Cloud passport in the works for ASEAN nations

Malaysian startup BorderPass is set to launch a pilot test at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) which allows travellers to pre-clear the immigration checkpoint before arriving at the destination.

The closed trial will take place once BorderPass finishes installation of automatic clearance gates at KLIA Terminals 1 and 2 by the end of this year. Public trials are then planned to follow.

Explaining how it works, BorderPass CEO Faisal Ariff said: “We replace paper immigration forms with a biometrically verified online profile, which is sent to the destination government the moment a flight is booked.

“Pre-cleared passengers use a BorderPass automated gate on arrival, skipping the manual immigration queue and forms. It is essentially a precursor to the cloud passport. It is where we feel the world is headed to in the next 10 to 20 years.”

BorderPass is being targeted at intra-ASEAN travellers for now, according to Faisal, who is speaking with various stakeholders within the 10 nation bloc to implement the pioneering solution.

“There are four key stakeholders who we have worked hard to convince: governments, airlines, airports and passengers,” he said.

“Each have a different perspective and we tailor our message to them accordingly. For governments the top three priorities are security, security and security. For airlines, it may be boosting passenger throughput and managing capacity.”

BorderPass had been in talks with the Malaysian Immigration Department since early 2014, as well as with the ASEAN Secretariats in Jakarta and three other ASEAN countries, among many others, to bring the project to its current state. The trail at KLIA is a first for South-east Asia.

Australia and New Zealand, in an initiative led by the two nation’s governments, were the world’s first to test run cloud passport technology back in October 2015.

While going paperless is an exciting prospect for end-consumers, Faisal highlights the positive effects it has for South-east Asian immigration authorities as well.

He said: “The key difference we are introducing is the ability to pre-screen passengers before they arrive, using a secure biometrically-verified profile which carries over from journey to journey across the region.

“This enables the destination government to screen visa-free visitors days, weeks or months ahead of time, as opposed to traditional last-minute manual screening. For passengers this translates to a simple, seamless, and secure journey.”

BorderPass is also currently working closely with travel technology stalwarts Amadeus via its startup programme Amadeus Next to look at integrating its systems with airlines and airports that are being powered by Amadeus solutions.

“We had the unique opportunity to head to Amadeus’ customer event, Online Connect, where we were able to pitch our idea and network with Asia-Pacific’s leading OTAs. It was great exposure to the industry and for us it validated our solution with the online community,” said Faisal.

“We were also pretty excited to be awarded Amadeus Next Startup of the Year at the event, helping us to establish international credibility, and probably it helped us in Malaysia also.”

-TTG Asia.

Bryan Adams Live in Kuala Lumpur 2017 @ Malawati Indoor Stadium ( 21 January 2017 )

-www.ticketpro.com.my

Putrajaya perkenal dua produk pelancongan baharu

Hasim Ismail (tiga dari kiri) bersama para pemenang pertandingan memancing sempena pelancaran Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya di Taman Wetland, Putrajaya, baru-baru ini. utusan/RASHID MAHFOF

PUTRAJAYA 12 Sept. – Putrajaya memperkenalkan dua produk pelancongan baharu dalam usaha menarik lebih ramai kehadiran pengunjung ke Pusat Pentadbiran Persekutuan tersebut.

Yang pertama produk eko pelancongan menerusi penjenamaan semula Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya dan kedua, Taman Burung Merbuk yang masing-masing terletak di Taman Wetland.

Presiden Perbadanan Putrajaya (PPj), Datuk Seri Hasim Ismail berkata, Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya yang berkeluasan 62 hektar menawarkan produk eko pelanco­ngan yang unik di tengah kepesatan pembangunan Putrajaya.

Jelasnya, orang ramai tidak perlu pergi ke kawasan pendalaman semata-mata untuk memancing kerana Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya mempunyai pelbagai jenis ikan eksotik seperti kelah, patin dan temoleh.

"Di samping itu, tempat ini menawarkan pelbagai aktiviti lain antaranya seperti berbasikal, water rafting dan perkhemahan.

"Terletak di Presint 13, Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya merupakan usaha terbaharu kita untuk menaik taraf dan meningkatkan kualiti produk pelancongan di Putrajaya," katanya ketika berucap dalam Majlis Perasmian Pusat Rekreasi Air Putrajaya di sini baru-baru ini.

Sementara itu, Hasim membe­ritahu, Padang Semarak di Taman Wetland akan dijadikan Taman Burung Merbuk dan dengan sekali gus pertandingan seni suara merbuk dijadikan acara bulanan di lokasi tersebut.

Katanya, pihaknya membina 1,500 tiang burung merbuk bagi memberi peluang 

kepada penggemar haiwan peliharaan itu mende­ngar kelunakan suara burung berkenaan.

"PPj berkerjasama dengan Persatuan Seniman Merbuk Malaysia untuk menganjurkan Gurindam Merbuk Putrajaya yang merupakan kesinambungan kejayaan pertan­dingan Seni Suara Merbuk Putrajaya pada Jun lalu.

"Penganjuran Gurindam Merbuk Putrajaya pada setiap bulan menjangkakan lebih ramai ramai penyertaan dan pengunjung dari dalam dan luar negara ke Putrajaya," katanya lagi.

-utusan online.

Malaysia Receives PATA Gold Award For “Landmarks Of Malaysia” Travel Posters

JAKARTA, 9 SEPT 2016 – Tourism Malaysia received a PATA Gold Award for its Landmarks of Malaysia 2015 posters in the category of Marketing Media Awards – Travel Posters during the presentation ceremony earlier today.

Minister of Tourism and Culture Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Tan Sri Abdul Aziz received the award, saying, “We are honoured to be recognised by PATA for our international marketing and promotional efforts during the Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015 campaign. The posters were produced with great care to showcase Malaysia’s unique architecture, design heritage and attractions.”

The award-winning entry, developed for the Malaysia Year of Festivals 2015, is a series of 16 posters featuring interesting landmarks in the 13 states and three federal territories, rendered in delicate pencil sketches and water colours by Malaysian artist Chin Kon Yit.

The posters were part of the marketing and promotional materials developed for 2015, for which Malaysia recorded a total of 25.7 million tourist arrivals and RM69.1 billion in receipts.

About PATA Travel Mart:

Tourism Malaysia participated in the PATA Travel Mart together with Malaysia’s state tourism boards (Tourism Selangor and Tourism Johor) and 12 industry players comprising hotel and resort operators, tour operators and tourism product owners to promote the destination’s theme parks, international sports events, shopping, golf and medical tourism, among others.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Konsert Kabus Semalam XPDC 2016 - Sarawak Part 1 ( 28 ~ 29 Oktober 2016 )

Date: Oct 28, 2016 - Oct 29, 2016

Time : 8:30PM

Venue : Dewan Suarah Bintulu , Sarawak.
Official Reference: XPDC KITA Pengyu
-www.ticketpro.com.my

Fantastic Fifth For Kornfeil At Misano

Misano Adriatico RN, Italy – Sunday 11th September

Circuit: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Circuit Length: 4.2 km

The San Marino Grand Prix saw DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team rider Jakub Kornfeil claim a hard fought 5th place today, with teammate Adam Norrodin crossing the line in 23rd.

Lining up on the second row Kornfeil catapulted off the line as the lights went out, claiming third place by the first corner. Pushing hard the Czech rider relentlessly battled to stay close to the leaders whilst fending off fourth place man Jorge Navarro.
Caught in the fight for the podium the Czech rider was temporarily reduced to eighth position after a small mistake saw the 23-year-old run wide into turn nine. Determined to regain positions lost, Kornfeil immediately began fighting back, working his way up to a respectable fifth place as the chequered flag came out.

With more valuable points added to his Championship position, Kornfeil leaves Italy with an elevated position of 9th place overall.

Adam Norrodin worked well to progress throughout the 23-lap race despite losing five places on the opening lap. Aiming to fight his way into a point scoring position, the young rookie worked hard to regain his rhythm and in doing so, made good progress with his lap time.

Johan Stigefelt – Team Manager
“It was a good race today. Jakub made a great start and was very aggressive all the way through. The whole weekend he has been strong and has showed his true potential. It’s a shame we didn’t finish on the podium but nevertheless we made such a big step from Silverstone and the last races, so we are very happy with this. We have a strong package now, so there’s no reason why we can’t continue like this at Aragon.
Adam didn’t make the best start today and he got stuck in a group of slower riders for the whole race. The pace was quite up and down for him but he did improve his lap time. On the positive side he got through the whole weekend without any crashes and this is definitely progress for him. The next track is a circuit Adam knows well, so hopefully he can start off strong in FP1 and use his experience to his advantage there.”

#84 Jakub Kornfeil: P5
“Today I went into the race with a winning mentality. I really wanted to fight for the podium. Unfortunately the way the race went this became more and more difficult. During a race there is always one moment where the leading riders want to pull away and I missed this; at this time I was in fourth place and fighting with Locatelli and he passed me. This was the most important moment during the race and the reason why we didn’t finish on the podium today. Nevertheless I enjoyed it a lot today; I had some good battles and the bike was working very well, so I’m very happy for this. We just need to stay where we are and keep up the hard work. Thanks to team and all the people who came here to support me.”

#7 Adam Norrodin: P23
“The race today was tough and the result was not what I had expected after qualifying. Unfortunately after the first long straight I made a mistake and lost some positions. I then had a lot more work to do and battle my way back up to where I was. The time lost meant that the group ahead got away and I wasn’t able to catch them. Our finishing position was not so good but we improved our pace a lot and finished without any crashes this weekend. I feel much more motivated to prove myself in the next race in Aragon.”

-SIC Racing Team facebook.
PelanconganKini supports DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team.

Note: DRIVE M7 merchandises are available at http://www.m7shop.com/home.aspx
New Drive M7 Vitamin Drink now available.

Angkasa sasar 50 inap desa sertai CoopStay

ABDUL FATTAH ABDULLAH (tengah) bersama peserta dalam majlis Pelancaran Model Jaringan CoopStay Koperasi Homestay Rawa Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan semalam.
Mingguan/Abd. Razak Aid

SEREMBAN 10 Sept. - Sebanyak 50 inap desa dijangka menyertai program CoopStay di bawah Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) menjelang tahun 2020 dengan sasaran pendapatan berjumlah RM15 juta.

Presiden Angkasa, Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah berkata, pada masa ini terdapat 20 inap desa yang dipilih menjalani penjenamaan semula di bawah program tersebut di seluruh negara.

Menurutnya, inap desa yang terlibat menawarkan pelbagai keistimewaan dan ciri-ciri seragam dari segi kemudahan, keselamatan dan layanan berbanding inap desa lain.

“Kita mahu naikkan taraf inap desa menyamai hotel termasuk memiliki kemudahan jalur lebar mudah alih (WiFi), sabun, syampu dan peti pertolongan cemas.

“Melalui jaringan CoopStay, kita telah berjaya melonjakkan pendapatan keseluruhan 20 inap desa itu daripada RM500,000 pada tahun lalu kepada RM1 juta pada tahun ini,” katanya dalam sidang akhbar selepas majlis Pelancaran Mo­del Jaringan CoopStay Koperasi Homestay Rawa Lenggeng, di sini hari ini.

Yang turut hadir, timbalan­nya yang juga Pengerusi Peneraju Sektor Pelancongan, Penjagaan Diri dan Kesihatan Angkasa, Mutadho Bahri dan Pengerusi Koperasi Homestay Rawa Lenggeng Negeri Sembilan Berhad, Saadiah Othman.

Menurut Abdul Fattah, Ang­kasa akan mempromosi inap desa yang menyertai CoopStay di peringkat antarabangsa me­lalui jaringan yang dimilikinya dalam Ikatan Koperasi Antarabangsa (ICA) dan Pertubuhan Koperasi ASEAN (ACO).

“Kita juga telah menawarkan peluang kepada 1,000 perwakilan daripada 100 negara yang akan menghadiri Persidangan ICA Global pada November tahun depan bagi memper­kenalkan produk pelancongan di bawah CoopStay,” katanya.

Beliau berkata, pihaknya memberi perhatian kepada sektor pelancongan melalui penubuhan CoopStay dan juga CoopHotel sebagai salah satu usaha meningkatkan pendapatan koperasi.

“Ini juga adalah usaha kita dalam membantu kerajaan menjana pendapatan melalui sektor pelancongan yang dijangka menarik 36 juta pelancong pada 2020 dengan perolehan berjumlah RM168 bilion,” katanya.

Dalam pada itu, Abdul Fattah juga berharap kerajaan dapat mempertimbangkan per­mintaan Angkasa supaya per­untukan gerakan koperasi dinaikkan dalam Bajet 2017.

“Kita berharap peruntukan sebanyak RM100 juta yang dite­rima sebelum ini ditambah kepada RM500 juta bagi memperkasakan kira-kira 13,000 koperasi di negara ini,” katanya.

-utusan online.

Asia becoming more attractive for longhaul travellers

Competitive airfares and concerns over safety issues in the wake of Europe’s recent terrorism incidents are driving more longhaul travellers to choose Asia as a preferred holiday destination, according to trade feedback at PATA Travel Mart.

Asia appears to be an unexpected winner resulting from Europe’s recent terror woes, Pacto COO Umberto Cadamuro observed, as the Indonesian DMC saw an 80 per cent year-to-date surge in volume from Europe.

“Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Turkey are a no-go. The shorthaul operators in Europe are left with just Spain and Greece, so they have to start selling longhaul to survive,” he said. “There is always opportunity if you know where to look.”

For president of US-based Travelvision Jaishree Mehta, who deems Europe and Asia as equals in terms of travel costs for American travellers, what makes Asia more attractive now is the perception of Asia as “a safer destination” relative to Europe.

Furthermore, airlines’ aggressive promotions as well as the rise of longhaul budget carriers such as Eurowings have greatly boosted the affordability of a vacation in South-east Asia.

“Eurowings’ flights to Asia are very popular because Germans love a good deal and are willing to make a last-minute booking,” Urs Sandner, managing director, Zarva Travel Management remarked.

In a recent last-minute promotional deal from Germanwings during the low-season month of July, Urs told TTG Asia that he sold out the LCC’s Cologne-Phuket flights in just two weeks.

“With LCCs, travellers can choose between very affordable basic fares and more premium categories (unlike legacy carriers),” he elaborated.

This gels with Cadamuro’s observation of an emerging travel class from Europe. “There is a new wave of travellers who could not afford to travel longhaul before, but now they can travel,” he added.

Also seeing the relative affordability of Asia is Gene Harley, managing director of Chicago-based Advantage International. He said: “The taxes for a Europe round trip costs around US$700 to US$800 whereas the taxes for a similar trip to Asia is around US$100 to US$200.

“A 10-day holiday to Tokyo offers savings of (up to) US$1,000, compared with a trip to Rome,” he elaborated.

Shirish Trivedi, president of Travel Leaders based in Baltimore, said airfares from Washington to London and Rome were almost similar compared with airfares to Bangkok and Singapore – but what gives Asia an advantage is the lower cost of hotels.

He added: “A four-star hotel in Bangkok is 30 per cent cheaper compared with a hotel in London. When you spend 10 days or more on a holiday, the savings is significant.”

Trivedi has seen a 10 per cent increase in interest to Asia, with Cambodia and Myanmar topping the list of favourite Asian destinations.

Overall, trade members credit the Gulf airlines as a game-changer in the longhaul travel landscape by connecting their Middle Eastern home-bases with many cities in European countries.

Outbound travellers from Nice, for example, can now fly directly to the Middle East instead of transiting in Paris in order to connect to Asia, said Cadamuro. “Besides cutting flight time, it is also cheaper than the European and major Asian airlines.”

This has introduced pressure on legacy airlines to cut down on prices, making it more affordable to fly from Europe to Asia.

And amid the growing German interest in Asia, Sandner wants more budget connections to Asia. He said: “It is a good time for AirAsia X to launch direct flights from Malaysia to Germany to fill the gap that Malaysia Airlines had left behind.”

-TTG Asia.

FedExCup leader Patrick Reed, together with Adam Scott and Sergio Garcia to return for the 2016 edition of CIMB Classic

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: CIMB Group announced today an early cast of international golfing stars that have committed to play at this year’s CIMB Classic at TPC Kuala Lumpur from 20-23 October. The commitments received to date comprise a riveting line-up of Major champions, Ryder Cup team members, past CIMB Classic champions and top-ranked players from the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and FedExCup.

Leading the early commitments is a trio of players in the top-15 of the OWGR: Patrick Reed (8th), current leader in the FedExCup Playoffs and member of the US Team in the Ryder Cup, will join two-time PGA TOUR 2015/16 season winner Adam Scott (6th). They will be joined by nine-time PGA TOUR winner and Ryder Cup European team veteran Sergio Garcia (12th) and a host of other international stars this October.

Other top golfers include Englishmen Ian Poulter and Paul Casey, World No. 16 Hideki Matsuyama, Major champions Keegan Bradley and Ernie Els, as well as 23 year-old defending champion Justin Thomas, who earned his first PGA TOUR victory at last year’s CIMB Classic.

"As the only official PGA TOUR FedExCup tournament in Southeast Asia, the CIMB Classic has been defined by its star power, attracting the globe’s golfing luminaries to tee-off here. This exciting early line-up is proof that the CIMB Classic continues to be an important stop in the PGA TOUR calendar," said Tengku Dato’ Sri Zafrul Aziz, Group Chief Executive, CIMB Group. "We expect a stellar field as we approach the commitment deadline, and fans the world over will be treated to world-class golf at TPC Kuala Lumpur this October."

Making his fourth consecutive start at the CIMB Classic is American Patrick Reed, who won The Barclays in August to take the lead in the FedExCup Playoffs. The fiery American had his best finish at the CIMB Classic last year when he tied for 10th. Reed, who represented America in the Olympics and will play on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, is No. 8 in the world and one of the most consistent players this season with 11 top-10 finishes so far.

Also returning to the CIMB Classic after a runner-up finish to Justin Thomas last year is former World No. 1 Adam Scott. The Aussie won the Masters in 2013 and is the owner of 13 PGA TOUR victories. The highlight of the season for Scott was his back-to-back victories at The Honda Classic and the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship early in the year, moving him to the top of the FedExCup rankings which he held for 10 weeks. Scott ranks sixth in the OWGR and is currently fifth in the FedExCup Playoffs going into the BMW Championship.

Joining Scott and Reed is nine-time PGA TOUR winner and World No. 12 Sergio Garcia. Garcia won the AT&T Byron Nelson earlier this year to go along with three other top-10s. He will play in his eighth Ryder Cup for the European Team this fall, where he has a sterling record of 18-9-5. This is Garcia’s fourth consecutive year playing in the CIMB Classic, his best finish a tie for second in 2014.

While he is unable to play in the Ryder Cup, European Team Vice-Captain Ian Poulter will be in the field at the CIMB Classic. Poulter will be making his first start in the CIMB Classic and will be looking to earn his first PGA TOUR victory since 2012; he has two wins in his career. Fellow Englishman Paul Casey, who finished second at the Deutsche Bank Championship last week and vaulting into the FedExCup Playoffs top-10, will be making his second appearance at the CIMB Classic; he finished T24 last year.

CIMB Classic, with a purse of USD7 million, is part of the PGA TOUR’s season-long FedExCup competition and is co-sanctioned by the Asian Tour and Professional Golf Association of Malaysia. Into its seventh year, the CIMB Classic 2016 will feature a 78-player elite field, comprising 60 from the PGA TOUR, 10 from the Asian Tour and eight sponsor’s exemptions. Malaysia will be represented by the winner of the SapuraKencana National Classic and the highest ranked Malaysian golfer in the OWGR as at 11 October 2016 at the tournament. The PGA TOUR player commitment deadline for the tournament is 21 September 2016.

-www.cimbclassic.com

Program ‘Memancing Laut Dalam Tourism Malaysia Bersama Media Dan Penggiat Industri Pulau Pinang 2016’

BALIK PULAU, 9 September 2016 –Tourism Malaysia Pulau Pinang buat julung-julung kalinya, akan membawa seramai 19 wakil media dan ejen pelancongan Pulau Pinang menyertai program memancing laut dalam selama 2 hari 1 malam di sekitar perairan Pulau Pinang bermula dari 9 hingga 10 September 2016.

Program ini bertujuan mempromosi Pulau Pinang sebagai salah satu destinasi terbaik untuk aktiviti memancing laut dalam. Sebagai sebuah produk pelancongan minat khas, aktiviti ini dijangka mampu menarik minat kaki pancing dari seluruh dunia.

Sebanyak dua buah bot yang dilengkapi dengan kemudahan penginapan, dapur dan tandas serta dikendalikan oleh pengemudi bot berpengalaman telah disediakan untuk para peserta. Mereka akan dibawa melawat ke lubuk-lubuk ikan dan tukun seperti di Teluk Bahang, Gertak Sanggul dan Batu Maung untuk merasai sendiri pengalaman memancing di sekitar perairan dan kepulauan kecil Pulau Pinang.

Terdapat sembilan lokasi kapal karam, dan tujuh kepulauan kecil di sekitar perairan Pulau Pinang termasuklah lubuk-lubuk memancing yang hanya diketahui oleh para nelayan tempatan dan pemancing tegar.

Program ini diharapkan akan dapat memberi pendedahan yang meluas kepada wakil-wakil media mengenai aktiviti memancing di pulau tersebut selain dapat mencetuskan idea baru dalam kalangan ejen pelancongan untuk membangunkan pakej-pakej memancing laut dalam yang lebih kreatif agar dapat memikat para peminat pancing antarabangsa.

Kadar penginapan hotel di Pulau Pinang pada tahun 2015 ialah seramai 6.35 juta orang dan seramai 3.47 juta orang daripada jumlah keseluruhan tersebut ialah pelancong domestik manakala seramai 2.88 juta orang lagi ialah pelancong antarabangsa.

-Tourism Malaysia.

PLUS : TTA Prevents Traffic From Converging On Highway

The Travel Time Advisory, which is being issued by PLUS Malaysia Berhad (PLUS) in conjunction with the holidays, is aimed at preventing vehicles heading towards various destinations from 'converging' at the same location on the highway and contribute to traffic congestion.

PLUS Managing Director, Dato' Noorizah Hj Abd Hamid said, "The TTA plays an important role in distributing traffic on the mainline as it prevents vehicles from converging at the same location at the same time. The sudden spike on the number of traffic at a particular location usually contribute to traffic congestion during festive season and peak periods."

Based on the PLUS TTA, Johor bound traffic from the Klang Valley are advised to enter the North-South Expressway (NSE) between 6 am and 3 pm. While Negeri Sembilan and Melaka bound traffic are encouraged to enter the NSE after 3 pm.

"The advisory, if adhered to, prevents vehicles heading towards Negeri Sembilan and Melaka uniting with Johor bound traffic. Instead, these vehicles will be scattered and distributed at various locations along the mainline. This will contribute to smoother traffic flow heading south. The same concept also applies to traffic heading up north," Noorizah explained.

PLUS anticipates that approximately 1.6 million vehicles will ply the NSE on the peak days during this holiday period in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha, Malaysia Day and school holidays. The figure translates to a 15 percent increase from 1.4 million traffic on normal days.

"As such, we advise the public to plan their journey based on the TTA. Based on our studies and observation, traffic was generally smooth when more drivers followed the TTA during previous festive seasons," Noorizah said.

The public can refer to the TTA which is featured on the PLUS website at www.plus.com.my, the PLUSTrafik Twitter and PLUSMiles Facebook page.

-www.plus.com.my

Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2016 @ TPC Kuala Lumpur ( 27 ~ 30 October 2016 )

Malaysia’s most fun golf event is back again providing spectators with four days of first class action on course and a feast of entertainment off it. The seventh edition of the US$ 1.8 million event takes place on the East course at TPC Kuala Lumpur from 27 - 30 October 2016. Every ticket purchased comes with RM10 food voucher plus a stash of freebies including a golf umbrella, a Microfiber Cart Towel and sleeve of Burner ball by Taylor Made, a Magnum Ice Cream, Gatorade, MST Value Voucher, and raffle ticket – all this while stocks last, so make sure you’re there early.

You won’t even have to go through the hassle of getting stuck in traffic, just use our GrabCar promo code, SDLPGA to get an RM5 discount off every ride to and from the Sime Darby LPGA.

Fans will get to witness the best in the world on course, including the likes of world no.1 Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson, Ariya Jutanugarn, defending champion Jessica Korda, and a Malaysian contingent lead by our very own Kelly Tan.

Off-course, the Courtyard will once again be the entertainment hub of the tournament, providing visitors with an eclectic mix of golf, music, food and glamour. A food extravaganza will be back for four days, with KL’s favourite food trucks and Chef Arnold, offering visitors a range of authentic Malaysian and international cuisine.

Women with Drive will once again adorn TPC Kuala Lumpur (formerly known as Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club) as the tournament continues to champion women in Malaysia, while raising funds and awareness for long-term charitable partner, Cancer Research Malaysia.

Get your tickets from:

1. Online at www.AirAsiaRedtix.com
2. Rock Corner outlets:	The Gardens, Mid Valley (TEL: 03 - 2201 4893)
	Subang Parade (TEL: 03 - 5613 1139)
	The Curve (TEL: 03 - 7733 1139)
	Bangsar Village (TEL: 03-22021139)
3. Victoria Music outlets:	Sg Wang(TEL: 03 - 2148 7208)
	Amcorp (TEL: 03 - 7956 0592)
	Tropicana (TEL: 03 - 7722 2955)
4. Penang outlets:	Artist Gallery, Gurney Plaza (04-637 0191)
	Artist Gallery, Queensbay Mall (04-228 5648)l

-AirAsia RedTix.

Strong Start For Kornfeil On Day One At Misano; Norrodin Makes Progress

Misano Adriatico RN, Italy – Friday 9th September

Circuit: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Circuit Length: 4.2 km

Bike #84 – Jakub Kornfeil
FP1: P2; 1’43.588 – 18 laps
FP2: P4; 1’43.408 – 16 laps

Bike #7 – Adam Norrodin
FP1: P33; 1’46.089 – 18 laps
FP2: P28; 1’44.905 –17 laps

Under blue skies and glorious sunshine, day one at Misano saw a strong and promising start for DRIVE M7 SIC Racing Team rider Jakub Kornfeil. The Czech man wasted no time getting up to speed, making regular appearances at the top of the time sheets before concluding the morning session in an impressive second place. Carrying his positive run of form into Free Practice Two, Kornfeil continued to shine, immediately leading the way once again. Having remained in the top four throughout the session, the 23-year-old is feeling focussed and confident ahead of tomorrow’s Grand Prix Qualifying.
Teammate Adam Norrodin had a more challenging start to his weekend as he headed out onto the San Marino Circuit for the very first time. Working hard to adapt to the stop-and-go layout as quickly as possible, Free Practice one was all about learning for the young rookie. Feeling more confident in the afternoon’s session, Norrodin made good progress with his lap time but was unable to make much headway on his position. Nevertheless the 18-year-old is positive he has a lot more to give tomorrow.

#84 Jakub Kornfeil 
“I feel very good today. In the results we have been high up throughout both practices, so we just need to continue working hard. Our set-up feels good; I’m using the whole bike and riding on the limit. I’ve posted my quickest times alone with no slip stream and I’m still there. Towards the end of FP2 we couldn’t improve again but this was just because we used an older tyre, which was always the plan, so that tomorrow we have one more set of good tyres for qualifying. I’m happy but it’s only the first day, so it’s important to stay focussed, keep our head down and continue to push. If tomorrow we qualify in the top four again, we will start the race from the first or second row, which will be perfect. Now we have to keep this momentum going and then everything will be fine. I’m feeling confident. Thanks to my team for the bike. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

#7 Adam Norrodin
“In FP1 I had hoped to do a much better time but it took longer than I thought to learn this track; it’s quite a challenging layout. We finished FP1 low down on the time sheets but the good thing was many of the other riders went fast early on and hit their limits, so in the second practice they stayed around the same lap time, whilst we improved. We started FP2 with a fresh head and bettered our lap time straight away by around 1.5 seconds. I knew exactly where my weak points were, so I just focussed on improving them. Jakub was very fast today so we have some good data to compare to as well. Tomorrow we need to take the next step, go quicker again and get closer to the top. For sure there is still a lot of work to be done but I feel positive that we can achieve our target here.”

-SIC Racing Team facebook.
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Malaysia's Jan-June 2016 Tourist Arrivals Grow 3.7%

PUTRAJAYA, 8 SEPTEMBER 2016: Malaysia’s tourism industry is indicating signs of recovery in the first half of 2016 with latest figures showing more tourists after the slowdown in 2015.

Correspondingly, tourist receipts rose by 10.7%, contributing RM37.4 billion to the country’s revenue against RM33.8 billion in 2015, which translates to an average per capita expenditure of RM2.869.6. Total receipts in shopping also recorded positive growth, with RM11.7 billion in 2016 compared to RM10 billion in 2015, an increase of 17.1%. The average length of stay of a tourist was 5.8 nights.

The top 10 tourist generating markets to Malaysia in 2016 were Singapore (6,596,452), Indonesia (1,378,699), China (992,463), Thailand (864,453), Brunei (637,369), India (359,853), South Korea (228,023), the Philippines (220,163), the United Kingdom (206,313) and Japan (198,693).

The ASEAN region continued to be the largest contributor of tourist arrivals with 75.7% share (9.87 million) of the total arrivals.

Thailand registered the highest growth of 32.1%, followed by Laos (+26.8%), Brunei (+15.2%), Indonesia (+4.9%) and Singapore (+3.2%).

Improvements in Thailand economy in the first quarter of 2016 as well as the strengthening of Baht against the dollar contributed to the growth of tourists from Thailand. Besides, the strengthening of Singapore and Brunei Dollars against Malaysian Ringgit encouraged tourists from both countries to travelto Malaysia in preparation for Ramadhan and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

The medium-haul markets contributed 18.3% or 2.3 million tourists to Malaysia's total arrivals. 

Markets that registered positive growth included China (+32.1%), South Korea (+11.2%), Saudi Arabia (+6.9%) and Taiwan (+3.7%). Australia and New Zealand registered a decline of 22.1% and 15.1% respectively in tourist arrivals for the first six months due to the negative travel advisory against Malaysia with regards to the kidnappings in Sabah and IS activities in Malaysia. Besides, the cancellation of seven flights a week from Australia resulted in 8.5% decline of seat capacity offerings from 35,359 seats in 2015 to 32,339 seats in 2016.

Tourist arrivals from the long-haul markets reached 776,673 in 2016, constituting 6% of the total arrivals to Malaysia.

Some of the factors that influenced the arrivals trend included early effects of Brexit campaigns, travel advisories against Malaysia issued by the United States, Canada and United Kingdom with regards to the bombing incident in Puchong in June 2016 related to IS activity in Malaysia. Europeans preferred to travel domestically or to neighbouring countries due to fear of terrorist attacks as well as the weakening of the Pound Sterling for the first time in 30 years due to Brexit.

-Tourism Malaysia.