News & Updates from KePKAS

21Nov

Sabah Tourism to also focus on promoting forest reserves

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government will also be focusing on promoting forest reserves in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2020, said state State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew. "For the purpose of increasing tourism products at Gunung Alab, Sabah Parks has also developed several chalets and hostels to accommodate 54 people every day. "Sabah Parks has also prepared a 12km-trail from the mountain to Mahua waterfall in Tambunan," she said during the winding up session at the 15th state assembly sitting here. Gunung Alab, with an elevation of 1,951 metre above sea, is the sixth highest mountain in Sabah. Last year, there were 1,671 visitors who came to Gunung Alab and 483 had trekked the trail. She also added that the ministry had received RM4.5 million from federal and state government to develop Trus Madi Forest Reserve. The allocation, which is under the 10th Malaysia Plan, is to build base camp, trail, rest house and water supply, among others. Liew, who is also deputy Chief Minister, said the state government has also been promoting forest areas such as Maliau Basin, Danum Valley, Imbak Canyon and Gunung Tingkar forest reserves through print and online media by Sabah Tourism Board. "For example, Imbak Canyon has been frequented by domestic and international tourists from the United Kingdom and Europe. "Based on statistics, those visitors are students, researchers and those who want to see the beauty of nature, forests and wildlife." Source: New Straits Times
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19Nov

Sabah wins heart of Liverpool football legend Luis Garcia

THE beauty of Sabah has captured yet another heart, and this time, it is of Liverpool football legend, Luis Garcia. Garcia, who was part of Liverpool’s 2005 Champions League winning squad, is in Kota Kinabalu ahead of the Masters Football Asia’s ‘The Battle of Reds’ (BOTR) match on Nov 20 against arch rivals Manchester United. Garcia was so mesmerised by Sabah that he waxed lyrical about it in an Instagram post, and uploaded a picture of himself visiting a local market in the state capital. "Saya memiliki minggu yang baik !! One of the best things of these trips are the beautiful places I found. Kota Kinabalu in the state of Sabah (Malaysia) with delicious food, beautiful markets and one of the best Sunsets I've ever seen. Have a great week guys !! #Morethanagame #OnTheMove #Malaysia,” read his post, which has garnered 4,900 likes and 118 comments. Best known for his “ghost goal” during the 2004/2005 Champions League semi-final match against Chelsea, the Spaniard is head over heels in love with Sabah’s scenery, food, markets and even sunsets. Coincidentally, Liverpool fans once dedicated a song to Garcia which includes the word “sunset” in its lyrics – a nod to his love for nature. Garcia’s local Instagram followers warmly welcomed him to Sabah, with many urging him to visit other states in Malaysia, including Penang, Kelantan, Perak, Sarawak and Negri Sembilan. One Instagram user even praised Garcia for using Bahasa Melayu in his post. Garcia’s praise for Sabah is undoubtedly a boost for local tourism, and comes at just the right time, with Visit Malaysia 2020 just weeks away. Meanwhile, for the BOTR, Garcia is expected to team up with other Liverpool legends including David James, Jason McAteer, John Arne Riise and Danny Murphy. Players representing Manchester United are likely to be Ronny Johnson, Mikael Silvestre, Wes Brown, Clayton Blackmore, Keith Gillespie, Teddy Sheringham and Dwight Yorke, among others. The legends match is jointly organised with Firm Horizon Sdn Bhd and will be held at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu. Source: New Straits Times
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18Nov

Sabah to boost tourism with Visit Malaysia Year 2020

KOTA KINABALU: Several main events in Sabah such as the Borneo Marathon, Sabah Fest and Kaamatan festival are listed in the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VMY2020) event calendar to attract more tourists to this state. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew who is also state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, said the event calendar was published by the federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry. She said this in response to the question by Datuk Abidin Madingkir (Upko-Paginatan) on plans by Liew’s ministry to leverage on VMY2020 at the state assembly sitting on Monday (Nov 18). “In conjunction of VMY2020, Tourism Malaysia has also collaborated with Sabah Tourism Board (STB) to come up with a brochure called Best of Sabah Packages 2019/2020, which highlights 100 tourism packages across the state. “This is in the form of e-brochure, with printed versions available in Tourism Malaysia’s offices in and outside the country, ” she said during the question and answer session. Liew added that among the marketing strategies to promote Sabah is putting VMY2020 logos in all promotional activities participated in foreign markets. The ministry, through STB, also takes part in various travel shows, she added. “Among the upcoming ones listed in the first quarter of 2020 are Asean Tourism Forum 2020 in Brunei (January), South Asia’s Travel and Tourism Exchange in New Delhi (January), MATTA Fair in Kuala Lumpur (March) and Internationale Tourismus-Börse Berlin in March, ” she added. She said Sabah will also host the main adventure travel industry conference in the Asia Pacific in February, where it is expected to attract many foreign visitors. “We will continue to cooperate with international tourism agents and airline companies to promote our products here, as well as increase e-marketing through websites and social media, ” said Liew, adding they also plan for media familiarisation programmes. Liew urged all elected representatives to support the cause by ensuring the tourism spots at their respective constituencies are maintained well and the communities are tourists-friendly. Answering an additional question from Datuk Joniston Bangkuai (PBS-Kiulu) on what the Sabah delegation has achieved when participating in the World Travel Market in London recently, Liew said they are putting more promotion on medical tourism there. “We want to expand this new area of tourism, namely medical tourism. For example, a company based in London is coming to Sabah and we will talk on terms and conditions before signing a memorandum of understanding towards achieving this goal, ” she added. Source: The Star Online
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17Nov

Community tourism rep to join overseas promos

KOTA KINABALU: A representative from the community-based tourism will be joining Sabah delegates from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment for their official visits to overseas to promote its diverse range of rural tourism products.Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the representative would represent all community-based tourism stakeholders in Sabah to serve as an exposure as well as to create visibility in the international arena.“By bringing along a representative from the community-based tourism in our official visits to overseas, they will be able to showcase more of their products at the international stage. “Sabah is rich with nature, wildlife, flora and fauna, and these are something that other places might not have, so we need to promote all that. “Every district in Sabah also offers different and unique products and services, and we want especially foreign tourists to experience each of that. They will keep coming back here and generate more income for the State,” she said when launching the Third Community Based Roadshow at Suria Sabah Shopping Mall, here, Saturday. Liew said there is an increasing demand for international and domestic travellers who seek authentic, unique experiences and local lifestyles in the rural areas.“Travellers have a checklist of must-see in Sabah but to be unique and different, they venture to the areas less travelled. This is where our community-based tourism products fall in. “I often see inspiring and breathtaking pictures which were actually taken around the Kundasang-Ranau area and the serene backgrounds in the interiors of Kadamaian and Tenom,” she said.Twenty-five districts in Sabah including Tungku, a sub-district, participated in the roadshow organised by the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), which aims to showcase and promote rural tourism products and attractions, initiated by communities from each district.The roadshow is also a platform for new rural community-based operators to promote rural tourism activities as village homestay, local delicacies, local cultures and heritage, camping, adventures and other eco-tourism activities. Meanwhile, Liew was pleased that the State Government has increased its budget allocation for her Ministry, which included the community-based tourism.“I am happy that there is an increase of allocation to my Ministry and part of it for the community-based tourism. This will further develop the rural tourism in the country,” she said. Source: Daily Express
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13Nov

Tawau’s first global air access starts

TAWAU: Royal Brunei Airlines (RB) launched its inaugural flight to Tawau from Bandar Seri Begawan, landing here about 6.35pm with 15 passengers, Tuesday. It is Tawau’s first direct air link to the outside world.Among those present were Sabah Tourism Board (STB), Noredah Othman who represented Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew; Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister Department, Datuk Jimmy Wong; General Manager of Malaysia Airports Sdn Bhd (MASB) Kamaruzzaman Razali and RB Senior Vice President-Revenue Management, Louis Du Plessis.Christina in her speech said the new route is a great addition for travellers to access the East Coast of Sabah with the first being Sandakan and now, Tawau. She noted that in recent years RB has strengthened connectivity to other Asian countries and improved the London to Brunei flight by reducing one stopover.“I hope Royal Brunei will also consider to include the Sandakan and Tawau sectors into the promotion that you once had which was an optional free stopover in Kota Kinabalu for any London to Melbourne or vice versa ticket purchase.“We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with RBA for a UK marketing joint collaboration and we can also include this new route from Brunei to Tawau in the campaign,” she said.She also said that, besides being the gateway to Semporna, Tawau also has unique places of interest such as Tawau Park which houses one of the tallest tropical trees in the world, the 27,000 year old Columnar Basalt at the Balung Cocos village and what is dubbed the Lost World, Maliau Basin. “In September, we organised the first Tropical Hills Run at Tawau Hills Park which welcome more than 200 runners, among them from Indonesia and six from Kenya. We look at this new route as an ease for more travellers to reach other places in Sabah beyond Kota Kinabalu,” she said.Meanwhile, Louis said RB is delighted to introduce Tawau as their latest addition operating six flights a week using a brand new ATR 72-600 operated by our business partner Malindo Air. “It’s another important and exciting step in our goal to make travel easier within Borneo and beyond.“Sabah is already one of our most popular destinations with 18 weekly flights to Kota Kinabalu and more recently, six weekly Sandakan from our hub Brunei International Airport,” he said.RB Link flights provide guests with a full-service experience, including a light snack and drink service (for flights over one hour) and checked baggage allowance of 15kg or, for connecting guests, weight in-line with international fare rules. The aircraft can accommodate 72 economy class seats with four preferred seats on a 43-inch seat pitch and six preferred seats with 33-inch seat pitch. RB link currently operates to Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Sandakan, Bintulu, Tawau and very soon to Sibu and Balikpapan. Source: Daily Express
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