2015 ARRC Calendar Announced

The FIM Asia Road Racing Championship is set to kick off its highly anticipated 20th season as the championship promoter released its 2015 race calendar that will see six rounds take place in five countries across Asia with Japan no longer hosting two rounds.

Sticking to traditions, the opening round takes place at Sepang, Malaysia (April 16-19) followed by the Sentul Circuit in Indonesia (June 4-7) with the mid-season round hosted in Japan at the historical Suzuka Circuit (July 1-5).

The only revision to the race calendar is that the Thailand and Qatar round have been switched around in the second half of the season. FIA-grade approved Buriram Circuit that held the penultimate round in 2014 will now stage the fourth and final round from the 27 to 30 August and second to sixth December respectively.

Meanwhile the floodlit Losail Circuit in Doha, Qatar that held the grand finale for the past five seasons will now host the penultimate round (September 30 – October 3).

Provisional 2015 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Race Calendar

Official pre-season test – 1 to 3 April

Round 1, Sepang, Malaysia – 16 to 19 April

Round 2, Sentul, Indonesia – 4 to 7 June

Round 3, Japan – 1 to 5 July

Round 4, Buriram, Thailand  - 27-30 August

Round 5, Losail, Qatar – 30 September to 3 October

Round 6, Buriram, Thailand – 2 to 6 December

-http://asiaroadracing.com/

Muzika Nusantara @ Istana Budaya Kuala Lumpur ( 13 Mac 2015 )

Konsert Muzikal Nusantara ini menampilkan gabungan budaya di antara dua negara serumpun iaitu Malaysia dan Indonesia yang akan mempersembahkan konsep tarian dan nyanyian yang berdurasi selama 2 jam. Konsert ini bakal menyajikan keindahan dan kekayaan warisan nenek moyang dalam Kepulauan Melayu yang penuh dengan warna-warni serta memperlihatkan perkongsian dalam konteks serumpun Melayu. Saksikan persembahan muzikal ini yang dibarisi oleh artis-artis terkenal seperti Dato' Siti Nurhaliza, Dwen, Tegar, Krisdayanti dan Rafli Kande.

Get your tickets from:

1. Online at www.AirAsiaRedtix.com
2. Rock Corner outlets:	The Gardens, Mid Valley (TEL: 03 - 2201 4893)
	KLCC (TEL: 03 - 2181 5560)
	Subang Parade (TEL: 03 - 5613 1139)
	The Curve (TEL: 03 - 7733 1139)
3. Victoria Music outlets:	Sg Wang(TEL: 03 - 2148 7208)
	Amcorp (TEL: 03 - 7956 0592)
	Tropicana (TEL: 03 - 7722 2955)
4. Penang outlets:	Artist Gallery, Gurney Plaza
	Artist Gallery, Queensbay Mall

-AirAsia RedTix.

Tourism Malaysia Target Two Indians Cities To Lure Formula 1 Fans To Sepang

www.sepangcircuit.com

NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- As part of its aggresive promotion exercise to lure more tourists especially Formula 1 fans from India, Tourism Malaysia (TM) launhed 'Race your way to Sepang' challenge among corporates in Mumbai and Bangalore.

According to a media statement issued in Mumbai by TM, the Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix which is scheduled for 27-29 March, at the Sepang Interantional Circuit (SIC), expected to receive good respone from Indian fans. Sepang will be the second stop in the F1 calendar after the Rolex Australian Grand Prix.

Accrding to the statement, with plenty of movement of top drivers across teams and the return of Honda into the championship, the tone is set to be competitive for the title this year.

"With India riding high on the racing popularity wave, Tourism Malaysia and the Sepang International Circuit is holding the 'Race your way to Sepang' challenge among corporates to promote the Malaysian leg of the F1 craze," said TM director in Mumbai P.Manoharan.

At the events at both cities, a special Formula 1 Package with travel partner Yatra.com was also launched.

"We have been promoting the Petronas Formula 1 event for a few years now and the response has been quite encouraging. "For this year's promotions we have planned two corporate events in Mumbai and Bangalore where the participants will compete in Go Karting racing Challenges.

"The fastest team stands a chance to win an all expense paid trip to Malaysia to watch the race live," said Manoharan. He said the winning team will be hosted by Starwood Hotels and the Air tickets will be sponsored by Malaysia Airlines.

Last year, about 1.4 million Indians visited Malaysia and splashed nearly RM1.8 billion between January and September in 2014, compared with RM1.3 billion during the corresponding period in 2013. India is the fifth largest source of tourists for Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Chief commercial officer Sharmila Nadarajah of Sepang International Circuit in the same statement said SIC was very keen on promoting the venue for events like weddings, family days, conferences, annual dinners and team building programmes.

She said the race this year was dubbed as the F1 carnival - the first of its kind at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), the 2015 Formula 1 Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix will have something for everyone.
-bernama.

Zang Toi Invited As Brand Ambassador To KL International Shoe Festival

http://wms2.malaysiafootwear.com/

NEW YORK, Feb 27 (Bernama) -- Named "brand ambassador" for the Malaysia International Shoe Festival (MISF) 2015, New York-based Malaysian fashion icon Datuk Zang Toi will be attending the MISF which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from March 13-15.

"Yes, I have been appointed brand ambassador for the Malaysia International Shoe Festival (MISF) in Kuala Lumpur where I will also be repeating my latest fashion show with Venetian-inspired creations held in New York. As you saw it, these creations were well received by critics and public alike.

"Indeed, the U.S. publication Women's Wear Daily, which is known for its very fastidious standard of reporting, gave good reviews for my Venetian creations," Toi said in an interview with Bernama in his mid-town New York office.

Toi presented his Venetian creations on Feb 17 at a well-packed auditorium during the New York Fashion Week held at New York's Lincoln Center.

According to the festival's organisers, the Malaysian Footwear Manufacturers' Association (MFMA), Toi will receive the MISF Tourism Special Recognition Award during the event.

The guest of honour at the festival, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, will present the award to Toi. But the Kuala Lumpur event will not be Toi's first "brand ambassador" appearance for Malaysia.

At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Toi was invited as "brand ambassador" by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who hosted a Malaysia Night. "It was a wonderful experience. I was deeply honoured and felt privileged by the Prime Minister's gesture," Toi remarked.

The New York-based fashion designer will participate in an event called I-am-for-you. "I will be doing a Q&A session where Nazri will also be present," Toi said.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Prime Minister's office, which came to know of Toi's forthcoming visit to Kuala Lumpur, has asked him to participate in an event linked to the festival.

MyCreative, a Malaysian government investment arm established to encourage and spur Malaysia's creative industry through strategic and innovative funding in the form of equity or debt investments, has approached Toi to participate in a mentoring/sharing session between the fashion icon and the organization's fashion pitch winners over a casual hi-tea session.

"MyCreative believes that such an exchange would be good for the young and upcoming Malaysian designers to learn from "one of the best in the fashion industry", as the MyCreative letter addressed to Toi dated Feb 16 says.

"Young Malaysian budding designers should not be afraid to do their own things  they should never be afraid to do their own ideas and identity, and they should not imitate but strive for originality.

"The aspiring designers should not see fashion as mere glamour. It is all hard work. Glamour happens to be merely a coincidental feature of the business.

"I feel very happy when I hear success achieved by Malaysians," Toi observed.

Saying that such young entrepreneurs contributed to nation building, Toi urged them not to forget their country if they decided to settle abroad. "You owe it to your country of birth," he said.
-bernama.

MCKK Premier 7s 2015 - Tournament Schedule

-MCKK Premier 7s facebook.

E'den Mineral Water And UFL Continues As Sponsoring Partners Of Le Tour De Langkawi

PUTRAJAYA - Le Tour de Langkawi 2015 today have announced the two sponsoring partners Darulkhusus Venture Sdn Bhd and Universal Fitness & Leisure Sdn Bhd who continues their support towards making the 20th edition of the race, from March 8 – 15th another overwhelming success.

Darulkhusus Venture is the producer of the E'den brand of mineral water, of which a whopping 96,000 bottles or 4,000 cartons, will be distributed to keep riders, officials and staff hydrated during the eight stage race, expected to be run under extreme heat.

Yaackob Bin Baba - Marketing Manager of Darulkhusus Venture Sdn Bhd expressed their excitement on their partnership with LTdL for the second time. “This is the second year partnership for DKV Sdn Bhd with LTdL, The ROI we’ve received of our involvement last year was very positive and we do not want to loose the opportunity to partner LTdL again for the historic 20th edition.”

“ LTdL has given us a platform to promote our brand E’den Mineral Water to a wider audience whereas before we could only promote around the Klang Valley and Southern part of Peninsular Malaysia. We hope with our partnership with LTdL we can strengthen our brand in Malaysia and introduce E’den to the world,” added Yaakob.

Universal Fitness & Leisure Sdn Bhd (UFL) is the largest distributor of sports, fitness & outdoor equipment in Malaysia. It holds executive distributorships of several international brands such as Coleman and Suunto, and was one of the first sports companies in the country to come on board as sponsors for LTDL. This year marks their sixth time on-board with the race, and on top of Coleman cooler boxes, UFL will be sponsoring Suunto watches, which will be used as prizes.

Once again bringing it's proud record to LTDL, Dato' Radha Krishnan Managing Director of Universal Fitness & Leisure Sdn Bhd confidently pledge his support to Le Tour de Langkawi.

" This national sporting event has gained global recognition and widespread international exposure over the years thanks to one man, YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir, who breathed life into it many years ago. We are humbled by our participation as sponsors and vow to always play a role and deliver as much support provided it continues to align itself with our national sports movement." said Dato' Radha Krishnan.

Meanwhile, LTdL chief executive officer Datuk Malik Mydin said the organisers welcomed both companies on-board once again, “we are grateful for their continuous support for LTdL, indeed the 20th edition will be bigger and better than the years before. LTdL is a race that has a big following both locally and internationally and it isn't just about being a cycling race. As organisers we also feel it is our responsibility to highlight all of our sponsors.”

Organised by Human Voyage Sdn Bhd, the 20th edition of Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) from 8 to 15 March, 2015 is set to cover more than 1,000km over 8 stages, the UCI 2.HC (hors category) race featuring again as one of the biggest events on the UCI Asia Tour calendar.

-www.ltdl.com.my

New function spaces launched at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur

Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur has recently unveiled its new meeting and function spaces on its eighth floor, encompassing the Gallery, and Pool Bar and Grill @ 8, after an extensive RM7.9 million (US$2.2 million) renovation.

With a seating capacity for up to 140 people, the Gallery can be configured for roundtable luncheons, a board meeting with conference setup, a classroom-style training session, a multimedia presentation, cocktail hour, etc, and can be divided into two smaller meeting rooms.

The Pool Bar & Grill @ 8 can seat up to 80 pax and the naturally lit space opens up into the poolside area, suitable for dinner parties, product launches or wedding ceremonies. Its specially fitted barbecue pit is a highlight.

Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur's new meeting spaces come after its last renovation of Metropolis in 2012, the hotel’s pillarless ballroom and six meeting rooms, located on level six.

-TTG Asia.

Portuguese Food Promotion @ Seri Pacific Hotel Kuala Lumpur

-www.seripacifichotel.com

Borneo Jazz Celebrate Its 10th Birthday

Shafiee Obe & All The Best (Sarawak)

SARAWAK, Malaysia – Year 2015 marks the tenth anniversary of the Borneo Jazz Festival in Sarawak. The two-day exciting festival of Jazz music will be celebrated on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9 in the Resort City of Miri.

The organizer, Sarawak Tourism Board proudly presents the best performers’ lineup promising the festival to be a hit celebratory note by bringing back favorite performers from the past years from different countries to celebrate a decade of Jazz by the sea.

The performing bands will cover a wide range of jazz genre from all over the world. From the local scene, “All The Best”, a five-piece ensemble with Miri-born Syafiee Obe Hairunie, who is also the conductor of the Kuching SONS Jazz Orchestra to lead the local challenge. It parades contemporary jazz with a twist of Malaysian flavor with added Latin rhythms.

Favorite international performers on stage this year will be one of the most on demand jazz pianists from the Spanish Blues scene, Lluis Coloma, boogie-woogie at its most inspired. Louis Coloma at the piano will dislodge all the keys with great big happy smile.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band from the United States of America, sparkly exhilarating and featuring exuberant traditional brass band from the rich jazz traditions of New Orleans. The Dirty Dozen revolutionized the New Orleans brass band style by incorporating funk and bebop into the traditional New Orleans jazz style.

From Perth, Western Australia, Diamond Dave and The Doodaddies are a four-piece Chicago style Blues Band offering a solid selection of uplifting grooves covering swinging shuffles, soul, boogaloo, ‘cry in your beer’ blues and more.  The Doodaddies proves not only that the roots of the blues are strong and far reaching, but the future of the blues is bright.

Jump4Joy, the Swedish high energy entertainment with a strong New Orleans flavor brings their music kind of feel-good energetic toe-tapping sounds from the stage.

Mo’Blow from Berlin, Germany, is more towards energetic spicy groovy funk. After hearing Mo’ Blow you will think differently about their country of origin because Germany is not exactly known as the home of soul and funk jazz.

Other popular jazz band listed for this decade of celebration is The Nylons, a cappella jazz group from Canada. They are well known for their dazzling harmonies and slick stage performances.

And finally, Anthony Strong from United Kingdom, hailed as “England’s new jazz superstar” after Gregory Porter, Michael Bublé and Harry Connick Jr. raised to become the No.1 on iTunes and No.2 on the www.amazon.com jazz charts in the USA.

For intending festivalgoers, they are encouraged to check out for attractive promotional offers and discount tickets to be announced on the festival website at www.jazzborneo.com for latest offers and discounts.

To encourage visitors coming and to explore the destination, the organizer is also working with various tour agencies to package the festival with wide array of local product experiences.

At the festival site, festival goers will be able to enjoy a variety of local and international cuisine, purchase of souvenirs as well as local handicrafts during the festival to help the local business community to integrate and be a part of the event and contribute to the local economy.

The host city, Miri, the gateway to Northern Sarawak is also a destination that has lots to offer to visitors. From budget hotels to 5-star accommodations, from adventures at sea and to the mountains, it has all. Visitors who are at the Borneo Jazz are encouraged to extend their stay and explore the Mulu National Park - the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Sarawak. 

The event scheduled in May, in conjunction with celebration of the Miri City Day. It is a month-long of celebration and the best time to plan and visit the area.

The Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) will continue to incorporate the tree planting campaign as part of the festival corporate social responsibility program and as a contribution to the city’s greening efforts. Other than the performing bands, various government organizations, Universities and Colleges will be invited to be part of the event for bigger and better impact. STB will take pride in incorporating the elements of greening at the venue.

Borneo Jazz has grown steadily since its first edition in 2006, going from 3,000 spectators to nearly 8,000 in the last year. This growth is a reflection of the success of the festival and the growing appeal of jazz enthusiast around the region.

Festival tickets is available online at www.jazzborneo.com. Fast updated information through Twitter account @SarawakTravel or Facebook at Sarawak

Travel.

Borneo Jazz is one of Major Event lineup for ‘Malaysia Year of Festival – MyFest 2015’. Organized by Sarawak Tourism Board, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism Sarawak and endorsed by Tourism Malaysia.

-Sarawak Tourism Board.

MCKK Premier 7s 2015 - Tournament Programme

Programme

27 February 2015 (Friday)

4.00 pm - 5.00 pm : Preliminary Round (3 matches)

5.30 pm - 6.30 pm : Managers' Meeting

28 February 2015 (Saturday)

8.00 am - 6.00 pm : Preliminary Round (33 matches)

1.30 pm - 2.00 pm : Break

1 March 2015 (Sunday)

8.00 am - 4.00 pm : Knock out Stage Round
- Quater Finals
- Semi Finals
- Shield Final
- Bowl Final

3.30 pm : Arrival of the HH The Raja Muda of Perak

4.00 pm - 4.30 pm : March Pass by Participating Teams

4.30 pm - 5.30 pm : Final Matches
- Plate Final
- Cup Final

5.30 pm - 6.00 pm : Prize Presentation

-ABR-MCOBA.

Majlis Rumah Terbuka Malaysia - Tahun Baru Cina 2015 ( 28 Februari 2015 )

Kementerian Pelancongan Dan Kebudayaan menjemput anda untuk hadir bersama-sama memeriahkan Majlis Rumah Terbuka Malaysia Tahun Baru Cina yang akan diadakan pada 28 Februari 2015, bertempat di Teluk Intan, Perak Darul Rizuan. Semua dijemput hadir!
-MOTAC Facebook.

MCKK Premier 7s 2015 @ The Malay College Kuala Kangsar ( 27 February - 1 March 2015 )

-MCKK Premier 7s facebook.

Malaysia Year Of Festivals 2015 - January To June Events

-MTA facebook.

MyCEB Wows AIME 2015 with Three New Initiatives

Melbourne, 24 February 2015 – Malaysia is currently participating (for the fifth consecutive year) in the annual Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meeting Expo (AIME) 2015 which is held at the Melbourne Convention Centre, Australia from 24-25 February 2015. The Malaysian Stand at A620 showcases the country’s popular business venues and Malaysia’s ability to host large-scale conferences and exhibitions.

Led by Mr. Zulkefli Hj Sharif, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), the Malaysian delegation with a size of 24 industry partners and 36 officials impressed participants at AIME 2015 with three new campaign initiatives. The three campaigns are; Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFEST) 2015, Malaysia Like Never Before, and Malaysia Twin Deal X (MTD-X), a value-added corporate meetings and incentives promotion.

“Malaysia is proud to be participating in AIME for the fifth consecutive year. With the introduction of these new initiatives coupled with our delegation size here at AIME, we are confident that we have the right inspiration to set Malaysia apart as an ideal destination for tourists and business visitors alike,” said Zulkefli Haji Sharif, Chief Executive Office of Malaysia Convention Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia.

Among the Malaysian delegation breakdown are; Destination Marketing Companies (DMC), hotel operators and convention centre.  Meanwhile, a media conference will be held at 12 noon, on 24 February at Room 1.201 and 1.202.

Three New Initiatives

MyFEST 2015 -

The Malaysia Year of Festival – MyFEST 2015 is to continue the momentum of the Visit Malaysia Year 2014. For this reason, this year there will be more events and festivals hosted in the country.

Themed ‘Endless Celebrations’, MyFEST 2015 aims to boost Malaysia’s tourism industry by encouraging visitors to stay longer to enjoy festive offerings throughout the year. The initiative honours Malaysia’s endless celebrations of festivals and events that are a result of the country’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

“MyFEST 2015 is set to make Malaysia the ideal go-to destination. Business visitors can extend their  stay to experience one of our many cultural celebrations and festivals as there are always one right

around the corner,” said Zulkefli Haji Sharif, Chief Executive Office of Malaysia Convention Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia.

Besides MyFEST 2015, MyCEB also unveiled the “Malaysia Like Never Before” campaign and MTD-X promotion for corporate meetings and incentives planners.

Malaysia Like Never Before –

Tailored to the incentives market, the “Malaysia Like Never Before” campaign highlights the unique and unheard features of five key Malaysian destinations for event planners: Langkawi, Georgetown, Kuala Lumpur, Mount Kinabalu, and Kuching. Though already familiar to regulars of the business events circuit, the campaign has reimagined these destinations, guaranteeing a fresh experience to visitors.

Each destination has its own theme, such as ‘Party like never before in Langkawi’ and ‘Soar like never before at Mount Kinabalu’. ‘Do’, ‘Stay’, and ‘Eat’ recommendations for the most unique and luxurious offerings are listed for each destination.

Malaysia Twin Deal X (MTD X)

Along with Malaysia Like Never Before, MyCEB introduced the Malaysia Twin Deal X (MTDX) Programme, a continuation of its popular Malaysia Twin Deal ++ (MTD++) programme in 2014. Similar to its predecessor, MTDX comprises two programmes, namely Deal 1 and Deal 2, which provides value added support for international corporate meeting and incentive groups and incentive rewards for international corporate meeting and incentive planners respectively depending on group size.

Business events organisers and event planners can visit www.likeneverbefore.my to find out more about these new initiatives. The website also features an event proposal generator to help organisers get started on their journey to Malaysia.

-Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau.

AirAsia Asean Pass goes live

www.airasia.com

In another instance of the private sector achieving what ASEAN itself has failed to do, AirAsia Group has introduced a new regional travel pass that will pave the way for more intra-regional travel.

AirAsia launched the AirAsia Asean Pass and AirAsia Asean Pass+ in Bangkok yesterday, the idea for which was first mooted in November last year. 

Both passes work on the same credit system and enable pass holders to enjoy fixed-rate flights to more than 148 destinations in all 10 ASEAN countries on AirAsia’s network.

Flights shorter than two hours will cost travellers one credit; all else will be priced at three credits per flight. While no processing fees apply for flight redemptions, passengers are still subject to the relevant airport taxes and fees. 

The AirAsia Asean Pass, which is priced at S$209 (US$154), comes with 10 credits and the AirAsia Asean Pass+, retailing for S$369, comes with 20. Both are valid for one year.

Flights can be redeemed on AirAsia’s various regional airlines – AirAsia Malaysia, Thai AirAsia, AirAsia Indonesia and Philippines AirAsia – to destinations only in South-east Asia. The passes are now on sale at AirAsia’s website.  

Tony Fernandes, CEO of AirAsia Group, said: “As a truly ASEAN airline, we are extremely proud to introduce the AirAsia ASEAN pass, which is a product specifically designed to further liberalise and encourage travel among the ASEAN community. The pass allows us to bridge communities and attract more foreign tourists to the region – it’s the perfect instrument to promote ASEAN integration.”

With the year-end implementation date of the ASEAN Economic Community approaching, there has been little progress in achieving the longstanding wishes of the travel community including a “true” Open Skies system, and a single visa for travel within the entire bloc.

-TTG Asia.