “Sabah is the lead for conservation work in Malaysia and it shows. Our strong policies keep much of our land intact and conservation areas like Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon exemplary models. “These areas are open to visitors and are suitable for long-haul guests who appreciate quality nature-based attractions and high-end treatment at the same time.” Suzaini also stated that the board is partnering with various regional airlines in re-establishing long-haul connectivity and direct access to Sabah’s wilderness. The recent partnership with BBC presenter Kate Humble, who experienced Sandakan herself, enabled the board to reemphasize visiting the East Coast to a wider audience, Suzaini said. Next year, the board will further use digital marketing to intensify the exposure and reach needed to draw interests in Sabah’s conservation gems in the East Coast. Surely, the world’s fascination with Borneo will continue.
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