Visit Perak Year 2012 preparations gathering momentum

International journalists and travel agents will be arriving in Ipoh alongside tourists during Visit Perak Year 2012.

Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Hashim said invitations would be sent out to members of the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asia Pacific Cities. The organisation, with a membership of over 100 cities in Australia, China, Japan and Russia, plays a key role in helping member cities lead the tourism industry. “We hope these journalists and travel agents will promote our city after returning from the familiarisation tour,” Roshidi said in his speech during the council’s full board meeting last week.

The tour, he said, would be organised by the Ipoh City Council with help from the organisation and is expected to take place in the first quarter of the year. To accommodate the influx of tourists during VPY 2012, Roshidi said the council had issued 29 planning permissions for the development of hotels. It had also approved the building plans of 23 new hotels, he added. “This shows that Ipoh has great potential in the tourism industry,” he said.

Roshidi said the council would also undertake several projects to ensure the safety of tourists as they moved around in the city, in line with the Safe City concept. “We are hoping to get a RM2.2mil allocation to create motorcycle bays with locks and install pedestrian barriers along walkways, safety mirrors and warning signboards at 18 hotspots identified by the police,” he said. Roshidi said street crime in the city, especially snatch thefts, had been reduced by 45% from 116 cases in 2010, to 59 cases last year.

-thestar online.

photo: pelancongan kini

Genting NY mulls US$4bil mixed-use complex in NY

KUALA LUMPUR: Genting Malaysia Bhd's indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Genting New York LLC (Genting NY), is considering developing an integrated mixed-use complex worth at least US$4 billion in New York.

In a circular to Bursa Malaysia, the company said it entered into a non-binding letter of intent on Tuesday with the New York State Urban Development Corporation to consider the development of the complex. "Genting NY will work closely with Empire State Development Corporation and the relevant parties, to negotiate terms in good faith, with a view to entering into a binding memorandum of understanding on or before Nov 30, 2012," it said.

The proposed project, adjacent to the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, New York, will include an integrated 353,000 sq m convention and exhibition centre with up to 3,000 hotel rooms and an expansion of Resorts World Casino New York City. 

-Bernama.

IGB Corp to open two hotels in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: Cititel Hotel Management (CHM) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of IGB Corporation Berhad, is set to introduce two new hotels in this heritage city. Construction on a 0.4 ha site for both hotels in Jalan Magazine began in September last year and the hotels are expected to open for business in 2014.

CHM managing director Datuk Eric Lim said the Gross Development Value (GDV) for the new four-star St Giles Hotel and three-star Cititel Express Hotel is about RM180 million. "St Giles Penang will house a grand ballroom with a seating capacity of 1,200, several meeting rooms, a cafe, swimming pool, gymnasium, health centre, executive lounge and a helipad," he told reporters after unveiling an 8.5m dragon made of recycled mineral water bottles in the lobby of Cititel Penang on Upper Penang Road here today.

He said the hotels, which will be built back-to-back to each other, are scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2014. "The development will also include retail shops, restaurants, a food court and parking for more than 500 vehicles," he said. He added that the 32-storey St Giles will have about 500 rooms while the 23-storey Cititel Express will have 270 rooms. "St Giles Penang will be the first in Malaysia after two in England, two in the United States and one in the Philipines," he said.

Meanwhile, Cititel Penang general manager Tony Goh said the dragon was made in conjuction with the group's 15th anniversary celebrations, coinciding with the Chinese year of the dragon. Cititel Penang's fundraising programmes for the year include a "guess the number of bottles used for the dragon" contest in which patrons and guests stand to win 15 prizes ranging from flight tickets, shopping sprees and hotel accommodation, he added.

-Bernama.

Transaero pioneers direct Russia-Malaysia link

Transaero Airlines, Russia’s second largest carrier, made its inaugural flight to Kuala Lumpur on December 31, introducing the first-ever direct air link between Russia and Malaysia.

 

The airline will operate one flight weekly, every Saturday from Moscow to Kuala Lumpur, and vice versa, using a Boeing 763 aircraft in a 255-seat configuration. Transaero had been operating charter flights to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for the past few years. The decision to start scheduled services was a result of sufficient market demand for the route, Malaysia Airports Holdings said in a statement.

 

Malaysia Airports Holdings managing director, Bashir Ahmad, said: “Transaero service opens a new market for us. We look forward to the airline to stabilise and strengthen its operation to Kuala Lumpur and hopefully, increase their frequency to KLIA soon.”

 

Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel assistant director of business development, Alexander Ivashentsev, said: “It is a good development. We already have some clients coming to Malaysia as a result of the flight.” “However, for it to provide full potential for the inbound Malaysian market, it needs to be ongoing, uninterrupted (in the summer) and long-term,” he added.

 

The new service is a boon for Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to attract the Russian market, which has been given higher priority because of its yield. Tourism minister Ng Yen Yen had said that among the big-spending source markets, “a Russian tourist spent RM9,000 (US$3,000) when travelling overseas while visitors from the other countries spent about RM7,000".

 

Transaero, which operates to major Russian cities and is the leading carrier to Kazakhstan, is the 57^th airline to serve KLIA.

-TTG Asia.

Sabah backs state-owned carrier to take over routes

KOTA KINABALU: The state government has backed the setting up of a full-fledged airline in Sabah as the state maps out a new alternative to safeguard its booming tourism industry.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the government was keen on another airline after Malaysia Airlines (MAS) decided to suspend flights from here to Perth, Haneda, Osaka and Seoul this month as part of its rationalisation plan. He said the tourism sector in the state was in a quandary following the decision but the state-owned Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd had expressed willingness to take up the challenge to service domestic and the regional routes.

Masidi said the state government had several meetings with MAS to convince the national carrier to come up with alternatives instead of suspending the flights. But there was no headway, prompting Masidi to write to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha last November, requesting that the routes and landing rights be handed over to the state.

“The state supports Sabah Air's stand on their request for the routes and landing rights forfeited by MAS to be given to them,” he said. He said tourism was one of the three major industries in Sabah. “It also made sense for a regional airline to be operating out of Sabah or Sarawak considering the strategic location. “Over 94% of tourists came to Sabah by air,” he said.

Sabah Air, which has 11 helicopters and two aeroplanes operates charter services and has come up with a comprehensive strategy to operate scheduled flights within the state and nearby destinations.

-thestar online.

Tourism industry backs Sabah Air expansion plan

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s tourism industry is backing the state owned carrier’s plan to operate as a full fledged airline flying within East Malaysia and regional destinations.

Malaysian Association of Tours and Travel Agents Sabah chairman K.L. Tan said there was much potential for Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd to operate profitably as an airline. He said there were so many successful models that Sabah Air could study. “Singapore Airlines is an example. In a tough operating environment of soaring fuel costs, it could still post a net profit of RM108mil,” Tan said yesterday. He said Sabah Air’s airline plan would mean the state being less dependent on Malaysia Airlines to fly tourists here.

Sabah Air chairman Datuk Yusoff Kassim said on Friday that the company for the past three months had been mapping out a comprehensive strategy to begin a scheduled flight service within the state and nearby destinations. The company would seek the Transport Ministry and Depart ment of Civil Aviation approvals once the Sabah Air board gave its green light.

He said Sabah Air’s move was necessary due to some airlines ceasing flights from here to various regional destinations. Malaysia Airlines had announced it was suspending flights from Kota Kinabalu to Perth, Haneda, Osaka, Seoul from January as part of the carrier’s rationalisation plan.

Tan said as an interim measure, travel companies would have to fly in Korean and Japanese visitors via Hong Kong where MAS still maintained direct flights to Kota Kinabalu. He hoped long haul budget carrier Air AsiaX would consider operating direct services between Kota Kinabalu and Australia.

-thestar online.

Cherating Beach regaining popularity among tourists

KUANTAN: Cherating Beach, located 47km north of here and 133km from Kuala Lumpur, used to be a popular leisure spot among locals and foreign tourists. Many tourists were more familiar with the beach than the state capital of Kuantan.

In the late 1990s, however, tourism dwindled as Cherating, once a traditional and scenic village, was taken over by robust development. This was a time when the beach appeared to have lost its magic and no longer attracted many visitors.

Having a splashing time : Wave riders having a great time at the beach in Cherating.

But things have turned for the better in the past three years, as the beach has become a surfing paradise. Now, Cherating has regained some of its former glory, drawing tourists back to the beach.

Idros Yahya, general manager of the Tourism Ministry’s Pahang office, said the Cherating Surf Festival held for the past three years was among the efforts to promote the beach as one of the world’s leading destinations for wave-riders. “Tourists are returning to the beach as surfing is possible throughout the year. The waves are ideal,” he said.

Idros said the beach not only attracted surfers from Australia, the Maldives, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and France but domestic tourists as well. He said the festival, held at the end of each year, had managed to restore Cherating’s image as a tourist destination.

Surfers receiving instructions during a surf clinic. — Bernama

“It also provides the opportunity for local surfers to show their talents, as well as learn from foreign surfers,” he said, adding that villagers benefited from the business opportunities available. Idros said organiser Billabong Pro Am included Cherating Beach as one of the stops on its surfing circuit calendar for 2012. “Billabong has included the beach in the Asia Surf Championship. This shows that the beach has been recognised as a surfing destination,” he said.

Idros said Cherating Beach was the only one in Malaysia that had been turned into a surfing beach by the Tourism Ministry, adding that it was now listed among 19 new tourist destinations in Pahang. “Based on statistics, Cherating received 194,075 tourists in 2008 and 198,764 in 2009, while for 2010 there was a jump to 301,819 visitors,” he said. 

-Bernama.

Expert: Two new Rafflesia species found

RAUB: Two new species of the Rafflesia may have been discovered in the Lata Jarum forests in Ulu Dong here.

Frasers Hill Research Centre head Prof Dr Jumaat Adam, who disclosed this, said the flowers were unique in the region. “I am still studying the discovery. We need to go through the process of cross-checking against the criteria of other species in the world to confirm it,” he told The Star.

Blossoming discovery: Dr Jumaat posing with a blooming Rafflesia found in the Lata Jarum forest.

Dr Jumaat, a lead environmental researcher of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, is a pioneer in Rafflesia research. Declining to disclose the exact location for fear of endangering the flowers, he said one species had a much larger diaphragm aperture than other Rafflesia flowers in Malaysia.

The flowers found in the peninsula are usually about 10cm but this specie measured 14cm in diameter, he said, adding that it also had more anthers. The diaphragm is the hole in the centre of the Rafflesia where insects enter and collect pollen from the anther.

Dr Jumaat said he had yet to come up with names for the new species as there was still a lot to be studied about the flowers. “Due to scientific-naming conventions, I cannot name the flowers after myself if they are indeed new species,” he added.

Dr Jumaat said Lata Jarum had a lot of potential for a eco-tourism centre and the Rafflesia could be promoted as an icon for Raub. “We are also working with the state government to conserve the Rafflesia here because they are very vulnerable,” he said. “Right now, anyone can just come in and pluck the buds,” he said.

-thestar online.

2012 F1 PETRONAS Malaysia Grand Prix

http://www.sepangcircuit.com/eticket/f1/

CMT 2012 - Die Urlaubs-Messe @ Stuttgart, Germany (CMT The Holiday Exhibition-14~22 January 2012)

Mehr Infos, mehr Ideen, mehr Urlaub.

In Europas größter Urlaubswelt finden Sie alles für die schönsten Tage im Jahr: neue Ziele, exotische Länder, aktuelle Reisetrends, günstige Messeangebote, Caravans, Campingausrüstung, Equipment und vieles mehr. Mit kulinarischen Köstlichkeiten, Folklore, Shows und einem dicken Multimediaprogramm entführen wir Sie in die tollsten Ecken der Welt. Damit Sie Ihren Urlaubstraum nicht länger träumen müssen.

Freuen Sie sich auf mehr Urlaub –
auf der CMT 2012!

Süddeutschlands größte Neuheitenschau.

Bei über 700 Caravans und Reisemobilen kommen die Fans des mobilen
Reisens schnell ins Staunen und Schwärmen. Wo sonst kann man so viele Modelle aller namhaften Hersteller direkt vergleichen, Probe wohnen und sich lohnende Messerabatte sichern? Hier, auf der CMT 2012! Mit allen Neuheiten, dem passenden Zubehör, Campingausstattung, Zelte, Campingplätze und die Caravaning-Partnerregion Tessin mit ihren traumhaften Zielen.
Herzlich willkommen im ersten
Urlaub des Jahres.

Die CMT-Motorgalerie.

Ob Caravan-Zugfahrzeug, sportlicher SUV, praktischer Familien-Van oder spannende E-Mobilität - hier sind Sie richtig, wenn es um Freizeitspaß und Fortbewegung auf zwei oder vier Rädern geht.

Entdecken Sie mobile Faszination und Neuheiten, die Sie im Urlaub und in der Freizeit voran bringen.

Die Partnerländer der CMT 2012:

Malaysia: Offizielle Website

Kroatien: Offizielle Website

Camping-/Caravaning-Partnerregion CMT 2012

Tessin: Offizielle Website

www.messe-stuttgart.de/cmt

Menara KL sasar pertumbuhan 50 peratus tahun ini

KUALA LUMPUR 1 Jan. - Menara Kuala Lumpur, tarikan pelancongan kedua popular di ibu negara, mensasarkan pertumbuhan pendapatan sebanyak 50 peratus pada tahun 2012.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Menara Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Zuraidah Mohd. Said yakin sasaran itu dapat dicapai susulan pembangunan agresif produk serta pakej pelancongan yang akan ditawarkan kepada pengunjung. Katanya, tahun lepas Menara Kuala Lumpur memperoleh pendapatan sebanyak RM10 juta iaitu peningkatan 20 peratus daripada tahun sebelumnya.

"Kami mencatatkan pertumbuhan sebanyak 20 peratus tahun lepas, alhamdullilah. Kami jangka dapat menggandakan daripada RM10 juta itu,” katanya kepada pemberita semasa sambutan ambang tahun baru di pelantar terbuka Menara Kuala Lumpur, malam tadi. Zuraidah berkata, seramai 850,000 pelancong tempatan dan luar negara mengunjungi menara itu pada tahun 2011 berbanding kira-kira 700,000 orang pada tahun sebelumnya.

Katanya, untuk tahun baru ini pihaknya akan memperhebatkan promosi pelancongan mereka kepada pelancong dari sekitar negara Asia, Eropah, Australia dan Amerika Syarikat. Menara setinggi 421 meter itu dibuka secara rasminya pada 1996 dan merupakan menara ketujuh tertinggi di dunia.

-Bernama.

photo: pelancongan kini.

Penggiat industri perlu komited

ZAMBRY Abd. Kadir (tengah) bersama pemenang Anugerah Pelancongan Perak 2011 di Ipoh, semalam.

---

IPOH 31 Dis. – Semua penggiat industri pelancongan di negeri ini digesa memberikan komitmen tinggi bagi merealisasikan hasrat kerajaan negeri mencapai sasaran lima juta pelancong pada Tahun Melawat Perak (TMP) 2012.

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr. Zambry Abd. Kadir berkata, biarpun Perak mempunyai pelbagai produk pelancongan bertaraf dunia, namun kekurangan dalam mempromosikannya tidak akan membantu perkembangan industri berkenaan. Beliau berkata, kerajaan negeri melihat industri tersebut mempunyai potensi besar dan mahu ia menjadi pemangkin kepada pertumbuhan ekonomi negeri.

‘‘Perak mempunyai khazanah alam yang tidak ternilai iaitu hutan hujan tropika Royal Belum yang tertua di dunia, melebihi usianya daripada yang ada di Lembangan Amazon. ‘‘Kerajaan negeri menyediakan platform dan kerangkanya sahaja, namun, dalam mempromosi pelancongan di negeri ini, semua penggiat industri perlu berganding sama termasuk pengusaha hotel dan resort kerana kejayaannya terletak di bahu kita semua,” katanya pada Malam Gala Anugerah Pelancongan Negeri Perak 2011 yang diadakan di Royal Perak Golf Club, di sini malam tadi.

Turut hadir, isteri beliau, Datin Seri Saripah Zulkifli serta Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Industri, Pelaburan, Pembangunan Usahawan, Pelancongan, Kebajikan dan Hal Ehwal Wanita negeri, Datuk Hamidah Osman.

Pada majlis tersebut, Zambry turut menyampaikan 18 anugerah pelancongan negeri yang antara lain dimenangi oleh Hotel Syuen, The Banjaran Hotsprings Tambun, Lost World of Tambun, Homestay Kampung Beng Lenggong dan Perkhidmatan Tren Elektrik (ETS).

-Utusan Online.

www.peraktourism.com

It’s time to move on

The Orang Ulu of Balui are now turning to eco-tourism in the Bakun Dam region.

THE 101-door longhouse in Uma Belor was eerily silent as all lights in the hallway had been switched off, leaving only flickering flames from the candles held by eight Kenyah women. It was a solemn yet surreal moment as the Govina dance was re-enacted. First performed half a century ago, the Govina was held to mark the peace accord struck between warring Orang Ulu tribes living in the vicinity of the Kalimantan border during the Indonesian confrontation.

In the recent performance held at the longhouse in Sungai Asap in Bakun, Belaga, Penghulu Saging Bit took on the role of a tribal chief as he listened to his people's advice to make peace so that they can go on living harmoniously. The Govina could have been just another dance at a cultural show but for the tribal people of Balui who moved out from their ancestral homes to make way for the Bakun Hydroelectric Dam 16 years ago and in Sungai Asap, the performance reflected their inner emotions as they came to terms with the changes wrought on them and move on in life.

For Nora Igang of Uma Belor, 16 years of bemoaning the loss of their ancestral homes in the rainforest is too long. “We need to move on. We need to revive the survival spirit of the Balui people and make our peace. Now, we just have to take whatever opportunities given to us to put food on our table,” said Nora, who is barely five feet tall but harbours a big dream for her people. The primary school teacher hopes to promote the tranquil Sungai Asap as the biggest homestay hub in Sarawak. The settlement is located between a man-made lake (Bakun Reservoir) and one of the world's largest hydro dams the Bakun Dam which is already a tourist attraction.

The dam equivalent to the size of Singapore is situated at Sungai Balui, a tributary of Rajang River and 37km from Belaga town in the Kapit Division. About 9,000 indigenous Orang Ulu, mainly subsistence farmers and hunters in the upstream and downstream areas of Sungai Balui were relocated from 15 longhouses to Kampung Sungai Asap over three years. Flooding of the Bakun Dam began in October last year, putting 700 sq km of land underwater.

Many of the tribal people who could not fit into the communal settlement at Sungai Asap have moved back into the jungles while some had migrated elsewhere. Those who remained in Sungai Asap now welcome government plans to develop fishing and tourism industries within the Bakun Dam.

Nora, 42, a Kayan, believes that the people must take “the bull by the horns” to survive. And one way to do so is to open their extra rooms to visitors under the homestay programme. Nora has been playing a pivotal role on the ground she has been busy over the last two years trying to start the homestay project in Bakun whenever she is not working at SK Sambop in Belaga.

Her sentiment is shared and supported by important members of the community the Marens (aristocrat leaders) namely Maren Uma equivalent to village headman Ajang Bit of Uma Belor, Penghulu Saging Bit, Hulu Rejang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo, Pemanca Tony Kulleh and many others in Sungai Asap. With their support, she has rallied 11 other relatives staying in Uma Belor to attend homestay courses organised by the Tourism Ministry recently. Now, they are duly certified as licensed longhouse homestay operators.

As a pioneer homestay operator and project coordinator, Nora has to develop tourism products as well as get tour operators to market them. She also has to mobilise the local folk to put up cultural performances and get involved in logistics like food, transport and guiding. “I know I will be facing many challenges ahead but am staying focused as I believe this project can help boost our people's income,” said Nora. “We have lost our traditional homes along the Balui, we cannot afford to lose this place again. What we are doing is to get people to see the beauty of this setting and our lifestyle.”

Sungai Asap, during normal working days, is rather deserted as many locals work outside the settlement. Those left behind are housewives, old folk and children. The womenfolk, who make up about 70% of population, stay behind to man the village fort. Ajang said the government has been very supportive of the whole project and has even organised courses and promised grants for the operators.

One staunch supporter is Mary Wan Mering, Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) marketing manager. In Sungai Asap recently, Mary said: “The spirit of the Balui has touched you and me and now is the time to rejuvenate.” Mary is a Kayan from Ulu Baram while I am a Melanau from Mukah, both outsiders linked to the people of Balui through our professional involvement (myself, as a journalist covering the plight of the Balui people since 1995).

From the first time I stepped foot on Balui until the people were evacuated in 1998, I have witnessed the their emotional reaction that ranged from bafflement to fear, anger, confusion, helplessness, resignation and hope. But it is perhaps the tenacity of the people that touched me the most the human capacity and spirit to survive as epitomised by Nora and many of her fellow settlers at Sungai Asap recently.

Mary, who participated in a familiarisation group visit organised by the State Ministry of Tourism and Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) recently, is confident the homestay programme has great potential. “We already have the Bakun Dam as an attraction, the people's varied cultures are an added bonus. Where else in Sarawak can you find all five different indigenous groups of people staying within one area?” she said.

There are 15 longhouses in Sungai Asap inhabited by the Kayan, Kenyah, Lahanan, Ukit and Penan Talun people. The Kayan and Kenyah communities first migrated downstream from the Mahakam river in East Kalimantan to the Balui river about 500 years ago whereas the Kayans of Uma Belor had crossed over the Balui as late as the 1920s. The Lahanan, Ukit and Penan Talun are minority groups in Sungai Asap.

Billy, a Kayan from Uma Belor, aptly described their situation in Sungai Asap: “This is a nice place to live in beautiful sceneries everywhere but we have to be realistic. “We cannot depend on farming anymore because we do not have any land to farm other than the 1.2ha allocated by the government to each household. “That is why we are turning to tourism. We need to put food on the table.”

The Sungai Asap settlers are hoping that Bakun Dam will be the pulling factor where tourism is concerned. As Nora put it: “Bakun Dam has taken our homes. Now, it is time for Bakun to return the favour.”

-thestar online.

http://www.rightsarawak.com/Homestay/Kampung_Sg_Asap_Belaga/introduction.shtml

Malaysian beauty crowned Miss Tourism International 2011

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's Aileen Gabriella Robinson defeated 53 competitors to win the Miss Tourism International 2011 crown.

The 22-year-old dance instructor did the country proud by being the first Malaysian to win in the pageant's 15-year history. “I feel overwhelmed and hope to use this opportunity to promote the 1Malaysia concept to the world,” she said after the event here last night. Robinson's mother is part Chinese and part Indian while her father is English.

Reigning Miss Tourism International Nathalie Den Dekker from the Netherlands handed over the crown to the new queen. The crowning of Miss Tourism International, which was held at the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa, was telecast live over RTM1, and witnessed by thousands of revellers at Dataran Merdeka prior to the 2012 countdown.

The runners-up of the pageant were Carolina Cerrud from Panama, who bagged the Miss Tourism Metropolitan title and Patsaraporn Khonkhamhaeng of Thailand, who was named the Miss Tourism Global International title. The pageant participants included those from Poland, Denmark, Sweden and Mexico.

The contestants spent over three weeks here in Malaysia competing for 13 subsidiary titles. Miss Tourism International president and franchise owner Datuk Danny Ooi said the event was initiated to promote goodwill and understanding among different cultures and nations. StarMetro was the media partner for the event.

-thestar online.

Sabah Air to spread wings

KOTA KINABALU: State-owned Sabah Air Aviation Sdn Bhd is working towards becoming a full-fledged airline to operate domestic and regional routes.

The company, currently offering charter services with a fleet of 11 helicopters and two aeroplanes, has mapped out a comprehensive strategy to start scheduled flight services within the state and nearby destinations.

Sabah Air chairman Datuk Yusoff Kassim said once its board of directors gave the green light, the company would seek approvals from the Transport Ministry and the Department of Civil Aviation. He said Sabah Air's move was necessary in the wake of some airlines stopping flights from here to regional destinations.

For example, Malaysia Airlines was suspending flights from Kota Kinabalu to Perth, Haneda, Osaka and Seoul from this month as part of the carrier's rationalisation plan. “The core of our three-phase strategy is to address issues faced by passengers who had booked flights but were facing potential cancellations due to the suspension of services.

“Sabah Air is already negotiating with potential aircraft lessors to fill that gap under our Air Operators Certificate (AOC) charter on a wet lease basis,” said Yusoff. (Wet lease means that Sabah Air would be leasing the aircraft as well as the crew, maintenance and insurance.)

The second phase would see Sabah Air setting up a full fledged airline to serve the state and the East Asean Growth Area (EAGA) comprising Brunei, southern Philippines and the Indonesian provinces of West, East and North Kalimantan as well as Sulawesi. “The main focus is to provide efficient logistical support for passengers and cargo and connect this region with the rest of the world,” Yusoff said.

The third phase would see Sabah Air addressing air connectivity for the rural interior destinations in the state. “We are looking at a customised and localised cost-effective solution and, eventually, duplicating the business model to other parts of Sabah and Sarawak,” Yusuff added.

-thestar online.