China celebrities arrive in Sabah to shoot reality TV show

 

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew (right) garlanding Raymond Lam upon arrival at KKIA. - NSTP/ courtesy of State’s Tourism Ministry

KOTA KINABALU: A group of seven celebrities from Zhejiang TV China — including a Malaysian-born singer-actor — have arrived in town for the shooting of a reality show called "Star Chasers".

The celebrities are singer-turned actor Raymond Lam, actors Wu Chi-Lung, Ding Zhou Jie, Chen Li-Nung, Cai Wen Jing, and Zhou Jie Qiong, as well as Ah Niu, who hails from Malaysia.

The group was greeted by a large group of ecstatic fans upon arrival at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) on Sunday at 6pm.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew and the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) staff were also on hand to garland them with native bead necklaces.

The celebrities began location shooting at Masakan Sedap Restaurant in Hilltop, Luyang, on the same evening.

They then had a short stay at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru before departing for Manukan Island for the next shoot.

The tour continued with a visit to Shangri-La Rasa Ria in Tuaran.

During the sojourn, the celebrities explored Mari Mari Cultural Village, Cabana Retreat Resort, and 101 Firefly Eco Park before returning home tomorrow.

Liew said the team's nine-day trip to Malaysia, including Sabah, was coordinated by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.

"As (Sabah's) Tourism Minister, I welcome the team of celebrities to Sabah.

"I am happy that they have selected Sabah as one of the three Malaysian states (after Melaka and Pahang) for their show.

"They are aware that Kota Kinabalu is one of the best spots in the world for viewing a beautiful sunset."

Liew said she was optimistic that their upcoming reality show in China would make Sabah known to a wider audience there, and encourage more Chinese nationals to choose the state for their holiday destination.

"While Sabah is better known to the people in first-tier cities in China, there is a need to promote the state to (other) cities."

-nst online.

Japanese Music Artists To Promote Malaysian Cuisine By Train!

PUTRAJAYA, 27 NOVEMBER 2019: Famous music artists “Bullet Train” were in Malaysia in the recent weeks to shoot a new season of TV series entitled “Cho Tokkyu to iku! Tabe-tesu no tabi” (Train + Food Journey with Bullet Train) Vol.3.

This programme is scheduled to hit the airwave in Japan from April till June 2020, featuring 12 episodes with 30 mins each on TV Saitama and 6 other stations, namely TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, Gifu channel, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV(Hyogo) and Paravi (internet distribution).

The program is about Bullet Train members travel by train from northern to southern parts of Malaysia to enjoy local cuisines in Malaysia. Some of the visited states are Kedah, Penang, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka and Johor. During their trip in Malaysia, they were brought to sample Malay, Chinese, Indian as well as Nyonya food.

The missions called “Tabe-tetsu Mission” needs to be cleared one by one to enjoy the gourmet. You can’t miss it! Ahead of this, the Train + Food Journey completed its Vol.1 and Vol.2 in Taiwan and Thailand respectively.

Tourism Malaysia is pleased to support these initiatives as it is a way to promote Malaysian cuisines while taking a train ride. Besides, it is a timely initiative to reach out to a niche audience such as this in preparation for the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign next year.

About Bullet Train (Cho Tokkyu)

Bullet Train is a group of Japanese boys consisting of “main dancers” and “a back vocalist”. Formed on 25^th December 2011, Bullet Train debuted on 10^th June 2012 with six members namely Kai, Ryoga, Takuya, Yuki and Yusuke as main dancers and Takashi as the back vocalist.

They are renowned for delivering fascinating high-energy performances. Touted as one of the best performing groups right now, tickets to their performances are sold out within seconds every time.

They have completed performance tours with 100,000 fans in 2019. Blu-ray “2019 Spring & Summer Tour EUPHORIA” is expected to be released on 25^th December 2019.

-Tourism Malaysia.

http://vm2020.malaysia.travel/

Penang collaborates with popular Hindi TV channel to pull in tourists

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government is planning to increase its market share of Indian tourists through a collaboration with a popular Indian TV channel.

The 17 million viewers of AAJ Tak TV will get an opportunity to see Penang’s best attractions to be featured in a special programme at the end of June.

The programme showcasing the best of Penang was shot from May 31 to June 4 by a crew. The crew included AAJ Tak TV show editor Amit Tyagi and Indian celebrity couple Nishant Malkani and Gia Manek.

Both Nishant and Gia are well known television stars back home having starred in many top drama series in India. Both TV stars will be promoting Penang through the channel to their Hindi-speaking audience mainly in India, Britain, the Middle East and Asia.

“We are confident that the number of leisure and business tourists from India will increase and the collaboration with AAJ Tak will further promote and help boost the publicity and awareness of Penang.“There were 43,537 Indian tourists who visited Penang last year, although there were no direct flights,” said Ashwin in his speech at the event.

Amit said the coverage of Penang would air as part of AAJ Tak’s one-hour travel show called Saas Bahu Aur Betiyaan.

“It has a Bollywood-type format with dance and songs featuring Nishant and Gia, who are famous TV stars,” he said.

Yeoh in his address said the state was very serious in making a permanent name as a top tourist destination in the Indian market.

“This effort by having AAJ Tak’s crew and India’s famous TV stars in Penang is also another strategy to showcase the state further to the Indian market,” he said.

-thestar online.

Tourism Malaysia Brings In ASEAN Celebs & Media For The 4th ASEAN Celebrity Explore Quest Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 6 October 2016 – A total of 84 celebrities and media from ten ASEAN countries are participating in the fourth edition of the ASEAN Celebrity Explore Quest Malaysia, organised by Tourism Malaysia. Themed “ASEAN in My Heart”, the event combines exploration, photo & Instagram contest, telematch, product updates and group performances.

A press conference was held today at Shangri-La Hotel by the Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz who also hosted a dinner to welcome all the participants.

The Explore Quest will start at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park tomorrow after the official flag off by the Deputy Director General (Advertising & Digital) of Tourism Malaysia Dato’ Sri Abdul Khani Daud at 9.30am. It is scheduled to end in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, on 13 October.

This year, the programme will bring the participants to Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, and Sabah, where various activities and challenges involving culture, people, nature and food, await them. It is a fun way to introduce and promote new destinations and products in the country through new celebrities and media who have a strong following back home.

The participants will be exposed to some of the best tourism products in the country, which will enable them to help promote and sell Malaysia better. The media can produce articles to provide valuable information to their readers, while the celebrities can share their experiences and photos via social media to attract their fans and followers to Malaysia. Besides boosting the promotion of the country’s tourism destinations, the participation of ASEAN celebrities and media in the programme will also help raise awareness of ‘Visit ASEAN@50’ tourism campaign.

Malaysia Airlines is the official airline for the ASEAN Celebrity Explore Quest Malaysia 2016 while Gaya Travel is its media partner. The event is also supported by Sabah Tourism Board, Sunway Lagoon, Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur, D’Saji Titiwangsa and Sutera Harbour Resort Sabah.

The ASEAN market remains the largest contributor of tourist arrivals to Malaysia. In 2015, the market contributed 19.1 million tourists and RM44 billion in receipts, constituting 74% of the country’s total arrivals of 25.7 million and 63.7% of its total receipts of RM69 billion respectively. From January to June 2016, tourist arrivals from the ASEAN market recorded an increase of 5% against the same period last year.

-Tourism Malaysia.

ASEAN Celebs, Media & Tour Agents Participate In The Third ASEAN Explore Quest Malaysia 2015 Organised By Tourism Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 Nov 2015 – Tourism Malaysia is once again hosting the ASEAN Celebrity Explore Quest Malaysia 2015, which will see the participation of a total of 95 participants, comprising of celebrities, media, and tour agents from ten ASEAN countries. 

Themed “Malaysia in My Heart”, the weeklong event, beginning from 13 to 21 November, combines exploration, corporate social responsibility, homestays, and photography competitions into one exciting race across some of Malaysia’s best tourist destinations. 

This year, the race will go through three states, which are Kuala Lumpur, Perak, and Kedah. Participants will travel by bus from Kuala Lumpur to Perak, and then proceed to Langkawi via ferry while engaging in various exciting activities along the way! 

The challenges and activities this year will place an emphasis on culture, people, nature and food attractions, in line with Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to promote its Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFEST) 2015 campaign. 

The race will also expose participating media and travel agents to some of the country’s best tourism products, which will help them to promote and sell Malaysia. Through their experiences, the media can provide valuable first-hand information to their consumers, while travel agents can develop new holiday packages to their respective markets.

The participation of ASEAN celebrities will also help raise the awareness of MyFEST 2015 and boost the promotion of the country’s tourist destinations through their social media following and their fan clubs. Some of this year’s celebrities feature actress and tv presenter, Ms. Sazzy Falak from Malaysia; actress Ms. Nina Iskandar from Brunei; model and singer Mr. Jacob Benedicto from the Philippines; radio deejay Ms. Aura Shai from Singapore; Miss South East Asia Tourism Ambassadress 2015, Ms. Yada Theppanom from Thailand; bestselling author Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thach from Vietnam; Miss Myanmar International 2015 Ms. Emerald Nyein; actress Ms. Vicky Zainal from Indonesia; and actor, singer, model and presenter Mr. Yem Sam Onn from Cambodia.

In order to ensure the success of this programme, Tourism Malaysia has also forged a smart partnership with Malaysia Airlines as the official airline for this event, and it has also received support from various organisations such as Sunway Lagoon, Perbadanan Putrajaya, Perak Tourism Management Berhad and Langkawi Development Authority (LADA). 

The ASEAN market remains as the largest contributor of tourist arrivals to Malaysia. In 2014, a total of 20.4 million tourists from ASEAN countries visited Malaysia, comprising 74.3% of our total arrivals of 27.4 million with tourist receipts amounting to RM46.3 billion or 64.3% of total tourist receipts of RM72 billion. For the first quarter of 2015, the ASEAN market recorded a decline of 6.2% compared to the same period in 2014.

-Tourism Malaysia.

1Malaysia Chopper

M’sia riding high Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak getting a feel of the newly unveiled 1Malaysia Chopper as popular Discovery Channel host and Orange County Choppers (OCC) 

founder Paul Teutul Sr explains the details of the superbike’s design. Looking on are (from left) Tourism Malaysia chairman Datuk Dr Victor Wee, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen, Tourism Ministry secretary - general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng and representatives from the three tourism agencies who are participating in the ‘5 Mountains Motorcycle Tour’ package. Discovery Channel will feature the 1Malaysia Chopper in various parts of Malaysia on its show ‘American Chopper’ in April and May. 

-thestar online.

Bikers rev up for 5-Mountain Tour

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak trying out the 1Malaysia Chopper yesterday. Orange County Chopper founder and star of ‘American Chopper’ Paul Teutul Sr., is in the centre.

KUALA LUMPUR: Scenic trails guaranteed to give even the most hardcore of bikers the adrenaline-pumping excitement they crave are now being promoted by the Tourism Ministry under its 5-Mountain Motorcycle Tour. 

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who launched the tour package at the Putra World Trade Centre yesterday, also unveiled the 1Malaysia Chopper, which was designed and presented by Paul Teutul Sr., the star of the popular Discovery Channel show American Chopper and founder of Orange County Choppers (OCC).

The motorcycle design features popular Malaysian iconic landmarks including the national flag, the Petronas Twin Towers, the hibiscus and islands.Najib said the 5-Mountain Motorcycle Tour package is a good initiative to promote Malaysia as the best motorcycle touring destination in the region."Malaysia is blessed with natural beauty and I am confident that the package will be a hit with foreign bikers due to our scenic routes and warm weather," he said. Najib also thanked Discovery Channel for its features on Malaysia and expressed hope, as a "fairly regular viewer" of the channel, that he would get to see more familiar scenes in the show in the future, including the 1Malaysia Chopper. 

Teutul, who presented Najib with a specially-made, signed biker's jacket, said he was delighted to have a pleasant experience here. "I've been around the world and this country offers far more than all the places I've been in. I've been here for only three or four days but so much is going on, it's unbelievable!" he said. The 1Malaysia Chopper is the result of a smart partnership between the Tourism Ministry and OCC which will also see Malaysia being featured in several episodes of the popular show to worldwide audiences in April and May this year. 

Five mountains in the country were chosen for the tour, namely Genting Highlands, Fraser's Hill, Cameron Highlands, Gunung Jerai and the Titiwangsa Range. Present at the launch were Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

-NST online.

Fab Kimora in KL gets fans all a-Twitter

KUALA LUMPUR: International fashion mogul Kimora Lee Simmons made a “fabulous” appearance at a restaurant at The Gardens in Mid Valley here, greeted by hundreds of fans who had waited for her for hours.

Her fans gathered after her arrival was made known via her official Twitter account @officialkimora. The 36-year-old former supermodel, famous for her reality series Life in the Fab Lane, flew in from Hong Kong yesterday after updating her fans on Twitter of her visit to Asia for the past week.

Hundreds of fans greeting Kimora as she makes her way to a restaurant at The Gardens in Mid Valley yesterday.

Fans screamed and clicked their cameras away as the towering Kimora walked into the room and without hesitation, answered questions from the emcee on her visit and her life in general. She said that achieving “fabulousity” was not easy. “Family comes first for me. I have three children and two husbands. I am not perfect but I want everyone out there to know that you can follow your dreams and do the best you can,” she said.

According to Kimora, this was not her first visit to Malaysia as she was here in 2005 for the Forces of Nature concert. “Some people say I am a celebrity but I think I am famous for the work that I have done on the fashion industry,” she said, adding that she preferred to be known as a businesswoman.

The fashion icon was born Kimora Lee Perkins in 1975 in St Louis, Missouri, to an African-American father and Japanese mother. At the age of 11, her mother enrolled her in modelling class and she later moved to Paris to work under the famous Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

She is the ex-wife of Russell Simmons, creator of fashion line Baby Phat. Before she left the restaurant, Kimora shared with fans a few words in Bahasa Malaysia that she had picked up.

“I can say selamat pagi which is good morning', terima kasih which is thank you' and aku cinta kamu which is I love you'.” She also assured everyone that her KLS brand would be arriving in Kuala Lumpur soon.

Kimora also tweeted that she would take her fans' suggestions on how to enjoy her stay in the country. She even wished a “Happy Aidiladha” to all her Muslim fans.

-thestar online.