Exploring nature’s beauty on two wheels

NATURE’S splendour greeted participants of the Seberang Prai Eco-Cycling 2019 as they rode past padi fields and lush greenery at Sungai Chenaam on mainland Penang.

Present to flag off the 35km event at the Sungai Chenaam Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) hall were Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik and Sungai Acheh assemblyman Zulkifli Ibrahim.

“A total of 361 participants took part in this event where they got to explore nature’s beauty at Sungai Chenaam.

“This event is also to promote environmental care and raise awareness of leading a healthy lifestyle, ” said Muhammad Bakhtiar.

Both he and Zulkifli also put on their riding gear to take part in the event covering most of south Seberang Prai.

The ride was co-organised by Penang Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee and Matahari Cycle Tours and Travel.

-thestar online.

16 EWC bikes, eight units of WTCR cars gather at Dataran Merdeka

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 — A special downtown city parade was organised today showcasing racing cars and bikes from the FIM World Endurance Championship (EWC) Sepang 8 Hours and FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) line as the curtain opening for Races of Malaysia at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) from Dec 13 to 15.

The downtown city parade was hosted in collaboration with Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) to introduce the Races of Malaysia to the local fans and also as an introduction to the race teams of EWC and WTCR who are mostly new to Malaysia.

A total of 16 EWC and eight units of WTCR cars gathered at Matic Kuala Lumpur with a special welcoming event by Tourism Malaysia before the motorcade was flagged off by deputy director-general of Tourism Malaysia Datuk Mohamed Razip Hassan.

The tour ended with a special engagement activity with fans of two wheels and four wheels who have gathered at Dataran Merdeka.

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said Malaysia would be presenting one of the largest line-ups of Malaysian talents for the Races of Malaysia.

“SIC aims to bring in world championship events to Malaysia that will not just fuel the thirst of motorheads here but also provides a platform for our Malaysian talents to participate and compete in world-class level.

“I am glad to see seven of our Malaysian riders competing in the FIM EWC and another three in the FIA WTCR. It will be an exciting weekend and I urge all motorsport fans to come and join in support of our local talents,” he said at the downtown parade event.

Malaysian MotoGP rider Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah would be challenging himself this weekend by racing in the Sepang 8 Hours motorcycle endurance race on Saturday and also his debut race in the WTCR driving a Hyundai i30 N TCR under the Hyundai Team Engstler alongside teammate and Malaysia’s promising motorsport talent Mitchell Cheah on Sunday. 

Malaysia’s very own local team HKM Speed Racing have entered the EWC with Muhammad Farid Badrul Hisham, who was previously in the Asia Road Race Racing (ARRC) SS600 Championship, partnering former Moto3 rider Amirul Haziq Azmi and 2017 Supermoto Novice Class champion Ahmad Danial Haikal.

Another known local rider, Zaqhwan Zaidi, would pit his skills under Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa while newly crowned Asia ARRC champion in Superbike elite 1000cc Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman and Petronas Sprinta Racing Moto3 rider Adam Norrodin made up the final entry for the EWC.

On the four-wheel side, apart from Hafizh Syahrin and Mitchell, a wildcard entry from Douglas Koo with Viper Niza Racing would showcase a line-up of three Malaysian drivers competing in the WTCR against world champions forming the 2019 WTCR Supergrid.

Race week would begin on Wednesday with the circuit open to the public from Friday for the WTCR qualifying sessions followed by the EWC race day with the Sepang 8 Hours on Saturday, and the finale of the WTCR race would happen over three sprint races on Sunday.

-bernama.

Malaysia´s embassy in Turkey launches tourism campaign

ANKARA, Dec 10 -- The Malaysian embassy in Turkey on Monday hosted an event to introduce the 2020 events to promote country’s tourism, trade and business, Anadolu Agency reported.

Speaking at the Essence of Malaysia event, Charge D’affaires Arhan Syafrisyah Shah Anuar highlighted three points to be promoted by Malaysia in the upcoming year.

He noted that Embassy “will go all out to promote” the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign through all-year-round events.

Anuar called on Turkish investors and business people to participate at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS), which will convene on March 25-28, 2020 in the capital Kuala Lumpur.

He also highlighted the “growing bilateral trade” between Ankara and Kuala Lumpur thanks to the signing and implementation of a free trade agreement in August 2015.

“Being a major player in the Halal Industry, MIHAS offers various platforms and opportunities such as international sourcing programme and value added programme that includes breakfast networking sessions and industry zones,” Anuar said.

“We are thinking big. This year’s motto is Expand Your Halal Horizon,” he went on to say.

He also expressed his gratitude to Turkey for its “continuous support for Malaysia’s palm oil and its products.”

“Our campaign revolves around five essential pillars – love my food, love my health, love my people, love my country and love my planet,” he added.

-bernama.

http://vm2020.malaysia.travel

Desaru Coast Gourmet Series Fourth Edition @ The Westin Desire Coast Resort ( 13 & 14 December 2019 )

We are proud to announce the latest edition of our Desaru Coast Gourmet Series, now in its fourth edition featuring an exciting Latin American dining experience presented by celebrity chef Tamara Rodriguez.

Come experience her interpretations of Seafood Under The Stars at The Westin Desaru Coast Resort on 13th & 14th of December 2019.

WHERE

The Westin Desaru Coast Resort

EVENT DATE

13 & 14 December 2019

SEAFOOD UNDER THE STARS

·       Beach Bar, pre-dinner cocktail and canapes.
(Start at 7pm)

·       Seasonal Tastes 4-course dinner with wine pairing.
(Start at 8pm)

·       Dress Code: Resort Wear.

PACKAGES AND DINE

·       Stay and Dinner Dine Package.
(Early Bird-Booking before 5th December) - MYR1288 nett reserved for 2 person.
(Normal Price) - MYR1388 nett reserved for 2 person.

-->

·      Dinner Dine.
MYR295 nett

-Desaru Coast.

Races of Malaysia (EWC & WTCR) Down Town City Parade @ Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur ( 10 December 2019 )

Sepang International Circuit (SIC) sedang giat mempromosikan ‘Races of Malaysia 2019’ yang mengabungkan dua acara sukan permotoran iaitu FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) dan FIM World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) pada 13 - 15 Disember 2019 di Sepang International Circuit. 

Pra-promosi kepada acara yang julung kali diadakan di Malaysia ini. Pihak SIC akan mengadakan Races of Malaysia Down Town City Parade pada 10 Disember 2019 dari MaTiC ke Dataran Merdeka.

Sejumlah 48 pelumba EWC dan 8 pelumba WTCR, bersama 16 motor lumba EWC dan 8 kereta lumba WTCR akan menusuri Jalan Raja Ampang, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail dan Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman bagi memperkenalkan acara ini kepada umum.

Semua dijemput untuk turut serta bagi memeriahkan lagi acara ini.

-Tourism Malaysia.

Semporna gets 200 tourist boats boost for VM2020

SEMPORNA, Dec 8 -- About 200 tourists boats in Semporna have chosen to help promote Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) campaign to both domestic and international tourists.

Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi said the mode of transportation has been chosen for the first time as among country's tourism promotion medium.

"Boat is one of the important modes of transportation in Sabah's east coast including Semporna, and this district received 900,000 tourists since early this year.

"The 200 boats involved received the VM2020 flags and my hope is that with the cooperation, it will elevate Sabah as an excellent tourism location internationally," said Mohammad in a speech read by his political secretary Abd Kusen Hussin during the VM2020 flag handing out ceremony here today.

In a press conference after the event, Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said there are more then 600 boats in Semporna that can be used as a medium to promote the country's tourism.

However, he said, out of the number there are boats which have to be registered and licensed.

"We cannot just hand out the logo (VM2020), they (boats) must be certified, so that their owners can be included in our activities such as training, like we did recently with divers association.

"We gave the association certification and help them in tourism aspect, namely identifying products including new tourist locations which can be developed," he said.
-bernama.

VMY 2020: State tourism industry players told to be prepared

ARAU, Dec 7 -- In conjunction with the 2020 Visit Malaysia Year campaign, state tourism industry players must diversify their products and not be dependent on existing attractions.

Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general (Planning) Zulkifly Md Said said all agencies involved should also play their roles in developing more attractive product to woo tourists to Perlis.

"For example Perlis is known for its Harum Manis mango, so industry operators can use the opportunity to offer related products and ensure that the mangoes do not go out of stock," he said during 2019 Tourism Malaysia Surfcasting Tour fishing competition at Kuala Sungai Baru beach here today.

Aspalila Sadikin, 53, from Simpang Renggam, Johor, was declared winner after reeling in a 1.55 kilogramme sea catfish and took RM70,000 prize money.

The competition, the ninth in the series of tournament, received overwhelm response with more than 1,600 participants including some from southern Thailand and the final will be held in Melaka on Dec 29.

-bernama.

PATA Destination Marketing Forum goes to Sarawak in 2020

PATA Destination Marketing Forum 2020 set to take place in Kuching, Sarawak

The PATA Destination Marketing Forum (PDMF) 2020 will take place in Kuching, Sarawak from November 25-27, marking the second PATA event heading to Eastern Malaysia next year after it was earlier revealed that PATA Adventure Travel Conference and Mart 2020 will be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

PDMF 2020 will be hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture Sarawak, the Sarawak Tourism Board, and the Sarawak Convention Bureau.

The announcement for next year’s PDMF was made by the Sarawak minister of tourism, arts & culture and minister of youth & sports Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at the conclusion of the PDMF 2019, which took place last week in Pattaya.

During PDMF 2019, Hamzah stated: “PDMF 2020 would augur well towards Visit Sarawak Campaign as well as the Visit Malaysia Year 2020 by highlighting Sarawak and Malaysia on the global tourism map.”

The PDMF gathers the top minds in destination travel to discuss some of the major issues in marketing and managing tourism growth in lesser-known destinations. The annual, two-day event will feature learning, discovery and networking. Apart from a one-day conference, the one-day technical tour will offer an immersive experience of the host destination.

PATA’s CEO Mario Hardy added that the selection of host destination for PDMF aligns with the association’s advocacy theme of “tourism dispersal to secondary and tertiary destinations”.

In advocating sustainable tourism and emerging destinations, PATA is offering complimentary registration to all interested parties.

-TTG Asia.

Sarawak launches EAT.CHIAK. MAKAN Food Trail for Singaporean market

https://statos.com.sg

SINGAPORE, Dec 3 -- Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) today launched its latest initiative, EAT.CHIAK. MAKAN, that aims to draw foodies from across Singapore to Sarawak.

The agency has also prepared Sarawak Food Trail booklets for the tour packages to the East Malaysian state.

The booklet features information on Sarawakian delicacies and over 70 local eateries in different key cities, starting with Kuching.

From the more popular dishes such as Kolo Mee and Sarawak laksa, to the simpler comfort food such as Kueh Chap and Gong Pia, the Kuching edition of the Sarawak Food Trail recommends the best and even most affordable locations to try each local fare.

“EAT.CHIAK.MAKAN recognises that we cannot separate Singaporeans from their love of food, and hope to entice them with Sarawak’s wealth of mouth-watering delicacies,” said STATOS chairman, Tan Sri Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani at the launch of the campaign here.

The campaign was officially launched during the ‘Sarawak More to Discover’ event, which focused on promoting Edutourism in Sarawak.

Mohamad Morshidi said Sarawak and Singapore shared a close working relationship, which contributed to a 4.24 per cent increase in Singaporean visitors to Sarawak between January to September 2019.

“We want to continue to foster this relationship by constantly introducing exciting and unique campaigns such as EAT.CHIAK.MAKAN that resonate with Singaporeans, and sharing all that Sarawak has to offer,” he said.

The EAT.CHIAK.MAKAN Kuching Food Trail booklet is currently available at STATOS and can be downloaded on its website https://statos.com.sg/.

STATOS continues to expand on its food listings for Kuching, as well as the upcoming food trails for other cities such as Sibu and Miri.

The event which saw over 140 attendees from Singapore was a collaboration between STATOS, Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Tourism Board and Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak.

A seminar on Edutourism products, key destinations and existing packages curated by the Association of Sarawak Inbound Agencies (ASIA), was held simultaneously to encourage travel agents and schools in Singapore to make Sarawak the ideal destination for school groups and leisure.

STATOS was set up by the Sarawak Government as a strategy to explore the global market, bring in more investments, promote trade and attract more tourists to Sarawak.

Singapore is a key market for Sarawak and in the Top 5 of the state’s foreign arrivals list with 43,734 visitors in 2018, clinching a total trade volume of S$1.1 trillion.

With a stronger presence in Singapore, STATOS aims to increase Sarawak’s export market to Singapore by at least 30 per cent by 2021.

-bernama.

https://statos.com.sg

Scoot begins first direct flight to Kota Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 3 — Scoot, Singapore’s low-cost airline, commenced its first direct flight from Singapore to Kota Kinabalu today, making the Sabah capital its eighth destination in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Kota Bharu, Kuantan, Kuching, Langkawi and Penang.

Scoot chief commercial officer Calvin Chan said some 178 passengers from Singapore flew into Kota Kinabalu on the inaugural flight which arrived at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) at about 11.40 am.

He said the airline was delighted to add daily Kota Kinabalu services to its growing network in Malaysia, connecting travellers from Sabah to Singapore and onwards to over 60 destinations worldwide.

“We hope this route will also boost local tourism as Sabah has much to offer, from its beautiful islands to the majestic Mount Kinabalu,” he said at a media briefing here, today.

KKIA has recorded a 23 per cent increase in passenger movement for the Kota Kinabalu-Singapore route from January to October 2019 compared to the same period last year.

Scoot currently operates seven direct weekly flights between Singapore and Kota Kinabalu.

-bernama.

Tourism Malaysia Launches VISIT MALAYSIA 2020 Campaign Website

PUTRAJAYA, 3 December 2019: In conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020), Tourism Malaysia has launched the VM2020 Website Campaign which can be accessed at vm2020.malaysia.travel. 

The campaign is a digital initiative by Tourism Malaysia to support the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign and to portray Malaysia as one of the top destinations to visit in 2020. 

YBhg. Datuk Musa Yusof, Director General of Tourism Malaysia said, "With an enhanced digital experience and experiential content, we hope to entice more international and local tourists to visit the various destinations in our country, in support of Visit Malaysia 2020." 

The campaign aims to feed both the international and domestic travellers with valuable information on Malaysia’s numerous tourist attractions, including recommended destinations, ‘must-try’ meals, travel itineraries, and things to do in Malaysia.

Users are able to know more about Malaysia through diverse informative articles which have been categorised into adventure, wildlife, nature, islands and beaches, waterfalls, caves and forests, food, and family, among others.

Other information such as deals and packages as well as events and happenings in the year 2020 are also featured in the website. 

A unique feature of the website campaign is the “Insta Worthy” section which is powered by user-generated content (UGC). Travellers’ Instagram photos and videos may stand a chance to be featured in this section, as long as they are tagged with Tourism Malaysia’s official Instagram page (@malaysia.truly.asia) and includes #VisitMalaysia2020, #MalaysiaTrulyAsia and #CutiCutiMalaysia hashtags upon posting. All photos and videos included in the section will be credited to the original user. The goal of including the ‘Insta Worthy’ section is to strengthen the relationship with the community, especially with millennials.

The addition of new exclusive features are also planned for the future development of the campaign, while content for the website will be updated from time to time to share fresh news.

A chatbot will be utilized to provide FAQs and is expected to provide an enhanced user experience across the website. Besides that, industry players will be introduced to an online form submission as an efficient platform for all merchants to submit their special deals and packages to be promoted in the VM2020 website. The campaign also aims to boost community engagement and extend the implementation of UGC by developing a platform for travel experiences and recommendations submission.

-Tourism Malaysia.
http://vm2020.malaysia.travel/

Petronas 6 Times Victory Celebration With Valtteri Bottas @ Petronas Station Jalan Kolam Ayer, Ampang ( 4 December 2019 )

Our 6 time Victory Celebration wouldn't be complete without you guys!

Join us this 4th December at PETRONAS Jalan Kolam Ayer, Ampang for your chance to meet the Flying Finn, @ValtteriBottas!

Participate in cool games and activities, get amazing offers on PETRONAS merchandise and stand to win awesome prizes!

-Petronas Brand facebook.

AirAsia opens first restaurant serving inflight meals

Photo Caption: (From left) Santan Restaurant and T&CO Cafe’s Catherine Goh, AirAsia’s Fam Lee Ee, deputy secretary-general of domestic trade Alauddin Sidal, AirAsia Group’s Tony Fernandes, minister of domestic trade and consumer affairs Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, AirAsia Group’s Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, AirAsia’s Aziz Bakar, and AirAsia Group’s Aireen Omar at the Santan and T&CO flagship restaurant launch at the Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur

In another major stride towards cementing itself as a lifestyle brand that sells more than just airline tickets, AirAsia has commercialised its inflight menu to launch its first on the ground restaurant, Santan Restaurant and T&CO Café, at the Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The fast food outlet, which opened for business yesterday, promises a maximum four-minute wait time for orders made at the outlet. Menu prices at the restaurant are slightly higher compared to pre-orders meals on AirAsia’s flights, as airline meal portions are smaller.

Santan Restaurant and T&CO Cafe’s general manager Catherine Goh said: “We have seen a significant appetite for our in-flight menu offerings beyond our flights across the region and this is our answer to that demand… By the end of 2020, we aim to have five Santan restaurants and 100 franchise-operated restaurants and cafes within the next three to five years with expansions in global markets.”

AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes shared that it was his dream to open a Santan restaurant at the Times Square in the US. He added that he was also looking at franchise opportunities within South-east Asia and beyond, with a franchise set to open soon in China.

While Santan Restaurant and T&CO Café will compete with many other restaurants selling local and South-east Asian favourites, Fernandez said that its competitive edge lies in its pricing, quick customer service response time, and hyper-personalisation by leveraging big data to further customise its food offerings to cater to customers’ food preferences.

Designed to enhance customers’ dining experience through a personalised digital journey, the restaurant and cafe features a smart menu equipped with artificial intelligence and machine learning, which is able to serve up recommendations based on time, past ordering patterns as well as demographic taste.

Customers can order ahead online at santan.com.my or the T&CO mobile app before collecting their orders at the outlet.

-TTG Asia.

Azlan Enters The History Books As The First Asian Superbike Champion

He began the season as the first rider to win the ASB1000 race in the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship. At the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, for the 2019 finale, Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) closed the year on a high note with an imperious win to enter the history books as the first Asian Superbike Champion.

The ASB1000 action closed with an explosive final showdown with three riders still in the running at the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship finale in Thailand.

Zaqhwan Zaidi (Honda Asia Dream Racing with SHOWA), who still had an outside chance of creating a monumental upset, led the 12-rider grid on pole position. The Malaysian claimed his third of the season in Race 1 and still had a mathematical chance of creating an upset provided that both the main title contenders (Azlan and Broc) failed to collect any points from the second race.

Beside Zaqhwan, the man with the best chance for the title, Azlan Shah lined up on P2 while Broc Parkes (Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN), still the championship leader after a disastrous Saturday, was a menacing presence on the second row.

Since the start of the ASB1000 class this season, the Chang International Circuit has turned out to be a happy hunting ground for the BMW. A confident Azlan darted into the lead at the start of the 13-lap race. Azlan was stalked by Zaqhwan in the first lap but a series of quick laps saw Azlan pulling ahead by 3.9 seconds by Lap 5. The Malaysian rider then produced a slew of inch-perfect defensive laps to keep his position at the front.

Behind Azlan, a bad start by Broc put his final campaign for the title on the back foot. On Lap 6, Broc was fifth on the track, trailing Azlan by a hefty 5.7 seconds, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Broc’s title hopes had evaporated.

Up in front, Azlan was in no mood to mess around. The BMW rider continued to plough through the remaining laps in perfect form until he stormed to his sixth win of the season with 20’57.034s. Zaqhwan was second across the line, five seconds behind Azlan followed by Thitipong Warokorn (Kawasaki Thailand Racing Team) in third.

In the final points tally, Azlan picked up his third Asian title with 238 points. Azlan was the 2013 and 2017 SuperSports 600cc champion. Broc ended the season in second with 225 points and Zaqhwan third with 211 points.

However, Broc’s determined racing had done enough to put Yamaha Racing Team ASEAN at the top of the team standings with 244 points. The nine points Broc collected allowed the Japanese team to deny the ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team from taking yet another team title by three points.

-Asia Road Racing Championship.

WTCR & EWC: Tourism Malaysia in Indonesia targets to draw in 2000 fans

JAKARTA, Dec 1 -- Tourism Malaysia in Indonesia is targeting to bring over 2,000 motorsport fans from the republic for the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) and FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) that are scheduled to the take place at the Sepang International Circuit on Dec 14 and 15.

Its director Roslan Othman said the target was based on the attendance of some 6,000 fans from Indonesia for the Moto Grand Prix Malaysia 2019 held at the end of October.

"We hope Indonesian motorsport fans will continue to support the WTCR and EWC which are being held for the first time at the SIC,”he told reporters here today.

Tourism Malaysia in Indonesia is also collaborating with Indonesian tour agency TX Travel to provide attractive packages to fans and Indonesian tourists in conjunction with the two races.

TX Travel director Chrysanto Gregorius said they are offering three days two nights (3D2N) and four days and three nights (4D3N) packages, with prices starting at Rp3.2 million (RM948).

-bernama.

Tourism Malaysia targets 92.8 million domestic tourists in 2020

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 30 -- Tourism Malaysia, in collaboration with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) today launched special holiday packages for the year 2020 with a target of 92.8 million local visitors throughout the year.

The domestic tourists are expected to spend a total of RM76.9 billion.

Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Musa Yusof said the targeted figure was an increase of 8.9 percent compared to the estimated figure of 85.2 million domestic tourists for this year.

”The latest collaboration with Malaysia Airlines helps to strengthen the effort of promoting domestic tourism especially for Visit Malaysia Year 2020 (VM2020).

“Domestic tourism has always been the backbone of our tourism industry. The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia brand was developed to inculcate the value of holiday culture among Malaysians and transform the way domestic holidays are viewed.

“It is hoped that with the Visit Malaysia 2020 campaign, and with critical support from industry players such as MAS, we will succeed to reach the target of 30 million international tourist arrivals and RM100 billion tourist receipts,” he said in his speech at the launch of the Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Packages with MHholidays at Sunway Putra Mall, here today.

He also said that the packages was in-line with Tourism Malaysia’s mission to stimulate the growth of domestic tourism in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Operations Officer, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi said from now until 9 December 2019, MHholidays will be offering discounts of up to 70 percent on selected hotels and flights, across MAS domestic destinations for immediate travel until Mac 31, 2020.

Ahmad Luqman said the packages offered allow customers to enjoy free one-night stay with a purchase of a four-night stay package at selected hotels.

“To commemorate the launch, MHholidays will be offering great discounts of hotels and flights, plus free-night stay with over 120 properties in Malaysia,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines current domestic destinations on promotion include Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Labuan, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Alor Setar, Kuantan, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Sandakan, and Tawau.

Those interested are advice to log on to holidays.malaysiaairlines.com

-bernama.

Malaysia Airlines And Tourism Malaysia Reaffirms Commitment To Further Strengthen Their Partnership For VM2020

KUALA LUMPUR, 30 November 2019: Malaysia Airlines and Tourism Malaysia today reaffirms their commitment to further strengthen their partnership in support of Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) through a marketing collaboration to promote domestic tourism packages.

Under this collaboration, Malaysia Airlines will be promoting special fare holiday packages to domestic tourists as a show of support to Visit Malaysia 2020 (VM2020) campaign through its travel marketplace MHholidays.

From now until 9 December 2019, MHholidays will be offering discounts of up to 70% on selected hotels and flights, across Malaysia Airlines domestic destinations for immediate travel until 31 March 2020. Customers will also be able to enjoy free one-night stay with a purchase of a four-night stay package at selected hotels.

The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Packages with MHholidays was launched by the Director General of Tourism Malaysia, Datuk Musa Yusof, and Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Operations Officer, Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi at Sunway Putra Mall, here, today.

The partnership will enable both organisations to collaborate on joint promotional activities, with the aim of developing tourism to various destinations within Malaysia, through services offered by Malaysia Airlines.

Ahmad Luqman bin Mohd Azmi said, “We signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tourism Malaysia earlier this year in support of VM2020 to achieve Malaysia’s target of 30 million tourist arrivals in 2020. We are happy to be extending this partnership today, through a marketing collaboration with our latest product, Cuti-Cuti Malaysia Packages with MHholidays to promote growth in travel within Malaysia. This collaboration further demonstrates our commitment to promote Malaysia as the preferred destination and offer Malaysia’s unique wonders and attractions.

“To commemorate the launch, MHholidays will be offering great discounts of hotels and flights, plus free-night stay with over 120 properties in Malaysia. We encourage tourists to plan their trip with us for a hassle-free holiday at the best prices,” he added.

Datuk Musa Yusof said, “This latest collaboration with Malaysia Airlines will help to strengthen our efforts to promote domestic tourism especially for VM2020. Domestic tourism has always been the backbone of our tourism industry. The Cuti-Cuti Malaysia brand was developed to inculcate the value of holiday culture among Malaysians and transform the way domestic holidays are viewed.

“I hope Malaysians will take advantage of this special offer by MHholidays to explore and experience their own country’s nature, arts and culture,” he added.

Malaysia Airlines current domestic destinations on promotion include Langkawi, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Johor Bahru, Labuan, Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, Alor Setar, Kuantan, Sibu, Bintulu, Miri, Sandakan, and Tawau.

Log on to holidays.malaysiaairlines.com for more information.

-Tourism Malaysia.
https://holidays.malaysiaairlines.com/mhholidays-home.html

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/