Sabah Fest 2016 Opens With 'Gulu-Gulu' Musical

KOTA KINABALU, April 30 (Bernama) -- The three-day Sabah Fest 2016 opened with the 'Gulu-Gulu - A Tribute to the Past' musical at the Sabah National Culture and Arts Department Complex here Friday night.

'Gulu'Gulu' (A Long Time Ago) is a story about the adventure, trials and tribulations of Sabah warrior Mat Salleh during the British colonial era from 1894 to 1900 in Sandakan and Tambunan.

The musical features traditional dances of Sabah's ethnic groups such as Sumazau by Kadazan Penampang, Medtemu and Sumirip (Dusun Liwan of Ranau), Limbaiyan and Kuntau (Bajau Sama of Semporna), Singkil and Pengalai Kab Kab (Suluk Sandakan) and Mengarang (Dusun Tambunan).

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman launched the handicraft and traditional food exhibitions within the complex grounds earlier in the evening.

Activities ranging from cultural dance performances, batik and contemporary ethnic costumes show to Murut blowpipe activity and a Mat Salleh exhibition will also be held throughout the annual festival.

Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin is scheduled to officiate at the grand opening of the festival tonight.
-bernama.
http://www.sabahfest.com/

Motorsport Free Morning @ Sepang International Circuit ( 1 May 2016 )

-Sepang International Circuit facebook.

First WTM Connect Asia plugs the gap for Malaysia

The inaugural edition of WTM Connect Asia in Penang next month aims to connect South-east Asian sellers to international buyers, and plugs the gap for Malaysia in having a branded travel trade show at last.

An offshoot of World Travel Market, the three-day event will be held from May 18. The first will showcase more than 50 exhibitors and 75 hosted buyers, according to organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions. The opening will be held at E&O Hotel Penang while business meetings will be at Straits Quay Convention Centre in Penang.

Zulkefli Sharif, CEO of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), said: “This show is important for Malaysia as we don’t have a travel trade show of international standard. It also provides an opportunity for South-east Asian sellers to meet with international buyers without having to travel far.”

MyCEB is targeting an economic impact of around RM15 million (US$3.8 million) from the three-day event and a total international spend of RM7.7 million.

Buyer breakdown is as follows: 40 per cent from Asia-Pacific, 20 per cent from Europe, 10 per cent from Middle East and Africa, and the rest from North America and Latin America. The show will also host a number of key outbound Chinese leisure travel buyers, providing more business opportunities for exhibitors targeting the Chinese market.

Show highlights will include pre-scheduled business meetings onsite, numerous networking opportunities, as well as speeches by Azran Osman Rani, former CEO of AirAsia X, and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, Sherpa Everest Climber, mountain guide, motivational speaker and author of Touching My Father’s Soul.

This show is supported by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, MyCEB and Penang’s state tourism.

-TTG Asia.

360,000 pelancong Asia Barat disasar ke Malaysia

DUBAI, UAE 27 April - Lembaga Penggalakan Pelancongan Malaysia menyasarkan kedatangan seramai 360,000 pelancong dari Asia Barat dengan membawa jumlah nilai perbelanjaan sebanyak RM70 juta pada tahun ini.

Timbalan Ketua Pengarahnya (Promosi Antarabangsa), Datuk Azizan Noordin berkata, daripada jumlah itu, dianggarkan seramai 20,000 pelancong adalah dari Emiriyah Arab Bersatu (UAE) berbanding hanya 15,000 pelancong negara terbabit pada tahun lalu.

Kata beliau, pihaknya yakin sasaran itu dapat dicapai walaupun Malaysia Airlines (MAS) tidak lagi membuat penerbangan ke UAE.

"Kita mempunyai kerjasama dengan penerbangan UAE iaitu Emirates dan Etihad ke Malaysia. Kementerian melihat potensi besar dari negara-negara Arab khususnya UAE dalam industri pelancongan," katanya ketika ditemui di pameran Pasaran Pengembaraan Arab di sini, hari ini.

Raja Muda Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Jamalullail berkenan melancarkan buku Panduan Pelancongan Malaysia yang diterbitkan oleh Kumpulan Antarabangsa Media Hab (Malaysia dan UAE) semasa pemeran tersebut berlangsung.

Baginda ke UAE setelah menerima jemputan daripada Majlis Emiriyah Fujairah untuk menyampaikan ucaptama Pameran Pendidikan dan Kerjaya Antarabangsa di daerah itu semalam.

Yang turut hadir, Duta Besar Malaysia ke UAE, Datuk Ahmad Anwar Adnan dan Pengerusi Kumpulan Antarabangsa Media Hab (Malaysia dan UAE), Dr. Abdulrahim Abdulwahid.

Dalam pada itu, Malaysia menyertai pameran buat kali ke-23 tahun ini dengan penglibatan seramai 77 organisasi dan 124 wakil daripada hotel, ejen pelancongan swasta dan negeri.

Menurut Azizan, Pasaran Pengembaraan Arab yang dijalankan bermula 25 April sehingga esok itu adalah antara tiga pameran pelancongan yang tidak akan dilepaskan Malaysia selepas acara seumpamanya di Berlin, Jerman (Mac) dan London, United Kingdom (November) setiap tahun.

"Menerusi penyertaan Malaysia di Dubai, kita dapat menarik kedatangan pelancong bukan sahaja dari negara Arab malah Barat kerana kedudukan pusat bandar raya ini yang strategik," katanya.

Tambah beliau, pelancong Arab kini tidak lagi tertumpu di Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur dan Genting Highlands, Pahang tetapi sudah beralih ke Melaka, Johor, Sabah dan Sarawak berikutan promosi yang dijalankan kementerian tersebut.

-Utusan Online.

NTP: Tourism Sector Third Highest Contributor For Malaysian Economy

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's tourism sector saw an improvement from fifth to third highest Gross National Income (GNI) contributor last year in 2014 despite a decline in tourist arrivals and receipts.

According to the National Transformation Programme Annual Report 2015, in terms of tourist receipts, it decreased by 4 per cent from RM72 billion to RM69.1 billion in 2015, while tourist arrivals recorded a decline of 6.3 per cent from 27.4 million in 2014 to 25.7 million last year.

The drop in tourist arrivals and receipts can be attributed to the global economic slowdown and challenges such as the worst floods in 30 years which affected several states in Malaysia in early 2015 and the earthquake in Ranau, Sabah, in June 2015, regional travel advisory for the coastal areas of the south-eastern coast of Sabah as well as the lingering effects of the MH370 and MH17 incidents.

"Despite various challenges, tourism remains a resilient sector, and it is one of the economic pillars that can assist Malaysia's economic recovery," it said.

It said Malaysia's competitiveness as a leading tourism destination in the region was recognised via numerous awards in 2015: Best Golf Destination in Asia for the second year running by the World Golf Awards 2015; Best International Destination - Food and Drink 2014 in April 2015 by Travel & Leisure magazine; second most popular shopping city in the world for Muslim tourists by the Muslim Travel Shopping Index 2015 and Top 10 Best Travel Destinations for 2016 by the Lonely Planet.

According to the report, the Malaysian cruise industry continued its upward growth trajectory in 2015 with a marked 50 per cent increase in total cruise passengers to 523,272 from 352,322 in 2014.

It said outlet centres for premium items also continued to grow in popularity as Malaysia became the first country to have a Mitsui outlet outside Japan in 2015 and home to the largest Mitsui outlet to-date, which had attracted over one million visitors since its opening.

Tourist spending on shopping also picked up momentum last year, with the total spent on shopping rising by 0.2 per cent to RM21.63 million and shopping representing 31.3 per cent of the total tourist spending in Malaysia.

The report said government incentives and programmes continued to play a major role in developing the tourism industry, for example the Investment Tax Allowance had encouraged the opening of more 4- and 5-star hotels in 2015 including the luxury Kempinski-branded 5-star hotel which will commence construction in 2016.

The 2015 annual report also stated that in moving forward the government remains steadfast in achieving its ambitious targets of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion tourist receipts by 2020, given that 2015 represents a halfway mark for the Economic Transformation Programme and to take on board the dynamic landscape of the tourism sector.

"The Ministry of Tourism and Culture has decided that it is timely to review the existing initiatives and identify new product offerings, including incorporating the recommendations of the recent studies embarked by the ministry," it said.
-bernama.

Labuan International Sea Challenge 2016 ( 29 April ~ 1 May 2016 )

-Labuan Tourism.

World Youth Jazz Festival 2016 @ Dataran Merdeka Kuala Lumpur ( 6 ~ 8 May 2016 )

image: http://www.worldyouthjazzfest.com/

KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Bernama) -- The World Youth Jazz Festival (WYJF) 2016 is set to mesmerise city folks and tourists when it kicks off on May 6.

Back for the fifth time, the largest youth jazz festival will offer more than 20 homegrown and international youth jazz artistes performing at the Dataran Merdeka.

Admission to the three-day WYJF 2016 is free.

The event will showcase a saxophone treat, double bass pluckers and guitarists strumming their jazz pentatonic scale.

According to WYJF founder, Datuk Nik A. Azmi, he is expecting a 45,000-strong crowd for the event as bands from 10 countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, Spain, Germany, Indonesia and Turkey will unleash an energetic performance.

He said among the artistes featured would be home-grown Waris and actress-cum-singer Maya Karin, Janine Annice (United Kingdom), Indonesia's Dua Drum, Spain's O'Sister! and Frederick Koster from Germany.

"We are bringing artistes from various music genres such as hip-hop and R&B to show that jazz can be mixed with any kind of music" he added.

The WYJF 2016, co-organised by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall will also feature the launch of the #MalaysiaFeelingGood campaign that aims to inculcate positive values among Malaysians.
-bernama.
http://www.worldyouthjazzfest.com/

Tourism Malaysia Launches The Malaysia Pavilion At The Arabian Travel Market 2016 Dubai

DUBAI, 25 April 2016 –Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director General (International Promotion) Dato’ Hj. Azizan Noordin officially launched the Malaysia Pavilion today at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Dubai.

The occasion was also graced by the Ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE Dato’ Ahmad Anwar Adnan, the Consul General of Malaysia to Dubai H.E. Yubazlan Yusof, Tourism Malaysia’s Senior Director of International Promotion Division (Asia & Africa) Datuk Musa Yusuf, the Director of Tourism Malaysia Dubai Mohamed Taib Ibrahim, and the Deputy State Secretary of Perak Dato’ Abu Bakar Hj. Said.

The biggest travel and tourism fair in the Middle East started today at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC). It offers Malaysia an excellent platform to market and boost awareness of Malaysia’s tourism offerings in the Middle East.

This year, a total of 124 Malaysian sellers from 77 organisations joined Tourism Malaysia to participate in ATM, which is held from 25 to 28 April.

During the launching ceremony, guests were shown a 30-second TVC on West Asian market. After that, the Melaka Art Brigade from the Melaka Tourism Promotion Division, Melaka Chief Minister’s Department, presented a glittering spectrum of dances from the various ethnic groups to reflect the unique heritage of Malaysia.

This year marks the 23^rd year of Tourism Malaysia’s participation in the prestigious ATM. During the exhibition, Tourism Malaysia helped to promote tourism products and campaigns of other participating states, such as Visit Perak Year 2017, Visit Pahang Year 2017 and Visit Terengganu Year 2017, and assisted during the launching of “Experience Penang a Muslim Travel Guide 2016/2017” brochure by the Penang State Tourism, and “Malaysia Travel Guide” by a local wholesaler agency Explore The Wonders. Besides that, a local PR agency Media Hub also launched its “Malaysia Tourist Guide” Arabic brochure.

A press conference was also held today where Dato’ Hj. Azizan briefed the media on Malaysia’s tourism activities and events for 2016 and 2017. He also took the opportunity to inform the media and guests about the Nancy Ajram concert, which will be held on 30 and 31 July 2016 at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC).

On 26 April 2016, Tourism Malaysia will be hosting a Networking Dinner at Grand Hyatt Dubai. It will give the guests a glimpse of what awaits them in Malaysia, especially in 2016. Besides that, the special dinner also aims to show Tourism Malaysia’s appreciation to buyers, media and invited guests, for their support and assistance in promoting Malaysia.

During ATM 2016, Dato’ Hj. Azizan is scheduled to be interviewed by several media, including satellite television nationwide MBC, Dubai TV, Abu Dhabi TV, CNBC, and Al Jazeera TV, as well as The Gulf Today and Alroeya. During the interviews, Dato’ Hj. Azizan will also share with the media Tourism Malaysia’s marketing strategy to attract more Arab tourists for the year 2016/2017.

ATM 2016 is set to provide an excellent opportunity for Malaysia to establish a wider network of contacts and to forge smart partnerships and cooperation with international airlines and the local tour operators. ATM is one of the most important events to enhance the knowledge of the participants on the latest industry trends in the Middle East.

It has also been listed by Tourism Malaysia as one of its annual international business events for excellent networking among the Malaysian tour operators to reinforce the Malaysian brand as a luxury tourism destination.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Experience MALAYSIA May 2016

Looking forward for fun-filled and exciting festivals and events this month? Royal Floria Putrajaya is back to enchant you with breath-taking flower exhibitions.

Submerge yourself in the diverse and the richness of the Malaysian cultures at the Tadau Ka’amatan Celebrations and discover the archaeological revelation of the Sungai Batu Civilization at the Festival Kedah Tua.

If your passion is music, then don’t forget to have fun at the Urbanscapes 2016 and Borneo Jazz Festival. May is also the month to get your gear up and join the exciting Dragon Boat race and sports events.

Take a trip to Penang to enjoy the vibrant culture and heritage, and also the UNESCO World Heritage site attraction in George Town as Malaysia is to be the host country of the inaugural WTM Connect Asia this May.

To give you some ideas of what to do this month, here’s a line-up of well-balanced events for tourists, both local and foreign, to enjoy in Malaysia. Plan your trip well, or engage the services of a licensed tour operator/ travel agent.

Happy Holidays!

Corporate Communication Division
Tourism Malaysia

Langkawi International Laksa Carnival (LILAC) 2016

If you are visiting Langkawi in May, then do not miss out on this increasingly growing and popular food festival. At the Laksa festival, you will find Laksa dishes not only from various places of Malaysia, but also from Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Korea. Renowned Malaysian and international chefs will be participating in the carnival to demonstrate the cooking of Laksa.

There are also activities and entertainment such as musical performances, volleyball, painting competition for children, traditional games, and culinary competitions with prizes to be won. Visitors can also join the Laksa eating competition.

The carnival is a great melting pot of diversity and harmony of Malaysian as well as international cultures in which thousands of locals and tourists can participate.

Date: 27 to 29 May 2016
Venue: Laman Padi Langkawi
Organiser: Langkawi Development Authorit
Contact: +604 960 0600

Malaysia’s largest flower and garden festival 

Putrajaya FLORIA or Royal FLORIA Putrajaya 2016, returns again with this year’s theme, Magical World of FLORIA, featuring the theme flower,Chrysanthemum. There will be exciting exhibitions such as “The Magic of Bonsai & Suiseki “Musical Garden”, Terrarium “Tropical Magic in Glass” and with the latest technology from Europe; the Magical Gardens and indoor and outdoor garden exhibitions by floral designers and landscape architects from around the world.

Visitors can also join activities such as flower arrangement demonstrations, gardening workshops, entertainment shows, photography competitions, watercolour contests, and FLORIA Arts & Crafts which offer arts and craft products. There will be FLORIA Flavours, which offer authentic cuisine from the various states in Malaysia.

Date: 27 May to 4 June 2016
Venue: Anjung Floria, Precinct 4, Putrajaya 
Organiser: Perbadanan Putrajaya
Contact: +603 8893 1967609-7485534 / +609-7483543
Email: info@floriaputrajaya.com.my
Website: floriaputrajaya.com.my

History, archeology and tourism

Festival Kedah Tua (FKT) is an initiative by the Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia (CGAR USM) to foster a better connection between archaeology and the general public. It is designed to give an in-depth as well as comprehensive understanding on early civilization of Kedah, especially in Sungai Batu archaeological site.

Various activities have been planned and will be held during the FKT. There will be a Kedah Tua International Conference, gathering 25 World Civilization experts to talk about Mesopotamia, Egypt and Indus Civilization. For those who are interested, the entrance fees are; RM150 (Students) and RM250 (Local)

The three-day event will include exhibitions of the site, traditional games competition, guided tours, hands-on excavation on-site and food stalls. Visitors are required to pay for the entrance fee; RM5 (Local), RM10 (International), RM1 (Students) and free for children under 7 years old.

Date: 20 to 23 May 2016
Venue: Sungai Petani, Malaysia
Organiser: Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia
Contact: +6016 5053531
Email: catchmazlan@gmail.com

Celebrate creativity at Urbanscapes 2016

Urbanscapes is one of the longest-running creative arts festivals in Malaysia. This year, Urbanscapes 2016 will go back to where it all started, in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. The festival will spread across three weekends (two and a half weeks) in various parts of the city, to take advantage of KL's glorious cityscape, and complement it with some creative shenanigans.

The activities will be held at Medan Pasar, Publika in Solaris Dutamas, Jalan Duta and KL Live in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur. The highlights in KL Live include Tame Impala, Hujan and Bittersweet, Rudimental and M83. Jin Hackman entertains at Publika while the old OCBC Bank in Medan Pasar will feature the art exhibition Cannot Be Bo(a)rded with works by Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian artists. It will also house a theatre production, The Vicious Cycle.

Date: 23 April to 8 May 2016
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Organiser: Adrian Yap
Website: urbanscapes.com.my

Celebrating Thanksgiving, the Sabah way!

Experience the Tadau Ka'amatan festival for a month in May, where the Kadazandusun and Murut communities come together to offer thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest. Visitors and locals are invited to join in the merriment and be entertained by a variety of traditional and unique cultural dances which are performed at the venue. The inauguration of the event will be on May in Tenom and the Grand Finale will be at the Hongkod Koisaan (Unity Centre) KDCA from 30 to 31 May.

There are also traditional sports competition such as mamarampanau (walking on bamboo stilts), arm wrestling and many more. For craft lovers, there are a number of shops that are showcasing and selling traditional Kadazan craft. The Ka'amatan Festival is also a great opportunity to try out the traditional local food and drinks which include the fascinating lihing or tuak usually served in the traditional houses at the KDCA.

Date: 1 to 31 May 2016
Venue: Hongkod Koisaan (Unity Centre) KDCA,
Penampang, Sabah 
Organiser : Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association (KDCA)
Contact: +6088 713696/ +6088 715924
Website: kdca.org.my

World Harvest Festival

The World Harvest Festival (WHF) is an ethnic festival that is one of the highlights of the Gawai Dayak celebration, the largest in Sarawak. The 11^th year of Harvest Festival (Gawai) is celebrated on a grander scale with the participations of cultural troupes from other countries. The World Harvest Festival provides the opportunity for the non-Dayaks to understand the cultures, traditions and aspirations of the Dayak community.The highlight of the World Harvest Festival (WHF) is the theme play, which utilises the lake, ethnic houses and trees as natural props. Along with sampling of traditional food and crafts of the ethnic communities of Sarawak, there will also be a series of joint workshops by the local and invited cultural troupes.

An ethnic beauty pageant lends colour and vibrancy to the event whereas brawn comes in the form of the Ironman World Harvest Festival competition. The entrance fee per day is RM60 for adults and RM30 for children.

Date: 29 April to 1 May 2016
Venue: Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Sarawak
Organiser: Sarawak Cultural Village
Contact: +6082 846108/846078
Website: whf.com.my
Email: enquiry@scv.com.my

Get jazzy in Miri

This year’s Borneo Jazz Festival will be held in Miri, at the Park City Everly Hotel and is supported by Miri as Sarawak’s Resort City. There will be two nights of four performances by eight local and international artists. Apart from the festival, there will be an outdoor bazaar where visitors can enjoy local food and handicraft.

Visitors going to this cosmopolitan city of Miri can visit the Lambir Hills or the historical Niah National Park located just an hour and two away respectively.For scuba divers, the dive sites in the Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park beckons.The nearest dive site is a mere 15 minutes’ drive away, just off the coast of the city.

Do not miss the magic of Borneo and what this exciting destination can offer as you groove to the music in this land where adventure lives. Selamat datai/ Welcome to our music room!

Date: 13 to 14 May 2016
Venue: Beach Arena, Park City Everly Hotel, Miri, Sarawak
Organiser: Sarawak Tourism Board
Contact: +60 82423600
Website: http://jazzborneo.com/

Penang Anime Matsuri 2016 (PAM16)

For the second year in the sunny Penang Island, the producer of Anime Festival Asia and PAM2015 presents an outdoor anisong party, and the summer party of Anime Matsuri. PAM16 will embrace the theme Magical Summer this year, returning with a stronger guest line-up. You can expect an exciting 2-day event with power-packed activities such as Akihabara Town, Creators Market, Merchandise Town, Night Doujin Market, cosplay celebrities, Japanese food, outdoor Anisong concert, workshops, meet-and-greet sessions and anime screenings. Also, take this opportunity to showcase your beautiful yukata.

Date: 21 to 22 May 2016
Venue: Penang Esplanade, Dewan Sri
Pinang
Organiser: SOZO 
Website: pamsummer.asia

Oceansation Festival 2016

Transforming public perception on outdoor festivals, Oceansation is on a mission to create a life-changing experience by adapting elements that resonate with the younger generation. The event will be packed with a variety of games and activities ranging from morning yoga sessions, splashing good times in the water with Malaysia’s first Human Launcher, Iceberg, Slip N’ Slide, and Slackline, to sports activities such as jungle trekking, snorkelling, fishing, beach soccer, volleyball and traditional games. This year’s festival will also include creative arts installations, performing arts from dikir barat to wayang kulit, sand sculptures, stomping and more.

Oceansation offers their own boat transfers from the mainland to Perhentian Island. For land transportation from the main city of Kuala Lumpur to Perhentian Jetty, Oceansation offers round- trips express buses which can be purchased along with the festival ticket.

Date: 30 April to 2 May 2016
Venue: Teluk Keke, Perhentian Island, Terengganu
Organiser: The Nomad Nation
Contact: +8012 249 4483/ +8012 328 7870
Email: holla@thenomadnation.com
Website: www.oceansationfestival.com

Riding dragons in Penang and Sabah 

Do you want to be a part of the world’s fastest growing water sport? Want to get fit and have fun? Come and try dragon boating!

Dragon boating is an ancient sport from China where a team consists of 20 paddlers, work in unison to propel the boat forwards from a standing start to reach the finish line in the fastest time.

Or you can just come and enjoy the race, and watch the local and international teams beat their drums and synchronize their paddling, while racing for the finish line.

The distinctive features of a dragon boat are a brightly coloured dragon head attached to the front of the boat, where a drummer hits a driving beat on the drum, dragon scales running along the sides of the boat and a tail peeking out of the water.

Get ready to experience the exciting and exhilarating cultural dragon boat races this month at two locations: the 37^th Penang International Dragon Boat Festival at the scenic Teluk Bahang Dam and the 3^rd Sabah FCAS International Boat Race 2016 at Likas Bay, Sabah.

Date: 21 to 22 May 2016
Venue: Likas Bay, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah 
Organiser: The Federation of Chinese Associations, Sabah
Contact: +6088 253433
Email: fcasinfo@gmail.com
Website: sabahdragonboat.com

Date: 28 to 29 May 2016
Venue: Teluk Bahang Dam
Organiser: Penang State Tourism & PIDBF Committee
Contact: +6016 411 0000

SBK Superbike (FIM World Championship)

Superbike World Championship (also known as SBK, World Superbike, WSB, or WSBK), the worldwide Superbike racing Championship will be held this month. Round 6 – Pirelli Malaysian Round of the Superbikes FIM World Championship will take place at Sepang International Circuit from 13 to 15 May.

Motorsports fans are advised to grab their tickets for the upcoming 2016 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) Malaysian Round to catch their favourite heroes in action.

Date: 13 to 15 May 2016
Venue: Sepang International Circuit, Sepang, Selangor
Organiser: Sepang International Circuit
Contact: +60 3-8778 2200
Website: www.sepangcircuit.com

Kuantan Century Ride (Kuantan 160) 2016

Attention to all avid cyclists around, the Kuantan160 Century Ride is back! KUANTAN160 is an open road cycling event covering 160km around the city of Kuantan in the East Coast of Malaysia.

The inaugural event was held in March 2012 organized by a group of cycling enthusiasts from Kuantan. Later the Ministry of Tourism & Culture (the Ministry of Tourism) Pahang made Kuantan160 its official event, fully supported by the Pahang State Government.

The Kuantan Century Ride takes participants on a journey enriched with culture and architecture of Kuantan. However, expect the hot weather and elevations to give you a real challenge. Whether you want to ride with a couple of friends or get a real work-out, this event invites you to challenge yourself and take a shot at surviving the 160 km bike ride.

Date: 29 May 2016
Venue: Kuantan, Pahang
Organiser: Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Pahang Office
Contact: +609 517 1111

A Towering Challenge

KL Tower International Towerthon Challenge is a signature sports event for Menara Kuala Lumpur for the past 15 years. This staircase run has gained much popularity amongst local and international sports enthusiasts, young and old, to take up the challenge of a 1 km run uphill before conquering the 2,058 steps and reaching the top level of Menara KL at 283 meters above ground level.

Participants can register online or manually and are required to pay for the entrance fee. Finishers will receive medals and certificates. Registration will be closed on 5^th May. If you are interested, register now!

Date: 1 May 2016
Venue: KL Tower, Kuala Lumpur
Organiser: KL Tower International Towerthon Challenge 2016
Contact: +603 2020 5444
Website: www.menarakl.com.my

Borneo International Marathon

The first marathon in Sabah was held in 1984 and it was called the Daily Express Sabah Marathon. The next marathon was held 23 years later in 2008 and it was called the Borneo International Marathon (BIM).

The Borneo International Marathon route was designed to feature Kota Kinabalu city’s beautiful architecture and scenery.

It also highlights the beautiful coastline overlooking the South China Sea and runners can catch a glimpse of the iconic Mt Kinabalu in the background and sun rising behind it.

Date: 1 May 2016
Venue: Along coastal roads of Kota Kinabalu 
Organiser: Champioship Sports Event Sdn Bhd
Contact: +6088 218833
Website: borneomarathon.com

Malaysia Hosts Inaugural WTM Connect Asia

Malaysia is proud to be the host country of the inaugural WTM Connect Asia this May 2016 in George Town, Penang. The event is expected to offer a unique one-to-one format targeted at the booming Asian leisure travel market, allowing exhibitors to exclusively meet with elite international hosted buyers.

Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Mirza Mohammad Taiyab says, “The WTM brand is well-established for being among the leading tourism trade exhibitions in countries such as United Kingdom, Africa and Latin America. Naturally, we are excited that Malaysia has been chosen to host the inaugural edition of WTM Connect Asia.

“As host-country, we welcome all buyers and sellers of WTM Connect Asia to Malaysia. Malaysia is a multi-cultural and diverse destination that offers the perfect combination of business and leisure experience to all visitors.

“Penang’s vibrant culture and heritage, delicious food, beaches, unique architecture and UNESCO World Heritage site attraction in the capital city of George Town will showcase the Malaysia Truly Asia brand perfectly and will certainly be a charming and wonderful introduction to the rest of Malaysia for the delegates of WTM Connect Asia.”

WTM Connect Asia will take place at the Eastern Oriental Hotel, Penang, from 18 to 20 May 2016. It is organised by Reed Exhibitions and supported by Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Tourism Malaysia and State Tourism of Penang.

Date: 18 to 20 May 2016
Venue: Eastern Oriental Hotel, Penang
Website: wtmconnectasia.com

All information is correct at time of publication. 

Visitors are advised to contact the event organiser for the latest updates.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Destination Kuala Lumpur unveils new brand

Kuala Lumpur City Hall has unveiled a new destination brand for the city yesterday, as well as committing to between two million ringgit (US$512 thousand) and three million ringgit in funds on advertising to promote the brand in Malaysia first, before going global.

Titled Kuala Lumpur a City of Contracts and Diversity, the branding seeks to represent the diverse populace, architecture, cuisine, accommodation and shopping options that can be found in the capital of Malaysia.

“The branding exercise will help expand our marketing capabilities with promotional campaigns and eye-catching logos to set Kuala Lumpur as the region’s forefront destination for business and leisure,” said Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz, mayor, Kuala Lumpur City Hall. 

He added: “By successfully branding Kuala Lumpur, we will be able to stimulate an increase in tourism, investment, job opportunities, business development and events hosting.”

According to Amin, the campaign hopes to boost three key indicators – visitor arrivals, average spend per night and average length of stay.

In the government's Kuala Lumpur Tourism Masterplan 2015-2025, targets are for Kuala Lumpur to reach 16 million foreign arrivals and to generate 79 billion ringgit in receipts by 2025. This translates to about five to six per cent annual growth. 

Branding of the city is also in line with the masterplan which had prescribed that to position Kuala Lumpur competitively, it needed to have a distinctive brand.

-TTG Asia.