More China tourists via Kota Kinabalu-Hangzhou route

KOTA KINABALU: AirAsia’s decision to expand its connectivity from Kota Kinabalu to Hangzhou, China will contribute to the increasing number of tourists from China and Hong Kong to Sabah.

Tourism, culture and environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the arrival of international tourists from China and Hong Kong for the first five months of this year was up by 77.3 per cent compared to last year.

“The statistics had increased from 71,152 to 126,150 tourists, showing that China is a very important market for Sabah. For the past two consecutive years, China and Hong Kong recorded the highest international arrivals into Sabah,” he said in a press conference during the AirAsia inaugural Kota Kinabalu-Hangzhou flight at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) Terminal 2, yesterday.

Masidi said the ministry and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) will continue to work closely with each and all airlines that fly to Sabah.

“We have strong relationship with AirAsia. Even before AirAsia took its first flight, STB was already in discussion with this airline, formulating strategies to hub AirAsia in Kota Kinabalu. I am confident this partnership and cooperation will continue to grow further.

“The combined efforts from all parties including the Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad and the Ministry of Transport have made and positioned KKIA as the busiest airport in Malaysia, after KLIA. KKIA is the eastern gateway to Malaysia. It has a great potential to be the hub for AirAsia to fully tap the business prospects from northern Asia routes and Australia, saving on fuel and flight time,” he said.

Masidi added Hangzhou to Kita Kiabalu is about four hours flight, and is the fifth Chinese city to connect Sabah via a direct non-stop flight.

He said people from Hangzhou would appreciate going to the islands off Sabah, which are located 15 minutes away by boat from the city, water activities and fresh seafood.

“The Sabah government has worked with AirAsia for the last decade and will continue doing so. My ministry will work to further increase the number of air accessibility into Sabah to target 3.55 million arrivals and RM80 billion in tourism receipts by 2015,” Masidi added in his speech before the latest direct flight from Kota Kinabalu to Hangzhou, China took off on time at 4.10pm yesterday, with a healthy 85 per cent flight load.

The latest direct flight marks AirAsia’s 26th route into China and the fifth route from Kota Kinabalu to greater China. AirAsia has direct flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Taipei from Kota Kinabalu.

Apart from Masidi, AirAsia Berhad’s chief Executive officer (CEO), Aireen Omar, STB chairman chairman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, STB general manager Datuk Irene Charuruks and head of commercial AirAsia Berhad Kenny Wong were also present to send off the guests of the inaugural flight at KKIA Terminal 2.

Aireen, in her speech said AirAsia was committed towards enhancing connectivity from East Malaysia, and the direct flight from Kota Kinabalu-Hangzhou wouldl be a contributing factor towards making Sabah a major international hub for both business and leisure travellers.

“As this is the fifth route connecting China to Sabah, we hope that more tourists will be able to discover the beauty of Sabah through AirAsia.

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Tourist arrivals to Sarawak rise 4 pct in first 5 months of this year

KUCHING: The state recorded four per cent increase in tourist arrivals from January to May this year, a growth of 1.7 million compared to the corresponding last year.

Domestic arrivals – from Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah – also showed an increase of 12 per cent (636,207 visitors).

Revealing that it was good news for the state, Assistant Minister of Tourism Datuk Talip Zulpilip expressed optimism that the state would meet its target of 4.2 million visitor arrivals before year-end.

“The trickling down effect will help the local economy and the business community,” he said after chairing the 51st board meeting of Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) at a leading hotel here on Tuesday night.

On another matter, Talip said he was impressed by the good turnout at the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2013 organised by STB, which attracted an attendance of 22,390 during the three days it was held.

“It was a resounding success as 73 per cent of those attending were non-Sarawakians and the economic spin-off was estimated to be worth RM37 million,” he enthused.

Among those present were STB deputy chairman Datu Ik Pahon and other board members of STB Laura Lee Ngien Hion, Datuk Raziah Mahmud-Geneid, Audrey Wan Ulok, Keith W Pointer and chief executive officer Datuk Rashid Khan.

Talip disclosed that media support was very encouraging with many media personnel from BBC, National Geographic and other media groups from around the world making their own way to the festival.

“Stories are still being written about the festival and we anticipate a media mileage of 50 million which includes pre-publicity. Our local newspapers, radio and television have done an excellent job and I would like to say thank you,” he added.

Talip also revealed that STB has received numerous international recognitions including the Pata Gold Award winner – ‘Sarawak Tourism Re-imaging Campaign’ in the Marketing and Media Travel advertisement (print media) – which will be presented on Sept 15 in Chengdu China.

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Locals have role in Sun Bear conservation

SANDAKAN: Protecting habitats that are home to some of the most iconic wildlife on the planet, and supporting the running of centres for rescued threatened animals are not tasks that are limited to the government, non-governmental organisations and researchers.

Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) founder and chief executive officer Wong Siew Te said both humans and wildlife are part of the ecosystem, and there must be willingness on the part of locals to chip in whenever they can in supporting the cause of threatened species.

Citing the recent “Big Dreams, Little Bears” event held in this east coast town of Sabah, Wong said BSBCC worked with a group of local volunteers and raised RM443,000, covering almost a quarter of the RM2 million budget for this year to complete a second bear house, creation of an additional forest enclosure and meeting some day-to-day costs.

“I hope people of Sandakan feel ownership of the centre because it is through their involvement, one way or another, that has helped the facility come this far and which will drive it further.

“Once it is opened to the public by early next year, it will become another important eco and nature attraction, allowing Sandakan to do its part for the world in promoting conservation. It will also lead to greater awareness on the plight of wildlife, and will also boost the local economy through tourism related ventures and other spin-offs.

“We hope to continue encouraging locals, especially the business community to support Sun Bear conservation. They can be the driving force behind public opinion on how the species and conservation are perceived,” he said.

He said locals must feel proud that the centre is located here, adding that the recent fundraiser had generated quite a lot of awareness, with the run up of the event widely covered through the media, including at a talk show on NTV7 and radio interviews.

Wong thanked volunteers and committee members of the fundraiser who had spent many hours to organise the event out of love for Sun Bears.

“We saw the people of Sandakan and other parts of Sabah supporting the event when they agreed to buy tickets for the fundraiser. Some outbid one another to buy three photographs of Sun Bears that were auctioned that evening. Others raised money through a Zumba event held earlier,” Wong said.

The centre promotes Sun Bear conservation through a holistic approach that involves animal welfare, rehabilitation, research and education, making it the first facility of its kind in the world for the species.

The centre was set up in 2008 under a partnership between the Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Forestry Department and NGO Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), and currently is home to 28 bears rescued from the wild and from the pet trade.

Located next to the Sepilok Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre, the facility is creating capacity to release suitable orphaned and ex-captive bears into the wild, while those that cannot be freed will have an improved long term environment to live in.

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Royal Brunei Airlines first to use dreamliner in Southeast Asia

Brunei Darussalam is set to make a significant mark in the world of air travel as Royal Brunei Airlines (RB), the Sultanate’s national carrier, has made great strides towards setting itself apart from the competition by becoming the first airline in Southeast Asia to operate Boeing’s technologically advanced 787-8 Dreamliner, Borneo Bulletin reported.

RB has purchased five Dreamliners, the first of which will be delivered and will embark on its ferry flight to Brunei in late September or early October.

In line with its initiative to rebrand itself, Boeing’s Dreamliner is an aircraft that appears to line up perfectly with the direction that RB is taking.

RB wants to be recognised as “a stylish small airline situated .in an interesting and attractive location” and aims to be a “boutique airline”.

The 787 Dreamliner is therefore being touted as the perfect complement to this new direction that RB wishes to take.

Over the last three days, Corporate Communications personnel from RB along with members of the media have been taking a closer look at the progress of the airline’s new planes in Seattle, two of which are currently undergoing the assembly process at Boeing’s Everett Factory, the world’s largest building by volume.

“It elevates our status and gets our name out there,” said Azhani Abu Daniel, RB’s Head of Corporate Communications, on the airline being the first carrier in Southeast Asia to bring in the Dreamliners. “We needed a better product; and this is the better product.

“It is through the marriage of ground-breaking innovations such as the first dedicated Dreamliner long-haul services and a long-term commitment to the simple pleasures of high class customer service that RB is helping put its home nation on the map, for all the right reasons.

“The innovative Dreamliner is in line with Brunei’s commitment to progress … whether for business or pleasure, travellers can be assured the timeless values of hospitality and grace remains strong in our Southeast Asian paradise.”

The Dreamliner is an exciting prospect and the Corporate Communications Head said that it will allow RB to provide an unrivalled passenger experience.

This is down to the 787's many innovative features that are designed to focus on exactly that – the passengers’ flight experience.

What the Dreamliner offers is a calmer cabin with comfort that comes from cleaner and healthier air reduced cabin noise and a lower cabin altitude, as research by Boeing has found that the closer the cabin altitude is to that of sea altitude, the more comfortable a passenger will be.

It also offers dynamic LED lighting in place of fluorescent lighting, allowing the airline to set the mood using both vibrant and subtle colours to define the atmosphere onboard, be it for sunrise, night or even meal times.

The aircraft is also made primarily of composites, the use of which has allowed for Boeing to build a plane that has advanced aerodynamics for a smoother ride.

There are also sensors around the various outer areas of the airplane that can detect turbulence, and help make adjustments to minimise it: allowing for a more comfortable flight experience.

With the Dreamliner, RB will have a plane that boasts a notable improvement in windows. The windows on the 787 are much taller and a bit wider than the standard size. This increase in window length allows even passengers who are sitting in the centre rows of the aircraft to be able to see outside.

These windows are dimmable. Gone are the window shades of older models, and in have come windows using a clever piece of technology that allows passengers to set how much light comes in through the window; dimming and brightening to their liking, without having to completely shut out the outside. The reason for this is that, from their research into passenger comfort, it has been found that people want to feel connected to the flight experience, and one big part of this is in being able to see outside, and in particular, the horizon line, to get that perspective of being up in the air.

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Colourful Sibuti Regatta hopes to attract over 30,000 spectators

MIRI: Over 30,000 people are expected to converge on Niah Bazaar for a three-day bi-annual Sibuti Regatta from Sept 20.

Sibuti MP Ahmad Lai Bujang told a press conference here yesterday that the event would also serve as a platform to unite people of various racial and religious backgrounds here including foreign and domestic tourists.

“We are looking forward to the event as it has always served as a platform for national integration and also one that helps to promote Sibuti to the outside world,” he said.

Ahmad Lai, who is also the patron of the event, added that the colourful boat race was one of major activities in Sibuti known for its fishing industry.

Miri District Officer Boniface Intang Apat, who is also the event’s organising chairman, said this year’s event would take place at Niah Bazaar.

“Niah is chosen because it is midway between Bintulu and Miri and a popular stopover for people using buses travelling between the two centres.”

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