Hope for Sabah and Langkawi
Date Posted: 31 Jul 2008
LANGKAWI Geopark in the northern state of Kedah, and Sabah in East Malaysia, may be let off the hook by the government, which on June 9 banned local events from being held in hotels to cut costs (TTG Asia, July 4 -10). Local daily, The Star, recently reported the ban on government departments holding functions in Langkawi Geopark hotels had been lifted by the prime minister, following a meeting with political party members from Kedah on July 12. Sabah tourism, culture and environment minister was cited in another local daily, New Straits Times, as saying that the state government would continue to hold functions at hotels, but at a reduced ...

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RM28 Mln For Tourism Activities In States
Date Posted: 22 Jul 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) -- The federal government has allocated RM28 million for various tourism activities in the states through the State Tourism Action Council (STAC), Dewan Negara was told Monday. Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib said the allocation approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan involved 119 activities drawn up according the suitability of each state. He said Perlis was allocated RM1,580,000, Kedah RM1,754,000, Langkawi RM1,730,000, Perak RM1,956,000, Selangor RM1,950,000, Melaka RM1,827,564, Negeri Sembilan RM1,872,791, Johor RM1,298,550, Kelantan RM1,700,000, Terengganu RM1,910,000, Labuan RM1,335,000, Sabah RM1,951,200, Sarawak ...

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AirAsia To Start Pekan Baru-Singapore Flight August 14
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2008
KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- Low cost carrier, AirAsia, is scheduled to have its first flight from Pekan Baru, Indonesia to Singapore on August 14 this year. In a statement Friday, AirAsia said it will fly from Pekan Baru to Singapore three times a week. The new route, managed by AirAsia in Indonesia, is the first to be offered by a local based airline in Indonesia. "We see the latest Pekan Baru-Singapore route as a sign of AirAsia's confidence in capturing the ASEAN market," said its group chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes. With this new addition, AirAsia now serves three international destinations from Indonesia, namely Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, ...

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Malacca City could be preserved after becoming world heritage
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2008
MALACCA CITY, MALAYSIA, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia's historic city of Malacca could be protected better after being listed as a world heritage, a local official said here on Friday. Admission of the city into the world heritage family will promote people's awareness to treasure the site more and protect it better than before, said Erne Hamsah from the Conservation Architect Unit of the City Council of Malacca. The success in its long journey towards the world heritage will bring many other benefits to the city, she told Xinhua at the CityHall. For example, Erne said, as a new world heritage, the Malacca City would attract more eyes around the world, which will enhance its status in the ...

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Cebu Pacific Launches Manila-Kota Kinabalu Direct Service
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2008
Philippines-based airline Cebu Pacific has launched a new direct service from Manila to Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The airline said that it will operate the new service using its brand new Airbus A319 aircraft. The one-way year round fare for this new route begins at PHP999, exclusive of taxes and surcharges. Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing and product at Cebu Pacific, said: "We are happy to provide affordable low fares to the public that will allow them to visit both Kota Kinabalu and Manila more frequently. The direct service will provide ease and convenience for tourists and returning residents to the Philippines as they depart and arrive directly in ...

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Sabah should use its rich culture to lure tourists, says minister
Date Posted: 17 Jul 2008
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's rich multi-ethnic cultures should be fully exploited to lure tourists, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. He said Sabah, with its 32 ethnic races speaking 50 dialects, could draw foreign tourists keen on seeing the traditions and cultures of the people in Borneo. Noting that Bali first promoted its Balinese culture to lure tourists before selling their beaches, Masidi said Sabah's varied ethnic groups would definitely appeal to tourists. "For this purpose, we are teaming up with Sarawak to celebrate next year's Kaamatan and Gawai festivals together and we hope to bring in a large group of German tourists," Masidi said when launching ...

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