Terengganu orders 4 luxury tourist boats worth RM1mil

KUALA TERENGGANU: Terengganu has ordered four luxury boats worth RM1mil to boost tourism in the state. State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Rahin Mohd Said said the construction of two of the boats were already completed while the order for the two others was made last week. "It is one of the state government's programmes to rekindle tourism activities along the Terengganu river," he told Bernama here.

Abdul Rahin said the boats, made of high quality cengal wood, were ordered from a renowned boat builder in Kampung Seberang Takir. He said each boat could take up to 60 passengers and would cruise along the Terengganu river which offers panoramic view of Seberang Takir fishermen's village and the greenery provided by the wild nipah trees. Abdul Rahin said the two completed boats would be handed over to the Seberang Takir Small Boats Association for its operations.

The other two boats were expected to be completed in another 18 months and would probably be handed over to and managed by the Islamic Civilisation Park, he said. Abdul Rahin said the state government was trying to develop the Terengganu river as a tourism product due to its vast potential as a new tourist attraction in the state. - Bernama

www.tourism.terengganu.gov.my

Anna tops the Showdown cast

KUALA LUMPUR: Russian beauty Anna Kournikova will make a return visit to Malaysia when she joins a host of former tennis greats in the ‘Showdown of Champions – A Night of Aces’ next month. The annual event, to be held at Malawati Stadium, Shah Alam on Oct 8, will also feature five other big names in world tennis – Boris Becker, Ivan Lendl, Pat Cash, Goran Ivanisevic and Martina Hingis. All, except for Anna, are former Wimbledon champions. British singing star Jay Sean will make a special appearance at the event.

Anna, more renowned as the girlfriend of Latin singer Enrique Iglesias, was ranked as the No 8 favourite female sports star in the United States in 2000. Partnering Hingis, the pair won the Australian Open women’s doubles title in 1999 and 2002. Once the most googled sports star, Anna “retired” from competitive tennis because of injuries.

Announcing the line-up yesterday, LD Sports Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Mohd Taufik Omar said the company’s involvement in the event was proof of its commitment to promoting sports. “The line-up also illustrates our efforts to have the best tennis players come here and play,’’ he added. The Showdown of Champions is scheduled to start at 6pm with Ivanisevic taking on Cash, followed by Becker against old rival Lendl. The doubles will see Ivanisevic and Hingis play Cash and Kournikova, followed by Becker-Kournikova against Lendl-Hingis. Ticket prices are from RM28 to RM288. The event is supported by the Tourism Ministry with The Star as the official media partner and Red.fm as the official radio station.

-thestar online.

Morahols Travel to establish European presence

INBOUND tour operator, Morahols Travel, opened its first overseas representation office last month in Mulhouse, France. The office, known as Travel Definition, will cover sales in France, Switzerland and Germany for both MICE and leisure travel.

Morahols Travel's managing director, Eric Sinnaya said he hoped to triple sales turnover from the three countries next year, from last year’s turnover of RM1.2 million (US$385,173).
-TTG Asia.

Tune firms up six hotels in India

FOLLOWING a joint venture signed last year with India’s Apodis Hospitality, budget brand Tune Hotels has firmed up six properties in South India, the first of which is expected to open by end-2011 or March 2012. The six locations – Bangalore, Calcutta, Hyderabad, Chennai, Cochin and Trivandrum – are all in the network of low-cost carrier AirAsia, whose head honcho, Tony Fernandes, owns Tune Hotels.

Apodis Hospitality's chief investment officer, Umesh Luthria, said the joint venture – a management company – was on track to have 20 Tune Hotels in three years. He said the properties kept to the model of Tune Hotels except for room sizes, which must conform to Indian regulations of a minimum of 13m² for a single room and 15m² for a double. Luthria brushed aside skeptics who did not believe Indian guests would pay for extras such as towels, air-conditioning and TV. He believed that his decision to partner Tune and not a global hotel player with a budget brand was the right one.

“We picked Tune Hotels because it is an Asian company and thus understands the Asian guest psyche better, because it came out of an airline company, which understands the concept of limited service better than hotels, and because it came from a budget carrier, whose customers understand that they will get what they pay for,” he said. He expected an ARR of US$30 for Tune Hotels in India. This is probably the lowest hotel rate travel agents can get in India. A new economy hotel brand, Peppermint, by India's Royal Orchid Hotels, expected a rate of US$80 for a 20-22m² room. According to chairman and managing director, Chender Baljee, that is lower than what he believed an Ibis in India fetches, US$100 in general.
-TTG Asia.
http://www.tunehotels.com/

Closer ties with Thailand

BANGKOK: Malaysia and Thailand’s tourism ministries have announced greater bilateral cooperation to enhance the potential travel between the two countries, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. She added that Thailand was one of the key growth markets for Malaysia. “Being the top fifth contributor to the nation’s economy and second largest for foreign exchange, tourism has become a more important sector for the country. “The collaboration will further increase tourism opportunities in both countries,” she said after a 30-minute meeting with Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa at his office yesterday.

Dr Ng and a delegation from the ministry and Tourism Malaysia were on a six-day official visit to Thailand to seek closer ties with the Thai government and industry players. A total of 1.4 million Thais visited Malaysia last year bringing in revenue of RM1.46bil, she said, adding that they also recorded the third highest tourist arrivals in Malaysia after Singapore and Indonesia. However, Dr Ng said statistics showed a drop of 3% Thais visiting last year compared to 2008 and it was a similar situation in the first six months of this year and last year due to the political situation there and the global economic slow down.

She said Malaysia planned to have joint tourism packages between the two countries by holding joint tourism events and increasing more than the 179 direct flights that is offered now weekly.
Chumpol said Thailand welcomed Malaysia’s initiative and that Dr Ng’s visit showed Malaysia’s strong commitment for bilateral cooperation. He suggested that there be a one-currency and one-passport for easy travelling within Asean countries. Dr Ng had earlier launched a holiday package brochure and website for the Thailand market, providing information on Malaysia in English and Thai.
-thestar online.

Council: Promote chartered flight tour packages

JOHOR BARU: Tour packages using chartered flights should be promoted because they are cheaper compared to normal airline fares, said the Malaysian Tourist Guides Council. Its president Jimmy Leong said chartered flight packages could boost tourism and increase tourist arrivals. Such packages were currently popular among tourists from Hong Kong and South Korea, he added. Leong said between January this year and March next year, 7,000 visitors from Hong Kong and South Korea were expected to fly into Jo hor via 31 chartered flights.

“Some of the offers using chartered flights are as low as 50% of the price of a regular flight,” he told The Star here yesterday. Leong said chartered flight fares were cheaper because they were normally full. “The Tourism Ministry should promote such flights as it is a good way to boost tourist arrivals and revenue for the country,” he said. Leong, however, said luring tourists with chartered flights was only the first step, and travel agencies must offer attractive packages to ensure visitors do not leave the country to visit neighbouring countries.

He said Hong Kong and South Korean tourists coming in tour packages spend between RM4,000 and RM5,000 per visit on food, handicraft and souvenirs. “Although these tourists are not high-yield spenders, this type of revenue can help other small businesses,” he said.

-thestar online.

Homestay promotion in Malaysia to go mobile

KUCHING: The promotion of homestay in Malaysia is going mobile with the launch of iPhone and Blackberry applications. The smartphone applications, developed by MoAd Technologies, will incorporate global positioning system (GPS) enabled Google maps, photo galleries and even phrase book features. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen will launch the digital marketing application on Sept 29, at an event jointly held with Maxis Communications.

MoAd Technologies said in a statement yesterday the multimedia applications would boost marketing efforts, and allow tourists easier access to information during their stay in the country. “Smart phones have gained tremendous popularity. Indeed, it is the fastest growing mobile phone segment,” the statement said. In an instructional video available at Tourism Malaysia’s homestay promotions website, go2homestay.com, one of the coolest features demonstrated is the phrase book.

Users will be able to select sentences like, “Where is the closest eatery?” in English, and have the application voice it out in Bahasa Malaysia. Adding more input and output languages are future possibilities. Other features include entries on places of interests, coupled with GPS technology that allows turn-by-turn directions. It is worth pointing out the applications also include a built-in, video-calling feature. The feature, which connects to the Tourism Ministry, allows prospective international clients to communicate directly with homestay operators visually.

-thestar online.

Permit rule for Thai tour buses

PHUKET: Thai van and bus operators ferrying tourists to Malaysia must apply for permits from the Tourism Ministry each time they cross the border, in a ruling that will take effect after Hari Raya. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the Thai operators have to be licensed with the Tourism Authority of Thailand before they can apply for the permit, costing RM50 each time. “As far as we are concerned, we will allow Thai van operators to come in with tourists as long as they are the registered with the Thai authority.

“The operators will have to apply for the permit through our ministry’s office in Alor Setar,” she said. “It (the ruling) is to make sure the tourists are protected and everything is accountable and transparent,” she told Malaysian reporters during her official visit to Thailand. Dr Ng said one of her main tasks during her visit to Thailand was to address the van and bus operators issue and explain the situation. “They (van and bus operators) always have problems at the border, so we are here to discuss and build a good relationship,” she said.

It was reported that about 30 to 40 Thai bus and van operators had pitched a tent along the main road about 1km from the Thai immigration checkpoint in May to stop and turn away Malaysian-registered buses and vans carrying passengers into the kingdom. Malaysian consul-general in Song­khla Mohd Aini Atan was reported as saying that he had been working closely with the Thai government to find a solution to the problems that led to the blockade. He said the issuance of summonses by the Road Transport Depart­ment on Thai van and bus operators for ferrying tourists to Malaysia was an old issue.

-thestar online.

Good turnout on Matta Fair’s final day

PETALING JAYA: Crowds thronged the last day of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair at Putra World Trade Centre. Matta Fair organising chairman John Tan said with improving economic conditions in the country, more people had turned up to buy tour packages. He said tour packages for both domestic and international holiday destinations were in high demand.

“Packages to up and coming destinations in countries like Taiwan, Australia, South Korea and Japan were the most popular among Matta Fair due to their pricing,” he said here yesterday. Tan said the fair managed to meet its target of having 80,000 visitors during its three-day exhibition. “All the exhibitors were also happy with their sales results,” he said. The travel fair was the second to be organised this year after a successful one in March.

There were more than 855 booths in the 20,000 sq m area in Halls 1, 2, 3 and also at the linkway of PWTC. Holders of the Matta Credit Card issued by the EON bank Group not only got to enter the fair for free but also enjoyed plenty of goodies by using the credit card. There were also discounts and loyalty bonuses for early birds.
-thestar online.

Pelancong asing turut bayar zakat fitrah

LANGKAWI 5 Sept. - Kesempatan melancong di Langkawi digunakan oleh beberapa pelancong asing yang beragama Islam untuk menunaikan tanggungjawab membayar zakat fitrah sempena bulan Ramadan ini. Imam Masjid Al-Hana, Kuah, Abdul Manap Sharip berkata, ramai pelancong terutama dari Perancis dan Arab membayar zakat fitrah sebanyak RM7 seorang menerusi amil yang dilantik di masjid berkenaan.

Beliau berkata, mereka mengambil peluang membayar zakat fitrah di Langkawi di samping melancong di pulau peranginan ini. "Kita bersyukur kerana pelancong asing beragama Islam turut menunai tanggungjawab sebagai seorang Islam membayar zakat fitrah seperti yang ditetapkan kerajaan,” katanya selepas majlis penyampaian sumbangan di Masjid Al-Qadim Kampung Kuah di sini hari ini. - Bernama

Tempahan penerbangan merosot

KUALA LUMPUR 3 Sept. - Kadar tempahan penerbangan dan pakej percutian ke Indonesia menurun ketara sejak berlakunya demonstrasi anti-Malaysia terutama oleh Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat (Bendera) Indonesia. Para pengusaha agensi pelancongan yang dihubungi merungut kerana terpaksa menanggung kerugian akibat keadaan itu yang disebabkan kebimbangan rakyat negara ini terhadap faktor keselamatan ketika berada di Indonesia.

Pegawai Penempah Tiket YGMB-Asha Holidays Sdn. Bhd., Zuriah Ismail berkata, hampir kesemua tempahan pakej percutian dan tiket penerbangan ke destinasi popular di Indonesia dibatalkan sejak tercetusnya siri demonstrasi anti-Malaysia. "Pelanggan kami berbuat demikian kerana mereka risau dengan keselamatan diri apabila berada di Indonesia terutama dalam keadaan sekarang ini. "Berdasarkan kepada faktor ini, kami juga telah menghentikan sebarang urusan penerbangan atau pelancongan ke Indonesia dan hanya menguruskan hal-hal berkaitan urusan kerajaan ke sana sahaja," katanya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Sementara itu, perkara sama turut diakui Pengurus AAM Travel Sdn. Bhd., Zurina Mohd. Zakaria Khan yang merungut kerana kadar tempahan penerbangan serta pakej percutian ke Indonesia yang diuruskan syarikatnya semakin menurun. "Berdasarkan kepada statistik penjualan tiket, agensi kami telah mencatatkan penurunan yang ketara dalam tempahan penerbangan serta pakej percutian ke Indonesia sejak berlakunya demonstrasi tersebut. "Oleh sebab itu, kami telah mengambil langkah menghentikan sementara urusan penerbangan serta percutian ke Indonesia kerana tidak mahu menanggung kerugian," jelasnya.

Bagi Pengurus Akaun Z'tronic Holiday Sdn. Bhd., Richard Hoo pula, beliau amat kesal dengan apa yang berlaku kerana ia boleh menjejaskan sektor pelancongan kedua-dua negara. "Saya berharap perkara ini tidak berlarutan kerana jelas sekali ia telah menjejaskan operasi perniagaan agensi-agensi pelancongan di Malaysia," katanya.

-Utusan Online.

Dawos: Guides need knowledge

KUALA LUMPUR: The perception of travel operators must change, particularly in the eco-tourism sector, in order to attract more visitors, said Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit. He said tour operators from small- and medium-sized enterprises were not trained enough to deal with tourists and their questions. “What tourists need is to be directed. If a tourist asks questions, the tour operator must be able to give a decent and logical answer,” he told reporters after launching the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) Fair at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday. Dawos said he would have a dialogue with this group of tour operators after Hari Raya to discuss the matter.

“We have to change their attitude and perception so they are better equipped with knowledge. Why call them tour guides when we can call them tour directors instead? That way, they will do everything. “From there, we can attract more qualified individuals. After that, we can continue to train and retrain them to maintain their knowledge,” said Dawos. Association president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said it would not stop tourists from visiting Indonesia despite the recent anti-Malaysia incidents there. “We will advise them accordingly but if tourists still want to go to Indonesia, we cannot stop them,” he said.

The event, which kicked off yesterday, will run until Sunday. Matta Fair organising chairman John Tan said there were 860 booths at the fair, including those of national and state tourism bodies, resorts and airlines. “We are maintaining our target of 80,000 visitors and charting RM90mil in turnover from this exhibition,” said Tan.

-thestar online.

Yen Yen calls for closer tourism ties with Thailand

PHUKET: Malaysian travel operators should work closely with their counterparts in Thailand to jointly promote their tourist destinations. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said Malaysia and Thailand should not view themselves as rivals, competiting for a share of the tourism market. “I see opportunities for great collaboration between Malaysia and Thailand. “I hope to see those tourists who visit Phuket also dropping by at Penang and Langkawi. Similarly, those visiting Malaysia can go over to Phuket as well,” she told reporters during an official visit here Friday.

Dr Ng said such cooperation could further boost tourism in both countries, particularly inorthern Malaysia and southern Thailand. “Both the countries have close relations and historical ties, especially with the people in the southern region of Thailand,” she said, adding that for example, the Phuket Thai Peranakan shared a unique bond with many Peranakan in Penang and Malacca. Dr Ng said that accessibility, such as regular direct flights between the two countries, would help to forge better cooperation.

She also said some 1.4 million people from Thailand visited Malaysia last year, the third highest after Singapore and Indonesia. Dr Ng said tourism was an important sector for Malaysia, providing 500,000 jobs and involving 14% of the local workforce. “We hope to strengthen the sector and increase the percentage of Malaysians working in the industry to 25%,” she said.

Earlier, Dr Ng launched an exhibition by Thai photographers, featuring tourist attractions in Malaysia. The minister also presented recognition awards to 26 travel agents and members of the tourism council and business federations from southern Thailand for their contributions to local tourism.

-thestar online.

International Islamic Tourism Conference & Travel Mart

www.itc.gov.my

MNS 70th Anniversary Conference

www.mns.my

MATTA FAIR 3-5 September 2010 @ PWTC

www.mattafair.org.my

M’sia finds tourism ally

MELBOURNE: Malaysia has found a powerful tourism ally in National Liaison Council of Chinese-Australians chairman Anson Hong. He has promised to help promote tourism in Malaysia among his more than a million members. Hong, who owns a Chinese newspaper company in Australia and heads five major associations with influence over 120 national organisations, is also a Justice of Peace in South Australia.

“We know Kuala Lumpur. We have heard about Borneo but not Sarawak or Sabah in detail. You have the biggest cave in the world? We would love to see that,” he told The Star here last week.
Hong was one of the VVIPs invited for a luncheon with Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen during her stop here as part of her tourism mission to New Zealand and Australia. Hong said in the state of Victoria alone the Council of Chinese-Australians had more than 400,000 members and had links, among others, in China, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. “I will help to promote Malaysia among my association members. Malaysia is still very new to most of us. We have a lot of members who visit China, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau, Europe and United States every year.

“I am sure they would love to include Malaysia among their travel destinations if we can give them enough publicity about the places of interest,” Hong said. He said Malaysia had several distinct advantages that it should promote extensively if it wanted to draw more tourists.
He said that among them were the currency exchange rate, diverse culture and races, security, favourable climate year-round, ease of communication, good transportation and accommodation, and excellent facilities. “The Australian government provides financial grants to our organisations every year to be used for our overseas travel. Our members go overseas for convention, meetings, excursions, adventure tours, golf, mahjong and even pingpong tournaments.

“We have money to spend. What we look for are new places of interest. I am sure we can find many new destinations in Malaysia that will be very interesting to us,” he added. Hong said Dr Ng’s visit was very useful as she had explained in detail what the states in Malaysia had to offer.
Asked what was the most negative thing he had heard about Malaysia, he said he had heard allegations of “widespread deforestation, illegal logging, wildlife abuse and land disputes with forest people”. Hong said these issues were very sensitive among tourists and must be addressed comprehensively.
-thestar online.

Firefly and Emirates fare offers at Matta Fair

PETALING JAYA: Two airlines are offering attractive deals in conjunction with the annual Matta Travel Fair. Firefly Airline is giving away to its high spenders some RM200,000 worth of Malaysia Airlines return tickets in its Fly Long Haul Promotion beginning tomorrow.

Firefly will also be promoting holiday packages at its booth at the fair, said the airline’s head of marketing & communications, Angelina Fernandez, in a press statement. The packages highlight destinations offered by Malaysia Airlines and Firefly. Fernandez said complimentary value-added items would be thrown in for buyers. These include free night stays, dinner, transfers or spa sessions. Emirates Airline is also offering 25 European destinations for fares as low as RM2,871. Customers can obtain the offers from selected travel agencies at the Matta Fair.
-thestar online.