News & Updates from KePKAS

04Oct

WAGC 2019 to begin on Oct 19 in Sabah

PETALING JAYA: The World Amateur Golfers Championship (WAGC) 2019 will be held in Sabah from Oct 19-26. This will be the 25th edition of the largest and most popular amateur golfers tournament in the world, with with over 40 countries registered in this year’s tournament, organised by Delta Trend Golf & Leisure Holidays Sdn Bhd. For the eighth year running, Perodua will be the title sponsors and the competition will be played at four golf courses in Sabah, the Sutera Harbour Marina Golf & Country Club, the Sabah Golf & Country Club, the Dalit Bay Golf & Country Club and the Nexus Golf Resort Karambunai. With the tagline Fascinating BORNEO - ‘The Land Below the Wind’, other agencies such as Tourism Malaysia, Sabah Tourism Board and many other sponsors and stakeholders will be playing a vital role to ensure the success of the 2019 World Final in Kota Kinabalu. Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew who was present at the launch of the event said her Ministry has been actively promoting tourism in Sabah, and recognised the importance of golf in attracting visitors and investors to the state. “We are calling on everyone in Sabah to roll out the red carpet to welcome the national teams of WAGC and their entourages. Staging this world golf championship in Sabah has also received national support. Such a major tournament was made possible through sponsorships, particularly by Perodua, and the joint support by Sabah Tourism Sabah and Tourism Malaysia “I understand many officials of these two bodies will be playing pivotal roles in coordination, as cooperation from many government agencies are needed to ensure the WAGC runs smoothly in Sabah. It is also imperative that our local golfing fraternity rally together and make WAGC 2019 a golf tournament that many Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, can long remember and be proud of,” she said. Since 1995, this global event has inspired many amateur golfers from around the world by providing them a platform to compete in an international tournament. The WAGC gives amateur golfers the opportunity to represent with pride their respective countries in a world championship final, individually as well as in a team. Source: The Sun Daily
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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
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30Sep

Malaysia’s Sandakan Airport to extend runway for international flights

Construction work for the extension of Sandakan Airport in Malaysia has started and is expected to be completed by mid-2021. The project includes the extension of the current runway from 2,133m to 2,500m and the construction of a new taxiway, which will connect the runway to the parking apron. Expansion of the current aircraft parking apron, as well as the relocation and installation of associated approach lighting and runway equipment, will also be undertaken. The project is expected to have a duration of around 18 to 20 months. According to the Borneo Post, Sandakan Member of Parliament Vivian Wong Shir Yee has said that state and federal ministries will work together to complete the project on time. Shir Yee said: “We are collaborating closely with various stakeholders, the Ministry, Tourism Malaysia, Sabah Tourism Board, Malaysia Airport, airlines, local tourism players and media to promote Sandakan so that we can get more airlines to serve Sandakan as soon as the runway project is done. “Going by the current growth trend, we will need to embark on the terminal expansion by the time the runway extension is completed to cater to the air travel demand in the district. We certainly look forward to usher in a new era of air travel to and from Sandakan soon.” The project was introduced by former Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he visited Sandakan in March 2017. It is expected to boost the tourism and income for the region by permitting international flights to land. Source: Airport Technology
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24Sep

Bum Bum introduced as Sabah’s first macro dive site destination

SEMPORNA: Sabah introduced Bum Bum Island as its first dedicated macro dive site destination in Malaysia through its first edition of 2019 Sabah Underwater Photography Festival (Macro edition) which ended on Sunday.Sabah Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac) Director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar, said the four-day festival was also a preparation for Sabah to usher the 2020 Visit Malaysia Year campaign.“This festival is a continuation from the exploratory activities previously done by the State Motac in an effort to identify the uniqueness of the Bum Bum Island as a potential destination for macro dive site to be introduced to the world community. “The area along the passage of the island houses many small size macro species, including endemic species,” he said during the prize presentation ceremony of the competition, here, Sunday night. A total of 15 photographers from Sabah and Kuala Lumpur took part in the competition. According to him, the pictures shot by the winner will be used as the promotional materials to introduce the waters of Bum Bum Island as a macro muck diving destination.“We will be using the social media platform too to promote this macro photography by encouraging participants to use the hashtag #VM2020. The pictures will also be displayed in every programme organised by the Motac,” Ahmad Zaki said.He explained that the competition involved professional judges in the field of underwater photography, in particular macro photography, who were professional instructors from Diving Instructor World Association (DIWA) namely Patrick Ong See Hoong from Kuala Lumpur and Zulkarnain Ng Abdullah and Nicholas Teh from Singapore. Source: Daily Express
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23Sep

Adventure mart heads to Sabah

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan, 23 September:  Malaysia will host the PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2020 the association announced at the close of the PATA Travel Mart. The event will be hosted in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah at the Sutera Harbour Resort 12 to 14 February 2020. Tourism Malaysia, in partnership with Sabah Tourism Board and Malaysia Airlines, will bankroll and sponsor the mart. Scheduled in Malaysia for the first time, the PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart (ATCM) should attract more than 200 delegates from over 25 countries. This three-day niche event, with both conference and travel mart components, brings together tourism professionals involved in adventure travel and responsible tourism. “The PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart provides an exceptional platform for travel trade professionals to gain deeper insights into adventure travel trends and contribute to creating a more responsible travel and tourism industry”, said PATA CEO Mario Hardy. “This event has enjoyed outstanding success in recent years, and we are delighted to have the opportunity for the first time to focus upon the many opportunities for adventure travel and responsible tourism in Sabah, Malaysia.” Upon winning the bid to host the event, YB Datuk Mohamaddin bin Ketapi, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, said: “Malaysia is proud and honoured to be given the opportunity to host this PATA event in Malaysia. It will be a golden opportunity for us to showcase Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, world-renowned for its nature and adventure attractions.” Sabah is popular for outdoor activities, among them the trek to the summit of Mount Kinabalu, one of Southeast Asia’s highest peaks.  Other attractions include the Sipadan island dive site with its marine biodiversity; lush rainforests and flora and fauna including the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower. A Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign gets underway in January with special events and festivals. Sabah is situated on the island of Borneo and is the second largest of the 13 states that make up Malaysia. It shares the island with Sarawak, Brunei and Indonesian Kalimantan. Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) is the gateway for travellers exploring the state and is currently served by almost 100 direct international flights that connect to major cities including Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur (via Kuala Lumpur International Airport), Seoul (Korea ROK), Hong Kong SAR and Shenzhen (China), Singapore, Jakarta (Indonesia), Taipei (Chinese Taipei), Manila (Philippines), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Tokyo (Japan) and Perth (Australia).
Source: TTR Weekly
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