Bus Tickets for Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2013

Purchase your Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix 2013™ Bus Tickets at any RapidKL LRT and Monorail Stations now!

-www.myrapid.com.my

Ipoh Drawing Marathon 2013 - Launching Ceremony on 28 September 2013

"Ipoh Drawing Marathon 2013" buntings

The arrival of Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General - Ministry of Tourism & Culture

Welcome dance by JKKN Perak

Speech by Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng, Secretary General - Ministry of Tourism & Culture

A memento for Datuk Dr. Ong Hong Peng

Datuk Dr. Ong visiting the art exhibition

Press conference for the media

A session with Dato' Lat

Dato' Lat showing his talents

A caricature by Dato' Lat

Organised by/supported by: Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Perak State Government, Tourism Malaysia, National Visual Art Gallery, Ipoh City Hall, ArtMalaysia Association, Gabungan Pesatuan Pelukis Se Malaysia, and Perak Artists Association.

-PelanconganKini.

Tune Hotels Appoints Copsey To Head Melbourne Hotel

MELBOURNE, Sept 28 (Bernama) -- Tune Hotels has appointed Nathan Copsey as general manager of its new Tune Hotel Melbourne in Swanston Street, Carlton, which is set to open Nov 1.

In a statement today, Tune Hotels said Copsey will oversee operations and around 20 staff at the hotel. Copsey has worked in hotels in Australia and the UK, including Melbourne Parkview Hotel, Bayview on the Park Melbourne and The Chamberlain Hotel in London, it said.

Tune Hotels has pioneered a "pay-as-you-use" concept that has become hugely popular among travellers from across the world, it said. Copsey said under the concept, guests only pay for room rates with the option of adding on other amenities like towels and toiletries, air-conditioning, in-room wireless fidelity and satellite TV service.

"This concept is something Australia is really crying out for at the moment. "It has been popular throughout the UK and Asia and I believe it's going to take off also in Australia.

"Rooms in central Melbourne rarely cost less than A$150 but guests who book in advance with Tune Hotel Melbourne will be able to get a room for A$70 or A$80," he said. The 225-room hotel is next to the University of Melbourne, just two streets away from popular Lygon Street and minutes to Melbourne's Central Business District.

Tune Hotels has 11 hotels in Malaysia, five in the UK, one each in India and Japan, five each in Indonesia and the Philippines and four in Thailand.
-bernama.

ASEAN Tourism Forum 2014 @ Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia ( 16~23 January 2014 )

Objectives

ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) is a cooperative regional effort to promote the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region as one tourist destination where Asian hospitality and cultural diversity are at its best. This annual event involves all tourism industry sectors of the 10-member nations of ASEAN: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Each year, the hosting of ATF is rotated among the member countries. ATF 2014 marks the 33rd anniversary of this event since its inauguration in Malaysia in 1981.

ATF aims to:

⎯ Project ASEAN as an attractive, multi-faceted single destination

⎯ Create and increase awareness of ASEAN as a highly competitive regional tourist destination in the Asia Pacific

⎯ Attract more tourist to ASEAN member countries

⎯ Promote intra-ASEAN travel

⎯ Strengthen cooperation among the various sectors of the ASEAN tourism industry

As the annual convention of the ASEAN tourism industry, ATF promotes the exchange of ideas, review of industry developments and joint formulation of recommendations to further accelerate the growth of ASEAN tourism.

ATF TRAVEX

ATF also provides a platform for the selling and buying of regional individual tourism products of ASEAN member countries, through the 3-day TRAVEX event. The unique and specialized ATF TRAVEX makes it easy and convenient for suppliers of ASEAN tourism products and services and international buyers to conduct business and meet quality participants through the Seller-Meet-Buyer (SMB) and the Buyer-Meet-Seller (BMS) appointment scheduling sessions. Both parties can maximize their participation through flexible one-to-one pre-scheduled meetings to explore, negotiate and ink deals with each other.

-www.atf-malaysia.com

AOS joins IAPCO

The International Association of Professional Congress Organisers (IAPCO) is now represented in Malaysia with the entry of Kuala Lumpur-based AOS Conventions & Events into its membership.

Gonzalo Perez Constanzó, IAPCO president, said: “Malaysia is such an important meetings destination in Asia that it was always surprising that we were not represented there.

“(AOS Conventions & Events) will be a much appreciated addition to our Asian contingent which is consistently growing and becoming an influential sector of IAPCO." "By joining IAPCO, we will now be recognised as a company providing professional conference management services, accredited by IAPCO, a globally recognised organisation," said Anthony Wong, president of AOS Conventions & Events.

"We believe that our company will enhance IAPCO's global outreach with local solutions, including the sharing of knowledge regarding doing business in Malaysia."

-TTG Asia.

http://www.aosconventions.com/

Super Show 5 - Super Junior World Tour In Kuala Lumpur

TICKET LAUNCH @ Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya  (Level CC, Concourse) from 11am - 7pm:
29 September 2013 from 11am - 7pm
Customers who purchase ticket(s) at the launch venue will receive a 10% OFF on tickets (any ticket type). Each person is entitled to buy a maximum of 6 discounted tickets only. Promotion is valid while stocks last.

PHONE BOOKING (10% OFF):
29 September 2013 from 11am - 7pm
Customers who call TicketCharge +60392228811 to purchase ticket(s) on 29 September (between 11am - 7pm) will receive a 10% OFF on Rock Zone tickets only. Each person is entitled to buy a maximum of 6 discounted tickets only.  Promotion is valid while stock last

INTERNET BOOKING (10% OFF):
29 September 2013 from 5pm - 11:59pm
Customers who purchase ticket(s) via online booking on 29 September 2013 will receive a 10% OFF on Rock Zone tickets only. Each person is entitled to buy a maximum of 6 discounted tickets only. Internet booking will start from 5pm on 29 September 2013. Promotion is valid while stock last.

SPRITZER CUSTOMERS:
29 September 2013
Customers who present a valid Spritzer receipt (minimum spending of RM10) will receive a 15% OFF on tickets (any ticket type). Every single Spritzer receipt entitles you to one discounted ticket. Promotion is valid only for ticket purchases transacted at Paradigm Mall on 29 September 2013, and limits to 500 tickets only on a first-come-first-served basis. Offer is not applicable for concurrent use with other promotions or discounts.

NOTE: No tickets available for sale via ticket outlets until further notice.
-www.ticketcharge.com.my

Plaza Premium Lounge takes on new markets

Plaza Premium Lounge Management will celebrate 15 years of running airport lounges, transit hotels and other services by undertaking an aggressive expansion plan that includes entry into the Australian and European markets.

Song Hoi-See, founder and CEO of Plaza Premium Lounge Management, said: “By 2015, we will add 50 new locations in existing and new airports around the world. We will look to expand in mainland China, Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.”

The company will launch a new flagship lounge in Hong Kong International Airport, to be the biggest and largest pay-in lounge in the region. It will open lounges in Sydney’s airport and London’s Heathrow airport, heralding Plaza Premium’s entry into the Australian and European markets respectively.

New lounges have also been planned for Macau and Kuala Lumpur at KLIA2.

In India, Mumbai will get one pay-in lounge, Bengaluru International Airport will see two new pay-in lounges and the lounge at New Delhi’s airport’s Terminal 3 will be upgraded. The city’s first-ever transit hotel will come up in Bengaluru, while a major expansion is on the cards for the transit hotel at Hyderabad.

This year, Plaza Premium has already added lounges at the airports of Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Penang in Malaysia, as well as Edmonton in Canada. The lounge at Toronto Pearson International Airport has undergone major expansion and the world’s first airport organic spa, Wellness Spa, was opened in Singapore Changi Airport.

To further mark the company’s 15^th anniversary, Plaza Premium Lounge Management has also unveiled a new logo.

-TTG Asia.

ETS Service To Be Rescheduled From Oct 1

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- The operation hours for the Electric Train Service (ETS) between Kuala Lumpur (KL) Sentral and Ipoh, Perak, will be rescheduled beginning Oct 1.

A statement issued by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) on Friday said the rescheduling was necessary to make the service more effective for passengers. It said the rescheduling would affect 20 trains, including the EG01 Gold, EG03 Gold, ES01 Silver, EG05 Gold and EG07 Gold trains.

Apart from that, KTMB would also increase the frequency of ETS service during peak hours for both sectors to every hour on Friday until Sunday. The move would involve the ES03 Silver, EG09 Gold, EG11 Gold, EG13 Gold, EG10 Gold, EG12 Gold, EG14 Gold and ES06 Silver trains.

For further information, the public can contact the KTMB call centre at 1-300-88-5862 or surf the KTMB website at www.ktmb.com.my
-bernama.

PIOR Perak - Ipoh Drawing Marathon 2013 @ Kinta Riverfront (28~29 September 2013)

28 September 2013 (Saturday)
11.00am - Launching
12.00noon - "Ipoh Drawing Marathon" start
2.30pm - Session with Dato' Lat
8.30~11.00pm - Cultural performances & traditional fashion show
11.00pm - Keroncong performance

29 September 2013 (Sunday)

1.00~7.00am - Buskers
8.30am~12.00noon - Music & traditional dances
12.00noon - "Ipoh Drawing Marathon" end
3.00pm - Closing ceremony


-1MCAT.

Terengganu Plans To Provide Flights To Pulau Redang

SETIU, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- The Terengganu government plans to provide flight services to Pulau Redang especially during the monsoon season.

State Tourism, Information, Communication and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jidin Shafee said light aircraft were being acquired to fly from the Sultan Mahmud Airport here, Paka or Gong Kedak airports.

"When the small airport project on Pulau Redang is ready, we hope to provide flights to the island, including helicopters. This is due to the encouraging influx of tourists from China who prefer to travel by air," he said after attending a programme here on Thursday.

Mohd Jidin said tourists from China loved Pulau Redang as was obvious from the number of repeat visitors but most of them were put off by transportation problems.

On a separate development, he said the target of four million tourists in conjunction with the Visit Terengganu Year 2013 was well within reach as more than three million arrivals have been recorded as of mid-September.

He added that the state had several additional tourism programmes to attract both local and foreign tourists before the end of the year.
-bernama.

MAS' Down Under flights to fuel Oz market

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is ramping up frequencies to Sydney and Melbourne with additional flights to come on stream from November 21 onwards.

The airline’s double-daily operations from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney will see four more weekly flights added for a total of 18 weekly flights. This will be raised further to 21 flights from February 5 next year. Its Melbourne service will also be boosted from twice-daily to thrice-daily on November 21.

Holiday Tours’ vice president inbound, David Jayabalan, said the increased capacity will help grow tourism for both Malaysia and Australia. The change in frequencies is also timely given the country’s campaign Visit Malaysia Year 2014, he added.

“Hopefully, the increased capacity will also reduce airfares as that would encourage a higher number of Australians to visit Malaysia. For the Australian market, Malaysia competes with other destinations such as Bali, Jakarta, Hong Kong and the Philippines,” commented Arokia Das, senior manager, Luxury Tours Malaysia.

“We will promote beach stays in Peninsular Malaysia and nature tours to Taman Negara National Park and to East Malaysia.”

Earlier this year, MAS also upped the capacity on the Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei route on August 15 and added a third daily flight to Medan on September 15. The carrier reinstated its Kuala Lumpur-Dubai service in August, and is launching new destinations Kochi and Darwin in September and November respectively.

In a recent release, MAS said it had seen a steady increase in passenger traffic since the start of 2013 matching the added capacity. Seat loads have also improved, registering 83.3 per cent in July 2013, a 9.1 percentage point increase from last year.

-TTG Asia.

Tourism Malaysia Yakin Sasaran 36 Juta Pelawat Pada 2020 Boleh Dicapai

photo: Malaysia Truly Asia facebook

PUTRAJAYA, 24 Sept (Bernama) -- Tourism Malaysia yakin sasaran ketibaan 36 juta pelancong ke negara ini dengan penjanaan keuntungan sebanyak RM168 bilion pada 2020 dapat dicapai.

Timbalan Ketua Pengarah (Perancangan) Tourism Malaysia Datuk Azizan Noordin berkata usaha merealisasikan sasaran tersebut sedang giat dilaksana, namun pada masa yang sama memerlukan kerja keras semua pihak dalam sektor berkenaan.

"Sasaran kita sekarang ialah pelancong dari negara-negara Asean seperti Singapura, Thailand dan Indonesia selain Timur Tengah serta pelancong dari Eropah," katanya kepada pemberita selepas melepaskan peserta 'Malaysia Tourism Hunt 2013' di sini Selasa.

Beliau berkata antara promosi yang dipergiatkan ialah produk 'fly & drive' iaitu pelancong tiba dengan penerbangan dan kemudian memandu sendiri untuk menjelajah Malaysia. Peningkatan promosi ini juga ekoran sistem lebuh raya di negara ini yang merupakan antara yang terbaik di dunia selain mesra pengguna, sekali gus akan memudahkan pelancong, katanya.

Azizan berkata sasaran serta capaian pelancong juga meningkat dari tahun ke tahun iaitu tahun lepas sebanyak 25.3 juta juta tiba di negara ini dan bagi tahun ini pula sebanyak 26 juta pelawat. "Tahun hadapan sasaran kita ialah 28 juta pelancong dengan pendapatan ialah RM75 bilion," katanya.

Sebanyak 78 peserta yang merupakan pengamal media dari dalam negara dan rantau Asean, wakil penggiat industri pelancongan tempatan serta wakil penaja menyertai program selama enam hari lima malam itu yang akan berakhir di Johor Baharu, Johor.

Mereka akan melalui perjalanan sejauh 1,000 kilometer meliputi lebuh raya, laluan pelancongan dan jalan kampung sambil menyelesaikan pelbagai cabaran dan pada masa yang sama menikmati keindahan Malaysia.
-bernama.

AirAsia X offers Colombo, Male connections in single flight

AirAsia X is introducing a new service from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo, Sri Lanka and Malé in the Maldives.

The four-times-weekly flight will be launched on September 28. On Tuesdays and Fridays, flights will depart Kuala Lumpur, stop over in Malé, then continue on to Colombo, and return to Kuala Lumpur before the end of the day.

Thursday and Sunday flights will take passengers from Kuala Lumpur to Colombo first, heading on to Malé after, before travelling back to Kuala Lumpur on the same day.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said: “What’s unique about this new route is that guests may opt to hop on our flights to Sri Lanka, continue on to the Maldives, or fly direct to the Maldives and vice versa from the Kuala Lumpur hub.”

The carrier is offering a promotion on tickets for the route, with prices starting from RM219 (US$68) for economy seats and RM959 for premium seats to Colombo, and RM399 for economy seats and RM959 for premium seats to Malé.

Bookings can be made until September 29 for travel between September 28, 2013 and March 29, 2014.

-TTG Asia.

Tourism Malaysia Hosts Tamil Film Premiere In Chennai

CHENNAI, 24 Sept 2013: In its effort to market Malaysia as a filming destination and to attract more Indian tourists, Tourism Malaysia hosted a VIP premiere of a Malaysian Tamil movie, Adutha Kattam (Next Level), at the Four Frames Preview Theatre in Nungambakkam, Chennai, on 20 September.

Tourism Malaysia is joining hands with NGP Films to promote the film, which is in line with its effort to promote and encourage the production of quality movies. Tourism Malaysia also provides assistance by giving advice and guidance on location services to local and international producers.

“Hosting premieres has always been a great way to promote national entertainment and creativity. We aim to be involved in more activities that provide recognition to new talent and market Malaysia as a perfect filming location,” said the Director of International Marketing (South Asia, West Asia & Africa) Division of Tourism Malaysia Zulkifly Md. Said.

“The movie was filmed in various locations in Malaysia such as Putrajaya, Dataran Merdeka, and the Petronas Twin Towers, which enables us to showcase the beautiful sights and sounds around the country in an appealing and entertaining way”, he added.

The Producer of the movie, Navanithen Ganeson, said, “We are pleased to be associated with Tourism Malaysia as they have provided us a platform to reach out to Indian audience.” 

“The movie will not only leave them with a great viewing experience but will also attract them to visit Malaysia. We are also very thankful to the Malaysian Government for supporting this venture through several grants and incentives.” he added.

‘Adutha Kattam’ is directed by Muralikrishnan Munian. While the film has been shot extensively in Malaysia, NGP Films has partnered with Prasad Studio and EFX Magic from Chennai for the post- production. 

The movie narrates the adventures of a woman who drives along a lonely road heading back to her hometown. Her car breaks down in a remote area. The story revolves around the sequence of events that follows from nightfall to daybreak, which is filled with plenty of nail biting suspense and actions. 

Gauging from the response to the movie trailer and the positive reviews at the VIP screening, ‘Adutha Kattam’ looks all set to be featured in this year’s blockbuster list of Tamil films.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Johor sees spike in international travellers

The Malaysian state of Johor has become a hive of tourism activity of late, with Malaysian inbound travel consultants reporting stronger arrivals to the destination.

Kathryn Lee, southern regional managing director of Sri America Travel, said that between January and August, her company had seen a 30 per cent year-on-year rise in business from the Singapore market and a 10 per cent year-on-year increase from Indonesia. “The strong Singapore dollar has resulted in more Singaporeans spending a night in Johor rather than making day trips,” she elaborated.

East Coast Adventure Travel & Tours’ managing director, Liza Alip, has also seen 15 per cent year-on-year growth in business from Singapore and single-digit growth from Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Meanwhile, a recent release by TripAdvisor stated that the number of searches for Johor from August 2012 to July 2013 surged 45 per cent year-on-year. Searches by Singaporean and Malaysian travellers leapt by 23 and 27 per cent respectively.

Tripadvisor spokesperson, Jean Ow-Yeong, commented: “The increase in interest for Johor may be attributed to the growing number of tourist attractions such as Johor Premium Outlets and Legoland that are sprouting up in the city of Johor Bahru, to the excitement and delight of travellers.”

East Coast’s Liza echoed this view, saying that the new attractions in Johor are a factor in attracting international tourists to the state. However, she pointed out: “Most international tourists land in Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Johor needs more direct flights to regional destinations to further boost tourist arrivals.”

Johor has also begun carving out a niche as a theme park paradise, especially among visitors from China.

Singapore is currently Johor’s top source of international arrivals with almost 10 million visitors between January and July, followed by Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, the Philippines and India. Johor’s Department of Tourism is aiming for 24.2 million arrivals for this year, having recorded 12.6 million as of July.

-TTG Asia.

Malaysian Culture Week 2013 In London

LONDON, 23 September 2013 - London Malaysian Culture Week program 2013 with the theme “Faces of 1Malaysia” was officiated by the Hon. Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia on 21 September 2013, at 3 pm (London time) at the South Bank, London.

Among the invitees at this 5-day event (19-23 Sept) included the Mayor Councilor Abdul Mohamed (Mayor of London Southwalk), H.E. Dato ' Seri Zakaria Sulong (Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom) and Their Excellences Malaysian ambassador to Dubai and ambassadors from Singapore, the Philippines, Bangladesh and Thailand. 

Malaysian Culture Week program was first held in London in 2006 and due to overwhelming response from the public, similar programs were subsequently held in 2007, 2008 and 2012. This program aims to promote Malaysian culture, heritage and diversity in the Malaysian way of life that reflects the diversity of life united (unity in diversity).

It also highlights the uniqueness and diversity of culture; they include cultural performances and traditional music, food, heritage, crafts, painting and a fashion show to introduce the local batik and songket. In addition there are various demonstrations such as craft demonstrations, teh tarik, roti canai and top-spinning performances. The program also provides an avenue of exposure to local craft entrepreneurs through exhibition and sale of craft products such as; batik, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, metal, jungle heritage, food restaurant operators, as well as art enthusiasts, internationally.

As far as the response is concerned, the Ministry targets 330,000 visitors this year, compared to 320,719 visitors last year. Incidentally, in just three days, the program registered 247,000 visitors and this figure exceeded the initial set target. Just on the launch day alone, a total of 120,540 visitors were recorded.

“This program is also serves as a good platform to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014,” said Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Tan Sri Abdul Aziz.

He added that in 2012, Malaysia received 25.03 million tourists with tourism revenues amounted to RM60.6 billion. Of the total, 1,130,303 tourists form Europe, 402,207 tourists were from the United Kingdom. 

In this regard, the Ministry has taken strategic steps to promote and publicize this program widely through radio announcements, special articles in local newspapers, distributing flyers in public places around the location of the ceremony in London.

After officiating the Malaysia Culture Week 2013 at 12 noon on 20 September at the Landmark Hotel London, the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia also launched the Visit Malaysia 2014 Tour Packages for the UK market. 

This Package aims to offer a variety of tour packages to all market segments travelers in the UK. It features four main products, they are: 
a)    Coastal and island (islands and beaches
b)    Travel and Nature (nature and adventures )
c)    Culture and heritage (cultural and heritages )
d)    Tourism Luxury and Spa (luxury, wellness and spa).

For the year 2013, the Ministry is targeting specific tourist arrivals from the UK's target of 450,000 people and a total of 475,000 tourists for the year 2014 in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

The Ministry plans to expand the tourism market by exploring new markets such as in major cities in South America ( Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires ), Europe ( Paris , Edinburgh and Frankfurt ) , Middle East ( Dubai ) , Oceania ( Sydney and Auckland ) and East Asia ( Shanghai and Seoul ). 

The Government will continue participation to festivals such world-class Expo Yeoshu (Republic of Korea), Expo Shanghai (People's Republic of China) and the Expo Zaragoza (Spain) to expose participants from Malaysia and also promote Malaysia in the international arena.
-Tourism Malaysia.

NTOs told to invest in technology for better tourism

The private sector and NTOs must become better at using technology to connect with tourists, especially if they want a share of surging arrivals from key growth markets such as China.

Antonia Lopez de Avila Munoz, president and CEO of Spain's State Company for Tourism Technology and Innovation Management (SEGITTUR), said digital technology is not only a key mechanism for attracting tourists to a destination; it can also be used to improve a wide range of issues such as mobility, security, healthcare, and energy and resource management.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Global Tourism Economy Forum in Macau last week, he said technology will become increasingly important as the industry moves towards the World Tourism Council’s forecast of 1.8 billion international arrivals by 2030.

“(Spain is the) first in Europe to (have the most) protected areas and third in the world...even with 60 million tourist arrivals a year. That's partly because we're focusing on using technology to help manage everything from security to water usage.”

Given that four out of five people visiting Spain travel with a connected device, technology and social media can play a major role in providing tourists with a better destination experience.

This includes providing visitors with multilingual guides and up-to-date information on events and weather as well as a platform to share their photos, videos and experiences, he said.

Tourism organisations and relevant authorities can also use the data for a number of purposes from monitoring traffic to promoting niche products. To do this, investment in communications infrastructure, such as installing free Wi-Fi in urban centres, is key.

Mei Zhang, founder of WildChina, said technology will also become more important as tourists become increasingly confident about travelling by themselves. This is especially true for the Chinese market, which is becoming more sophisticated.

"Technology that enables self-guided travel will be the winner," she said.
-TTG Asia.

Perak Tourism Fair 2013 @ AEON Seberang Perai City Shopping Centre

PERAK TOURISM FAIR 2013 organized by Tourism Malaysia Perak will be held at AEON Seberang Perai City Shopping Centre, Pulau Pinang on this coming 27th until 29th September 2013 from 10.00 a.m till 10.00 p.m.

Come and enjoy lots of fun-filled activities, exciting programs and fantastic highlights for the whole family at the PERAK TOURISM FAIR 2013.

Great vacation awaits you!

It’s definitely an event you don’t want to miss. See you there!!

-Tourism Malaysia Perak facebook.

Culinary Tours To Attract HongKongites To Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA, 23 SEPTEMBER 2013 – In a bid to attract more Hong Kong tourists to Malaysia, Tourism Malaysia has collaborated with Wing On Travel to introduce a unique holiday package called “Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang 5 Days Gourmet Tour” which highlights Malaysia’s diverse culinary legacy.

 

“We’re very excited to launch this ‘Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang 5 Days Gourmet Tour’ programme in Hong Kong. It’s an opportunity for us to show a different side of Malaysia to those who have visited Malaysia before. It’s also our way of refreshing awareness and retaining interest in Malaysia especially with Visit Malaysia Year 2014 just around the corner. We hope that this effort will attract Hongkongites to re-visit Malaysia,” says Ms. Baizuri Baharum, Director of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Hong Kong Office).

 

The tour programme begins in Penang with visits to fruit orchards to savour fresh seasonal fruits such as rambutan, mangosteen and durian. Mouth-watering dishes such as assam laksa, barbecued stingray and shrimp noodles will be introduced to participants when they visit Gurney Drive.  As participants explore Little India in George Town, they will get to taste roti canai and teh tarik.

 

Tea time treats are also part of the tour programme and in Ipoh, delicate Nyonya cakes, soya bean desserts and Ipoh white coffee will be served.

 

The highlight of the culinary tour is the hands-on cooking class in Kuala Lumpur where participants will have the unique opportunity to cook local dishes alongside Malaysia’s celebrity chef. Chef Dato’ Ismail will take the group through the entire process from shopping for ingredients at the local market to cooking the meal and finally sharing the food with each other over lunch. 

 

The cooking and dining fest throughout the five days is complemented by visits to historic monuments in all three cities. In Penang, tour participants will get to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site as they are chauffeured about in a local trishaw. Meanwhile, their explorations of Putrajaya will reveal magnificent building and bridge architecture within the administrative capital.

Ms. Baizuri says, “In the past, sightseeing may have been the main purpose of travelling. However, these days, the trend for ‘experiential travel’ is growing in popularity. Tourists want to explore a destination beyond the beaten paths and really immerse themselves with the locals through authentic experiences. 

 

“So through this culinary tour of Malaysia, we hope to give Hongkongites the experience of true Malaysia – cooking Malaysian food, eating at a hawker centre, shopping at our wet markets.”

 

She adds, “We plan to introduce more experiential travel packages in the future where the focus is more on the quality rather than the quantity of experiences. We hope this will encourage other tour operators to be more creative in developing Malaysia holiday packages. Ultimately, we want tourists who visit Malaysia to bring back not only beautiful photos and souvenirs of the country, but as well, memorable, unique and priceless experiences!”

 

Wing On Travel is offering the “Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Penang 5 Days Gourmet Tour” at a price of HK$4,999 onwards, with departure dates beginning 20 September 2013. The first group of 40 participants are currently in Malaysia on this tour. For more details, please visit www.wingontravel.com

-Tourism Malaysia.