January, 2011 Archives - News and Updates, Sabah Tourism Board Official Website (Sabah Malaysian Borneo)

Sabah Tourism Board Official Website

News archives for January, 2011

Mayor satisfied with upgrading of Sabah Parks’ jetty at Segama
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: City Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim is satisfied with the construction of the Sabah Parks jetty, costing RM3.7 million, at Segama next to Wisma Merdeka. He said the jetty which is for the use of staff of Sabah Parks will also become a centre of information to the public about the Sabah Parks. He said the upgrading of the jetty was part of City Hall to beautify the city. "Thanks to Sabah Parks for upgrading their jetty which previously looks worn out. To ensure that the jetty and waterfront areas are kept clean, we will assign an enforcement officer at all times to monitor and ensure the area is always in good condition and clean," he said. He was speaking to reporters after ...

PM to launch CNY carnival during KK City anniversary do
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is expected to launch a Chinese New Year carnival to be held in conjunction with the 11th anniversary of Kota Kinabalu City at Lintasan Deasoka tomorrow night. Kota Kinabalu Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim said the four-day carnival would feature various programmes, including the cutting of a huge cake, lighting of lanterns, beating of drums, Chinese cultural dances and fireworks. He said this in a statement released at a news conference to announce the 11th anniversary celebrations of Kota Kinabalu City here yesterday. The statement was read out by Kota Kinabalu City Hall Deputy director-general (Operations) Joannes Solidau. Iliyas ...

KL-KK flights vital to boost tourism: Musa
Date Posted: 26 Jan 2011
Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the launching Monday of the Firefly Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu flight service will certainly help boost growth of air links in Sabah. He said the State Government was very pleased with the airline's expansion because its business model and offerings support the Government's aspiration to enhance the aviation sector as a way to further develop the State's tourism industry. "Sabah has worked very hard to promote itself as a destination to experience the best of what Borneo has to offer," he said at the welcoming of Firefly's Boeing 737-800 inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur to here. His speech was read out by Tourism, Culture and ...

Najib To Savour Maliau Basin's Best Kept Secret This Saturday
Date Posted: 25 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Maliau Basin, which is poised to be a World Heritage Site soon, has become the most enticing destination in Sabah. People from every part of the world, particularly nature lovers, love to come for the precious moments of savouring the pristine condition in Maliau Basin, also lovingly called Sabah's Lost World. Maliau Basin is visited by tourists of different ages and from the entire globe. Come this Saturday, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will be Malaysia's first prime minister to visit this internationally-acclaimed area, and at the same time enjoy the golden chance of discovering Maliau Basin's best kept secret. On that day, he is scheduled to open the ...

Firefly, a boost to tourism in Sabah – CM
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: Air travellers, both locals and foreigners, now have more choices with the presence of Firefly in the market. Their presence will drive other airlines to offer the most competitive fares. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman when making the comment, said the increase in the number of daily flights between the nation's capital and the state capital have made it easier for travellers to visit Sabah. "Sabah has worked extremely hard to promote itself as a destination and to offer the best of what the island of Borneo has. There was a time when we were unable to expand our tourism sector as rapidly as we would have liked to. This was certainly attributable to the lack of flights ...

Lower air fares will encourage domestic tourism – Masidi
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: Malaysians prefer to holiday overseas as they get better bargains, compared to visiting their own country, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun called on Firefly, a subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), to have a built-in mechanism offering lower airfares as an effort to encourage domestic tourism. "Holidaying overseas sounds much better to Malaysians, but it affects domestic tourism. There should be a balance for us when traveling, because holidaying within our country will control the outside flow of the Ringgit. "For one Malaysian to holiday abroad, we lose one local tourist in the country," he said when representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri ...

Firefly launches airport ticketing office in Kota Kinabalu
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2011
CONVENIENCE and comfort are Firefly's top priorities, hence the decision to fly from Kota Kinabalu International Airport's Terminal 1 instead of Terminal 2. "The ticketing office at Terminal 1 is strategically situated to meet the needs of both local and international travellers. "We are also committed to offering unbeatable value at the lowest fares to passengers, made possible by our decision to use the Boeing 738-800 aircraft. "It seats 189 people and comes with blended winglets that help lower fuel consumption ... these help us to achieve the lowest cost average per seat kilometre. "Additionally, we're able to leverage on parent company Malaysia Airlines' infrastructure such as ...

Malaysia Airlines Introduces MHdeals For Customers In Sabah
Date Posted: 19 Jan 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in Sabah has introduced MHdeals Destination Sabah, an augmented reality application, which enables customers to use their iPhones to book value flights. The application will position airports around users and display the best deals from each of them, MAS said in a statement Monday. "Malaysia Airlines is the first airline to use augmented reality commercially as a new channel for ticket sales. "MHDeals Destination Sabah is a fun, entertaining and unique way to discover Malaysia Airlines' great deals and Sabah's attractive destinations," Executive Vice President Commercial Strategy Dr Amin Khan was quoted as saying in the ...

Kota Kinabalu-Perth Route To Boost Tourist Arrivals To Sabah
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines' newly-launched Kota Kinabalu-Perth route is expected to boost tourist arrivals to Sabah in line with the airline's commitment to develop Kota Kinabalu as its eastern hub. The Australian city is the second international destination introduced after Haneda (Tokyo) in November, since the airlines launched its eastern hub last October. The national carrier mounted the inaugural flight to Perth yesterday at 7pm, and the return flight to Kota Kinabalu arrived at 7.55am today. Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who was among the passengers arriving on the return flight, told reporters at the Kota Kinabalu ...

Australia To Capitalise On MAS' Perth-Sabah Direct Flight To Enhance Trade With Sabah
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- Australia wants to capitalise on Malaysia Airlines'(MAS) three-weekly direct flights between Perth and Sabah to boost trade with the state. Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Miles Kupa said the flights with the capacity to fly 190 passengers at a time would prompt tourists and businessmen to travel to Sabah. "Trade in goods is not big between Sabah and Australia, but is significant in services," he said, noting that 36,000 Australian tourists came to Sabah every year. He said Australia would look to Sabah for investment opportunities in highway and dam construction and other infrastructures. "We hope trade will cover government procurement such as ...

Sabah Sets Higher Target For Tourism
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 12 (Bernama) -- A target of about 2.4 million visitors to Sabah has been set for this year. The target comes after Sabah, dubbed the Land Below The Wind, met last year's goal of 2.3 million tourists. Expressing confidence in meeting this year's target, State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun said the ministry had outlined several strategies to boost tourist arrivals, particularly in terms of air connectivity. "Good air connectivity is important for Sabah to excel in the tourism sector because 94 per cent of visitors to the state, come via air transportation. I will be fying to Perth, Australia, on Jan 16 to formally flag off a direct flight ...

Sabah expects RM8 billion from tourism yearly by 2015
Date Posted: 12 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will be expecting five million tourist arrivals and a receipt of RM8 billion a year by 2015, said Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Bolkiah Ismail. He expressed his confidence in the growth of the tourism industry, as shown by the increasing number of hotels here as well as more flights arriving in Sabah upon the completion of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA). Bolkiah pointed out that these factors would contribute to the tourist arrivals, particularly international tourists to Sabah as well as more receipts contributing to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). "Sabah has its fair share of the national tourist arrivals such as ...

Firefly launches airport ticketing office in Kota Kinabalu
Date Posted: 11 Jan 2011
CONVENIENCE and comfort are Firefly's top priorities, hence the decision to fly from Kota Kinabalu International Airport's Terminal 1 instead of Terminal 2."The ticketing office at Terminal 1 is strategically situated to meet the needs of both local and international travellers.""We are also committed to offering unbeatable value at the lowest fares to passengers, made possible by our decision to use the Boeing 738-800 aircraft. It seats 189 people and comes with blended winglets that help lower fuel consumption ... these help us to achieve the lowest cost average per seat kilometre."Additionally, we're able to leverage on parent company Malaysia Airlines' infrastructure such as maintenance ...

Tower of Heaven to be LD's new landmark
Date Posted: 11 Jan 2011
Lahad Datu: The district will get a new landmark when a 100-foot tall RM2.5 million Tower of Heaven is built on Silam Hill here in two months. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister, Datuk Haji Datu Nasrun Haji Datu Mansur, said the project was implemented middle of May last year and expected to be completed in March this year. He said the tower was being built by the Forestry Department and they would also build other facilities for the convenience of visitors. "Bukit Silam, located about 10 kilometres from Lahad Datu town and has a height of about 2,000 feet above sea level, will be developed as a tourist attraction for the district. "Upon completion of the Tower of Heaven, visitors ...

Najib To Discuss Bilateral Relations In Australia In March
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 10 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is to visit Australia in March where talks on bilateral relations are expected to include links between major cities of the two countries. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said that "connectivity" of the cities, supported by airline services, would promote "bilateral tourism" apart from business. "In fact, arrangements for a direct flight between Perth and Kota Kinabalu is already in motion," he told reporters here Monday night. Malaysia Airlines is expected to make its inaugural flight from Perth to Kota Kinabalu this Sunday, he said. Anifah did not disclose the date of the Prime Minister's official visit, but said ...

Ancient Chinese Koi Fish Dance on CNY
Date Posted: 10 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: For the first time people in Sabah will get to see the ancient Chinese Koi Fish Dance performed over the coming Chinese New Year celebrations. It will be performed by the Association of Shaolin Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe, Kota Kinabalu whose chief instructor, Victor Foo said that while the dance is an ancient Chinese tradition, it is considered something new as it has never been shown in Sabah. Koi fish are a popular element in Chinese culture as they are considered auspicious creatures. While the Koi Fish Dance is only more than a hundred years old, the Koi Fish lantern can be traced back to the earl Qing Dynasty and is more than 400 years old. It has long been ...

Grand cultural carnival in Tawau
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2011
TAWAU: A grand cultural carnival will be held here on January 14 and 15 to promote arts and culture in Tawau as well as to attract more tourists to the district. Municipal Council president Ismail Mayakob said 20 different communities would take part in the carnival while Brunei and Indonesia had also been invited to participate in the event. The theme for the carnival is ‘Kebudayaan Untuk Kedamaian Serantau'. "It will be the first arts and culture event to be held in Tawau this year and will be officiated by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. Members of the State Cabinet have also been invited to the two-day event. "We hope such event would attract more tourists to Tawau and ...

CM visits new Perdana Park
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2011
Kota Kinabalu: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman visited the Perdana Park in Tanjung Aru Tuesday night. The multi-million ringgit park, which was completed recently, boasts among others a fully rubberised-jogging track, fitness machine and play ground for kids. At night the city folks will have a chance to watch and enjoy as musical fountain. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Razak is expected to officiate at the opening of the park, believed at the end of this month. Among those who accompanied Musa at the visit were Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin, State Secretary, Datuk Sukarti Wakiman, Permanent Secretary to the Finance Ministry, Datuk Pangiran ...

Musical foundation at Tanjung Aru park
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: A musical fountain is among the facilities at the Perdana Park in Tanjung Aru which was completed recently. On Tuesday night, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman visited the multi million ringgit public facility which also has a fully rubberised jogging track and fitness equipment such as arm raise, step up machine and others. The park also has a recreational playground for the kids. At night, the city folk can watch and enjoy the musical fountain. Among those who accompanied Musa during the visit were Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Yahya Hussin, State Secretary Datuk Sukarti Wakiman, Finance Ministry permanent secretary Datuk Pengiran Hassanel Datuk Mohd Tahir, ...

Battle for the skies begins
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2011
Kota Kinabalu: Firefly's inaugural service between here and Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 15 offers an additional choice of affordable air travel between East and West Malaysia and also more flights between both destinations if all the various airlines' services on the route are taken into account. A random check on the websites of both Firefly and budget carrier AirAsia, showed the airfares offered by Firefly to be much lower, starting from RM24 per passenger for a one-way trip. It is left to be seen if AirAsia would up the ante and match the offers, making the KL-KK route a bargain for travellers. Firefly, operated by FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd which is a subsidiary of national carrier Malaysia Airlines ...

State Tourism Chairman promotes Sabah as adventure destination by taking family up Mount Kinabalu
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU: The state, which has been touted as a nature tourism destination said Sabah Tourism chairman Tengku Datuk Zainal Adlin Tengku Mahmood, can be promoted as a family adventure destination.To prove his point, the 70-year-old grandfather led three generations of his family on a trek up Mount Kinabalu and walked near the summit along the world highest via ferrata.(A via ferrata is a mountain route which is equipped with fixed cables, stemples, ladders, and bridges. The use of these allows otherwise isolated routes to be joined to create longer routes which are accessible to people with a wide range of climbing abilities.)The Sabah Tourism chairman was joined by his family members ...

Pulau Sebatik another tourism attraction
Date Posted: 04 Jan 2011
TAWAU: Pulau Sebatik, an island known for being bisected by the Indonesia-Malaysia border, is being considered for development as one of Tawau's main tourism destinations. Sebatik Member of Parliament, Abdul Muis Picho said the island has many tourism potentials and is already a popular destination for anglers due to its rich marine life. Its multi-cultural community is also an attraction for visitors who want a taste of the unique Sabahan lifestyle. "The island is also a habitat for proboscis monkeys," he pointed out saying that he will be working together with the local authorities as well as other agencies to develop the island's tourism potentials. Homestay programmes will be ...

Extended KKIA Terminal To Be Fully-operational By Late January
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2011
KOTA KINABALU, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- The extended Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) terminal is expected to be fully-operational by end of January, leaving only works on the runway to be completed. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha when visiting the airport to check on the progress of its expansion, said works on resurfacing the existing runway and its extension from 2,988 metres to 3,780 metres is expected to take about a year's time to finish, and will commence around end of next month too. "The resurfacing is to patch up some of the potholes, but it will take a long time because it's more difficult, as the existing runway will be used the whole day maybe until midnight, ...

Sandakan to be revitalised when heritage trails are completed
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2011
SANDAKAN: A well known tourist attraction here has been given a new lease of life. The Sandakan Heritage Trails (SHT) took visitors to some of the oldest landmarks around the town dating back to nearly a century including a mosque, a few temples and a church. The unveiling of a new giant SHT billboard at the open space next to CIMB Bank in the heart of town by Sandakan Municipal Council president Datuk James Wong marked the beginning of upgrading works on trail to be implemented in stages. Besides the new signage, several smaller ones would be placed at selected heritage sites to guide visitors using this trail, SHT Committee 2010 chairman Lai King Hang disclosed this after the launch of ...

Geopark in Sarawak and Sabah
Date Posted: 03 Jan 2011
SARAWAK and Sabah will have a geopark each after the country's first in Langkawi. "The proposed sites are the Sarawak River Delta covering the river from Bau to Santubong in Sarawak, and Mount Kinabalu in Sabah," said Minerals and Geoscience director-general Datuk Yunus Abdul Razak. It was pivotal for these sites to be gazetted as geoparks for the conservation and sustainability of the environment and communities living in these areas, he said. "We want to create an awareness on conserving the areas and to have better local involvement towards the end.We're also working for these sites to be part of the Unesco Global Network of Geoparks, and if accepted, officials from Unesco will be ...

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