Travel

Borneo Escapade

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 01:05:00 +0000

East Malaysia has always fascinated me. Despite being a part of Malaysia, there has been something enchanting, almost foreign about it that has always stroked my fancy. And while I'm a regular visitor to Sarawak, it is Sabah that I had yet to experience. Thanks to Firefly, I managed to do exactly that. The subsidiary of Malaysia Airlines had their inaugural flight to Kota Kinabalu recently, and I was one of the lucky few to board their brand new Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
Everyone is used to seeing Firefly's ATR 72-500 turboprops, so having their corporate bright orange-and-white colors on a larger jet is rather refreshing. The bigger planes also mean longer hauls and better comfort, which makes perfect sense when it comes to their flights to East Malaysia.
Upon touchdown at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), we were greeted with a traditional aviation industry welcome, which was a water spraying guard-of-honour. After the welcoming ceremony and press conference, we were taken to Kota Kinabalu's Grand Borneo Hotel, which is part of the 1Borneo Shopping Paradise mall. A simple cocktail party with light food, music and dance followed. And luckily for me, I had a friend who's local; she took me sightseeing around town and beaches at night. Kota Kinabalu is really a town which has to be travelled by car, and it is gorgeous at night.
The next day, we were taken for a preview of Saracen Reef World, which was a reef activity pontoon out at sea. From Sutera Harbour, we took a breezy two-hour-and-twenty minute catamaran ride through Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, where we saw numerous beautiful islands along the way. We were told that the pontoon would be towed more than 40km from its current location to a reef area and be similar to the one at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Despite it being a preview, we did manage to see a couple of fish underwater and also to get an overall feel of how the pontoon would be like when it is expected to open in May. We later took a much smaller boat back to shore where we joked how we sat like refugees on the floor.
That night, dinner was at Kampung Nelayan, a floating seafood market restaurant. The seafood there was served fresh and the dishes served included fish maw soup, pucuk paku (wild fern shoot), succulent prawns, steamed grouper, crispy chicken and soft-shelled crab. I also experienced tasting a type of snail/shellfish called Siput Tarik, aptly named because we used a toothpick to pull it out from its shell. It was rather daunting at first, but I found it tasted somewhat similar to squid. Not too bad I must say.
We were also treated to a traditional Sabahan cultural performance, where dances like the Daling-daling, Sumazau and Magunatip were presented. The Magunatip or bamboo dance was particularly interesting, as it required precision and skill so that the dancers avoided getting their feet trapped in the bamboo as they danced. Guests were also invited to have a try, with many hilariously getting their legs snapped. We were also given a chance to try the famed sumpit (blow-pipe). Later, my Sabahan friend once again took me around town, bringing me to a lovely Irish Bar that was located just beside the sea.
On day three we took a two-hour drive to Kuala Penyu jetty, after which we set off to Pulau Tiga via a fun and bumpy 45-minute ride on speedboat. Pulau Tiga is also popularly known as "Survivor Island" thanks to its role as the site for the first season of reality show, Survivor.
Upon arrival I was drawn by the breathtaking view of a true island paradise; white sandy beaches and greenish waters. Our rooms were little chalets on stilts, surrounded by jungle terrain and wildlife. I wasn't kidding about the wildlife; we found out there was a family of over 20 giant monitor lizards behind our chalets. These lizards will chase you if they detect sudden movement, as demonstrated by one of the resort staff. Monkeys were also common residents, as seen from all the 'do not feed the monkeys' signs around the resort.
After lunch we headed off on a jungle trail to the famed 'Mud Volcano'. Pulau Tiga was formed around 100 years ago from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in Borneo. Despite the name, mud volcanoes are formed by geo-excreted liquids and gases and are found near the highest parts of the island. The 1.2km trail wasn't as easy as it seemed, with its uneven, slippery terrain, in which I slipped at least twice on my way up. Taking a bath in the mud is said to have rejuvenating properties for the skin, and everyone seemed to have a ball of a time taking a dip. According to our tour guide, the mud pool has tripled in size since it was first discovered, as more people began taking mud baths in it.
It was hilarious seeing everyone walking around looking like a cross between 'orang minyak' and Arnold Schwarzenegger from Predator. There weren't any water sources up there too, so we all had to travel down the trail to jump into the sea for a wash. Clumsy as I was, I slipped a further four times, grabbed a prickly branch and even stepped on some thorns. Words couldn't express how good it felt to bathe in the greenish-blue sea after that.
We then enjoyed watching the sunset, which was simply stunning. Photos taken were Facebook profile shot-worthy and seemed like they were photoshopped wallpapers. It truly has to be experienced in the flesh.
That night after dinner, we were told by the guides to bring our cameras as there was going to be a 'surprise'. It was really dark (it's an uninhabited island after all) and only our guides had torches, so we resorted to our phones for light. We took a walk along the beach, which was beautiful, with many stars so visible in the night sky. But slowly we started heading more and more inshore, and before you knew it, we were actually trekking in the jungle - in pitch black and in night clothes! The terrain was uneven and there were eerie sounds and a scarily narrow zigzag plank bridge with only a rope for support. We even braved a swamp where I got my foot stuck! After trekking more than 2km, it was called off (perhaps they decided it was too hazardous) and we backtracked the way we came.
Careless, almost blind me kicked a tree branch and broke off my toenail, much to the horror of a couple of girls behind me. A few of the rest rushed to quickly tie a piece of cloth around my toe to stop the bleeding, which had already soaked half my slipper. Turns out the reptilian expert told us not to leave a blood trail behind as the scent would attract wild animals (eek!!).
Limping back to the shore, I washed my foot in sea water and had one of the resort staff later bandage it. We eventually found out that the intention of this night trek was to let us watch nocturnal reptiles in their natural habitat, and we did get to see a poisonous snake. We spent the rest of the night laughing over the funny adventure we had and also shared ghost stories, after which I think some were unable to sleep.
Onwards to our final day, we enjoyed our last bit of fun with the sea and sandy beaches before we had to (reluctantly) say goodbye to our island paradise. A boat ride later and we were back in Kuala Penyu, and took a rather interesting ferry ride to the other side of the shore. It was so ridiculously slow however, that I actually asked the rest "When are we starting?" before realizing we were already in the middle of the water.
We then managed to visit a small fishing village where we met a nice makcik who specialized in making belacan. It was quite fascinating seeing how belacan was made, and also to have a feel of how a fishing village was like. Often I felt like I was in a National Geographic photograph. The nice makcik even sold us some of the belacan, which was said to contain more shrimp content than as found here in the peninsular. The locals were really friendly and the adorable kids loved our presence, even to the extent of chasing after our tour vans as we left the village.
We regrouped back at Kota Kinabalu before heading to a seafood supplier for some fresh and dried seafood to bring back home. Later we stopped by the Handicraft Centre, or better known as the Filipino Market for snacks, gifts and souvenirs. The place was a real sight, with bags, shirts, necklaces, bangles, handmade craft and so much more. There are also various food items to try and take away. Bargaining skills are a real must if one is to get good deals here.
Our last stop before the airport was Lagoona Restaurant at Grace Point, where we were treated to various local delicacies like rendang daging, ulam Sabah, sambal tuhau (a Sahahan specialty) and hinava (fresh fish with lime and onions). The grilled fish was exquisite, with lovely taste and texture. One thing was for sure, everyone was stuffed that night.
Before you know it, it was sadly time to say goodbye and we were dropped off at KKIA to board our orange-and-white Firefly jet. Like they say, time flies when you're having fun, and our four days certainly ended fast. Personally, Sabah was a wonderful eye-opening experience and I certainly plan on returning in the near future.

Firefly currently offers three daily flights between Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) and Kota Kinabalu departing at 6.55am, 1.05pm and 7.15 pm while flights from Kota Kinabalu depart at 10am, 4.10pm and 10.20pm.

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:01:00 +0000

Malaysia is a country in South-East Asia, located partly on a peninsula of the Asian mainland and partly on the northern third of the island of Borneo. West (peninsular) Malaysia shares a border with Thailand, is connected by a causeway and a bridge (the 'second link') to the island state of Singapore, and has coastlines on the South China Sea and the Straits of Malacca. East Malaysia (Borneo) shares borders with Brunei and Indonesia.

Malaysia is a mix of the modern world and a developing nation. With its investment in the high technology industries and moderate oil wealth, it has become a rich nation in South-East Asia. Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix: there is high-tech infrastructure and things generally work well and more or less on schedule, but prices remain more reasonable than, say, Singapore.

History
Before the rise of the European colonial powers, the Malay peninsula and the Malay archipelago were home to empires such as the Srivijaya, the Majapahit (both ruled from Indonesia) and the Melaka Sultanate. The Srivijaya and Majapahit empires saw the spread of Hinduism to the region, and to this day, despite being nominally Muslim, many Hindu legends and traditions survive in tradtional Malay culture. Mass conversion to Islam only occured after the arrival of Arab traders during the Melaka Sultanate.

This was to change in the 16th century when the Portuguese established the first European colony in Southeast Asia by defeating the Melaka Sultanate. The Portuguese subsequently then lost Malacca to the Dutch. The British also establised their first colony on the Malay peninsula in Penang in 1786, when it was ceded by the Sultan of Kedah. Finally, the area was divided into Dutch and British spheres of influence with the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824. With this treaty, the Dutch agreed to cede Malacca to the British and in return, the British ceded all their colonies on Sumatra to the Dutch. The line which divided the Malay world into Dutch and British areas roughly corresponds to what is now the border between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Before World War II, the Malay Peninsula was governed by the British as the Federated Malay States (Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang), which were governed as a single entity, the Unfederated Malay States (Johor, Kedah, Perlis, Terengganu and Kelantan), which were each governed as separate protectorates, and the Straits Settlements (including Malacca, Penang and Singapore), which were crown colonies. Northern Borneo consisted of the British colony of North Borneo, the Kingdom of Sarawak, which was ruled by a British family known as the "White Rajas", and the British protectorate of Brunei.

World War II was disastrous for the British Malayan Command. The Japanese swept down both coasts of the Malay Peninsula and despite fierce fighting, much of the British military was tied down fighting the Germans in Europe and those that remained in Malaya simply couldn't cope with the Japanese onslaught. The British military equipment left to defend Malaya were outdated and no match for the modern ones used by the Japanese, while the only two battleships based in the region, the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse, were sank by Japanese bombers off the East Coast of Malaya. By 31 January 1942, the British had been pushed all the way back to Singapore, which also fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942. The situation was no different on Borneo, which fell to the Japanese on 1 April 1942 after months of fierce fighting.

After World War II, the Federated Malay States, Unfederated Malay States and the Straits Settlements of Malacca and Penang were federated to form a single British colony known as the Malayan Union, with Singapore splitting off to form a separate colony. In the Malayan Union, the sultans of the various states ceded all their powers except those in religious affairs to the British crown. However, widespread opposition to the Malayan Union led the British to reconsider their position, and in 1948, the Malayan Union was replaced by the Federation of Malaya, in which the executive positions of the sultans were restored. In Borneo, the White Rajas ceded Sarawak to the British crown in 1946, making it a crown colony of the United Kingdom.

Malaya gained independence from the British in 1957. The Union Jack was lowered and the first Malayan flag was raised in the Merdeka (independence) Square on midnight 31st August 1957.

Six years later, Malaysia was formed on 16th September 1963 through a merging of Malaya and Singapore, as well as the East Malaysian states of Sabah (known then as North Borneo) and Sarawak on the northern coast of Borneo, with Brunei deciding not to join. The first several years of the country's history were marred by the Indonesian confrontation (konfrontasi) as well as the Philippines' claims to Sabah. Singapore was expelled from the federation on 9th August 1965 after several bloody racial riots, as its majority Chinese population and the influence of the People's Action Party led by Lee Kuan Yew (later the long-ruling Prime Minister of Singapore) were seen as a threat to Malay dominance, and it became a separate country.

Politics
Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy, nominally headed by the Paramount Ruler (Yang di-Pertuan Agong), who is "elected" by the sultans for a five-year term from among the nine sultans of the Malay states, though in practice the election usually follows a prescribed order based on the seniority of the sultans at the time of independence. This gives Malaysia a unique political system of rotational monarchy, in which each of the sultans would take turns to be the king of Malaysia. The current king, from Terengganu, was sworn in on 13 Dec 2006.

Malaysia's government is largely based on the British Westminster system, consisting of a bicameral national parliament, with each of the states also having their own unicameral Dewan Undangan Negeri (State Legislative Assembly). The lower house, known as the Dewan Rakyat (Hall of the People) is elected directly by the people. The upper house, known as the Dewan Negara (National Hall), consists of 26 members elected by the state governments, with each state having 2 representative, while the remaining members are appointed by the king. The head of government is the Prime Minister, who is the party leader of the winning party in the lower house. The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party and its National Front (Barisan Nasional) coalition have ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since its independence, and while periodic elections are contested by feisty opposition parties, the balance has so far always been shifted in the government's favor, partly due to press control and use of restrictive security legislation dating from the colonial era.

In practice, the king is only the nominal Head of State, while the Prime Minister is the one who wields the most authority in government.

Geography
Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) occupies all of the Malayan Peninsula between Thailand and Singapore, and is also known as West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat) or the slightly archaic Malaya (Tanah Melayu). It is home to the bulk of Malaysia's population, its capital and largest city Kuala Lumpur, and is generally more economically developed. Within Peninsular Malaysia, the West Coast is more developed and urbanised, and separated from the more rural East Coast by a mountain range.

Some 800km to the east is East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur), which occupies the northern third of the island of Borneo, shared with Indonesia and tiny Brunei. Partly covered in impenetrable jungle where headhunters roam (on GSM networks if nothing else), East Malaysia is rich in natural resources but very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism.

The terrain consists of coastal plains rising to hills and mountains. Peninsular Malaysia consists of plains on both the East and West coasts, separated from each other by a mountain range known as the Barisan Titiwangsa which runs from North to South.

People
Malaysia is a multicultural society. While Malays make up a 54% majority, there are also 25% Chinese (especially visible in the cities), 7.5% Indian and a miscellaneous grouping of 13.5% "others", such as the Portuguese clan in Melaka and 12% of indigenous peoples (Orang Asli). There is hence also a profusion of faiths and religions, with Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, Sikhism and even shamanism on the map.

Most notably in Malaysia, unlike in other countries, the Chinese community is not assimilated and has managed to maintain a distinct cultural identity from the rest of the population. Many traditional Chinese customs, including some no longer practised in China itself due to the cultural revolution, are widely practised by the Malaysian Chinese.

Holidays

One of the significant characteristics of Malaysian culture is its celebration of various festivals and events. The year is filled with colorful, exhilarating and exciting activities. Some are religious and solemn but others are vibrous, joyous events. One interesting feature of the main festivals here is the 'open house' custom. This is when Malaysians celebrating the festival invite friends and family to come by their homes for some traditional delicacies and fellowship.

Multicultural Malaysia celebrates a vast range of festivals, but the ones to look out for nationwide are Islamic holidays, most notably the fasting month of Ramadan. During its 30 days, devout Muslims refrain from passing anything through their lips (food, drink, smoke) between sunrise and sunset. People get up early before sunrise for a meal (sahur), and take off early to get back home in time to break fast (buka puasa) at sunset. At the end of the month is the festival of Eid ul-Fitr, known locally as Hari Raya Puasa or Aidilfitri, when pretty much the entire country takes a week or two off to 'balik kampung' or return to their home towns to meet family and friends, this is the one time of year when Kuala Lumpur has no traffic jams, but the rest of the country does, and traveling around Malaysia is best avoided if at all possible. Another important festival is the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Adha, known locally as Hari Raya Haji or Aidiladha. It is during this festival that Muslims perform the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. In local mosques, lambs donated by the faithful are sacrificed, and thier meat is distributed to all. These family reunions are also celebrated during other main festivals in the country. With people decked out in their traditional finery, these festivals are an integral feature of Malaysia society.

Non-Muslims, as well as Muslims traveling (musafir), are exempt from fasting but it is polite to refrain from eating or drinking in public. Many restaurants close during the day and those that stay open maintain a low profile. Business travelers will notice that things move rather more slowly than usual and, especially towards the end of the month, many people will take leave. The upside for the traveler is the bustling Ramadhan bazaars in every city and town, bustling with activity and bursting at the seams with great food. Hotels and restaurants also pull out all stops to put on massive spreads of food for fast-breaking feasts.

Other major holidays include Chinese New Year (around January/February), the Buddhist holiday of Wesak (around May/June), Deepavali or Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights (around October/November) and Christmas (This is definitely on 25 December!).

Some uniquely Malaysian festivals of note include the Harvest Festival at the end of May each year and the 'Pesta Gawai' in early June, both thanksgiving celebrations held in East Malaysia.

Thaipusam is a Hindu festival that falls in January or February and is one of the must-see events. The largest procession in the country takes place at Batu Caves, north of Kuala Lumpur. Devotees carry decorated altars or kavadi up a flight of 272 steps towards the temple, all this while also having spears and hooks pierced through various parts of their bodies. This masochistic practice does not harm the devotees in any way! The ability is attributed to divine intervention and religious fervor.

Climate
The climate in Malaysia is tropical. The north-east monsoon (October to February) deluges Borneo and the east coast in rain and often causes flooding, while the west coast (particularly Langkawi and Penang) escape unscathed. The milder south-west monsoon (April to October) reverses the pattern. The southern parts of peninsular Malaysia, including perennially soggy Kuala Lumpur, are exposed to both but even during the rainy season, the showers tend to be intense but brief.

Malaysia is close to the equator, therefore a warm weather is guaranteed. Temperatures generally range from 32°C at noon to about 26°C at midnight. But like most Southeast Asian countries, Malaysia's sun-shining days are interrupted by Monsoon season from November and February every year, and night temperatures can hit a low of about 23°C on rainy days.

Temperatures tend to be cooler in the highlands, with the likes of Genting Highlands,Cameron Highlands and Fraser's Hill having temperatures ranging from about 17°C at night to about 25°C in the day. Mount Kinabalu is known to have temperatures falling below 10°C.

Regions
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) occupies all of the Malayan Peninsula between Thailand and Singapore, and is also known as West Malaysia (Malaysia Barat) or the slightly archaic Malaya (Tanah Melayu). It is home to the bulk of Malaysia's population, its capital and largest city Kuala Lumpur, and is generally more economically developed. Within Peninsular Malaysia, the West Coast is more developed and urbanised, and separated from the more rural East Coast by a mountain range.

West Coast
The more developed side of Peninsular Malaysia, with the states of Kedah, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Perlis and Selangor, as well as two Federal Territories; Malaysia's capital city Kuala Lumpur and the new administrative centre of Putrajaya, all located within this region. Majority of the chinese population live on the West side.
East Coast
More traditional and Muslim, the islands here are glittering tropical jewels. Made up of the states of Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu.
South
Comprising just one state, Johor, two coastlines, and endless palm oil plantations.

East Malaysia
Some 800km to the east is East Malaysia (Malaysia Timur), which occupies the northern third of the island of Borneo, shared with Indonesia and tiny Brunei. Partly covered in impenetrable jungle where headhunters roam (on GSM networks if nothing else), East Malaysia is rich in natural resources but very much Malaysia's hinterland for industry and tourism.

Sabah
Superb scuba diving in Sipadan island plus muck diving at Mabul, , nature reserves, the federal enclave of Labuan, and mighty Mount Kinabalu.
Sarawak
Jungles, national parks, and traditional longhouses..

Cities
Kuala Lumpur — the multi-cultural capital, home of the Petronas Towers
George Town — the cultural and cuisine capital of Penang
Ipoh — capital of Perak with historic colonial old town
Johor Bahru — capital of Johor, and gateway to Singapore
Kuantan - capital of Pahang, and commercial centre of the east coast
Kota Kinabalu — capital of Sabah
Kuching — capital of Sarawak
Malacca (Melaka) — the historical city of Malaysia with colonial-style architecture
Miri — resort city of Sarawak and gateway to UNESCO World Heritage Site Gunung Mulu National Park.

Other destinations
Cameron Highlands — famous for its tea plantations
Fraser's Hill — a time warp to the colonial era
Kinabalu National Park — home of Mount Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in South East Asia
Langkawi — an archipelago of 99 islands known for its beaches, rainforest, mountains, mangrove estuaries and unique nature. It's also a duty-free island
Penang (Pulau Pinang) — formerly known as the "Pearl of the Orient", now bustling island with excellent cuisine which has retained more colonial heritage than anywhere else in the country
Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian) — glittering jewels off the East Coast still undiscovered by mass tourism
Redang (Pulau Redang) — popular island destination for scuba divers
Taman Negara National Park — a large area of rainforest spanning Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu
Tioman (Pulau Tioman) — once nominated one of the most beautiful islands in the world

Get in
Most nationalities can enter Malaysia without a visa, and they would be issued a 14, 30 or 90 day entry permit stamp on their passport. This would indicate the length of stay granted. Details can be found at http://www.kln.gov.my/web/guest/requirement-for-foreigner.

The following are a list of nationals which can enter Malaysia without a visa:-

(A) Countries that do not require a visa for stay up to 90 days:- Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Peru, Poland, Qatar, Romania, St Marino, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay and Yemen.

(B) Countries that do not require a visa for stay up to 30 days:- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Chad, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Gabon, Georgia, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea Republic, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong SAR, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Macao SAR, Macedonia, Madagascar, Moldova, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Nicaragua, North Korea, North Yemen, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal, Russia, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Slovenia, Sudan, Suriname, Syria, Tajikistan, Togo, Ukraine, Upper Volta, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Zaire and Zimbabwe.

(C) Countries that do not require a visa for stay up to 14 days or others (if indicated):- Libya, Macao (Travel Permit/Portugal CI), Sierra Leone, Somalia and South Yemen.

In addition, No visa is required for U.S.A. citizens visiting Malaysia for social, business or academic purposes (except for employment); No visa is required for a stay of less than one month for nationals of all ASEAN countries except Myanmar. For a stay exceeding one month a visa will be required, except for nationals Brunei and Singapore; For national of Israel, visas are required and permission must be granted from Ministry Of Home Affairs; For national of Republic of Serbia and Republic of Montenegro, visas are required without permission granted from Ministry Of Home Affairs; Nationals of countries other than those stated above (with the exception of Israel) are allowed to enter Malaysia without a visa for a visit not exceeding one month, For people with Dual Citizenship (two passports), Malaysian immigration is pretty strict about this. It is advised that you exit your last port and enter into Malaysia with the same passport.

Up to date details and particulars of visa related information can be found at Immigration Department of Malaysia website [2] and the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website [3].

Note that Sarawak has separate immigration laws and you will get a new visa on arrival there. For those who require a visa to visit Malaysia, you'll need a separate one for Sarawak, so be sure to state this when applying at the Malaysian embassy/consulate.

By plane
National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has extensive worldwide network coverage and regularly ranks high in airline quality assessments, while no-frills low-cost carrier AirAsia and her sister company, AirAsia X, now covers an ever-expanding set of destinations including Australia, China, Cambodia, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Myanmar and Vietnam.

AirAsia [4] +60 3 8775-4000 (hotline within Malaysia: 1-300-88-9933)
Malaysia Airlines [5] +60 3 7846-3000 (hotline within Malaysia: 1-300-88-3000)
Most international flights land at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) [6] (IATA: KUL | ICAO: WMKK), although AirAsia flights use the LCC terminal, a 20km road transfer away from the main KLIA terminal. KLIA's predecessor, the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (IATA: SZB | ICAO: WMSA) in Subang near Kuala Lumpur handles chartered and turboprop aircraft for regional operators Firefly [7] and Berjaya [8] +60 3 7846-8228 (ticketing only); +60 3 2145-2828. See the Kuala Lumpur Get in section for detailed airport information.

Other airports which have significant numbers of flights to regional destinations are Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Kuching (Sarawak), Penang, Langkawi and Johor Bahru. Many major Malaysian cities have service to Singapore via AirAsia or Firefly. Berjaya Air also operates routes from Singapore to the popular dive spots of Tioman and Redang.

By train
To/from Thailand: Direct sleeper train services operated by the State Railway of Thailand [9] connect Bangkok (Thailand) and Butterworth near Penang (Malaysia), while Keretapi Tanah Melayu (Malaysian Railways) [10] runs trains between Hat Yai (Thailand) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia). Both trains cross the border at Padang Besar where Thai and Malaysia immigration formalities are all conveniently done in the station. There is also a less used eastern route from Hat Yai to Thai border town Sungai Kolok, but there are no through trains to the nearby Malaysian station at Wakaf Bahru (near Kota Bharu).
To/from Singapore: Singapore is the southern terminus of the Malayan Railway (Keretapi Tanah Melayu [11]) network. Comfortable overnight sleeper and somewhat misnamed daytime "express" trains connect Singapore with Kuala Lumpur and Tumpat, near Kota Bharu. Bizarrely, tickets purchased at the Singapore station are twice as expensive as those purchased in Malaysia; you can save quite a bit by taking the train from Johor Bahru instead. Another option is to buy your tickets online at the cheaper rate, but you must book at least 48 hours in advance.

By bus
Long-distances buses/coaches into Malaysia run from Brunei, Indonesian Borneo, Singapore and Thailand. Please see the relevant city pages for more details.

Brunei - there are no direct buses into Brunei. However, there are buses from Miri and Limbang going to the border where there are connections to Bandar Seri Begawan.
Indonesia - direct buses operate between Pontianak in West Kalimantan and Kuching in Sarawak.
Singapore - a multitude of bus companies operate direct routes from Singapore to various destinations in Peninsular Malaysia, including Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, East Coast cities and even the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Petaling Jaya. Frequent buses make the short run between Singapore and Johor Bahru, and you can save a few bucks by changing at JB's Larkin terminal to a cheap domestic bus instead of taking a more expensive direct bus. If you are planning to take on arrival visa, you must enter Malaysia via link 2.
Thailand - several companies operate services from Kuala Lumpur and other cities in Malaysia to Hat Yai in southern Thailand, where direct connections are available to Bangkok and many other Thai destinations.

By road
Land crossings are possible from southern Thailand and Singapore into Peninsular Malaysia, as well as from Brunei and Kalimantan (the Indonesian side of Borneo) into Sarawak. An International Drivers Permit (IDP) is required. See the respective city or state pages for more detailed information.

Brunei - the main crossings are at Sungai Tujoh on the Miri, Sarawak, to Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) road, and the Kuala Lurah-Tedungan checkpoint which is used for traffic travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and Limbang in Sarawak. You can also access the Temburong district of Brunei by road from Limbang via the Pandaruan (Puni on the Brunei side) checkpoint and Lawas via Trusan (Labu on the Brunei side).
Indonesia - the main crossing is at the Tebedu-Entikong checkpoint on the main Kuching-Pontianak road. Various other minor border crossings used by locals are not necessarily open to foreigners.
Singapore - the two crossings are the Causeway which links Johor Bahru with Woodlands in Singapore, and the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link which links Tanjung Kupang in Johor with Tuas in Singapore. See Johor Bahru Get in section and Singapore Get in section for more details.
Thailand - international checkpoints (with the Thai towns in brackets) include Wang Kelian (Satun) and Padang Besar (Padang Besar) in Perlis, Bukit Kayu Hitam (Sadao) in Kedah, Pengkalan Hulu (Betong) in Perak, and Rantau Panjang (Sungai Kolok) in Kelantan.

By boat
Ferries connect various points in Peninsular Malaysia with Sumatra in Indonesia and southern Thailand, Sarawak with Brunei, and Sabah with East Kalimantan in Indonesia and Mindanao in the Philippines. Luxury cruises also run from Singapore and sometimes Phuket (Thailand) to Malaysia.

Brunei - ferries daily between the Muara Ferry Terminal in Brunei and Labuan island and Lawas in Sarawak. Speedboats, mostly in the morning, also run between Bandar Seri Begawan jetty and Limbang, Sarawak.
Indonesia - the main jumping-off points from Indonesia are the Riau Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun; Dumai, Medan and Pekanbaru on the Sumatra mainland as well as Nunukan in East Kalimantan. Ferries link Batam with Batu Pahat and Johor Bahru;Bintan with Johor Bahru; Karimun with Batu Pahat and Kukup in Johor; Dumai with Malacca, Muar in Johor, Port Dickson (in Negeri Sembilan) and Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur; Pekanbaru with Malacca; and Medan's port of Belawan with Penang. Daily ferries also link Nunukan with Tawau in Sabah. There are also minor crossings like between Bengkalis in Riau and Batu Pahat; Sumatra and Malacca and Muar in Johor; and Tanjung Balai Asahan in North Sumatra with Port Klang, the port for Kuala Lumpur.
Philippines - ferries run between the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sandakan, Sabah.
Singapore - daily passenger boats run between Changi Point and Pengerang, between Tanah Merah and Sebana Cover Resort, as well as between Changi and Tanjung Belungkor, all in Johor. See the Singapore Get in section for details.
Thailand - four ferries daily (reduced to three during Ramadan) between Tammalang at Satun and Kuah on Langkawi, Malaysia. Vehicle ferries operate between Ban Taba near Tak Bai in Narathiwat province and Pengkalan Kubur in Kelantan, Malaysia, while passenger boats run between Ban Buketa in Narathiwat province and Bukit Bunga in Kelantan.

On foot
You can walk in/out of Thailand at Wang Kelian and Padang Besar (both in Perlis), Bukit Kayu Hitam (Kedah), Pengkalan Hulu (Perak) and Rantau Panjang (Kelantan). However, crossing the Causeway on foot from Singapore is now illegal (Jan 2009).

Heavy snow brings travel chaos in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:56:00 +0000

Severe winter weather continues to disrupt travel in Germany, forcing the cancellation of more than 200 flights, and contributing to road accidents.

At Frankfurt airport, 226 flights were cancelled and hundreds of passengers stranded as snow ploughs struggled to clear runways.

Residents have been advised to stock up on enough essential supplies to last up to four days.

Many other countries across Europe have also been hit by the bitter conditions.

Nearly 140 people have frozen to death in the past few weeks in Poland, and in Switzerland, heavy snow has cut the flow of lorries through Alpine tunnels.

The Eurostar service between Britain, France and Belgium ran a limited service on Saturday, with a reduced service planned for Sunday and Monday.

Passengers have been urged to cancel or postpone their journeys if they do not have to travel.

'Paralysed'

Germany's Civil Protection Office (BBK) said heavy snowfalls over the weekend could trigger local power cuts and severely disrupt public transport.

More than 300 car accidents were reported in the south-western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, with more than 40 people injured, Associated Press reported.

In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia there were 108 reported accidents, while at the German-French border near Freiburg, hundreds of trucks were stuck for hours when French authorities closed the highway because of heavy snow.

Gale-force winds and drifting snow are expected to bring traffic to a standstill in many parts of Germany, a situation exacerbated by shortages of grit.

Airports have called in extra staff and rail operators have warned of delays.

Berlin's Schoenefeld and Tegel airports, and Munich airport reported cancellations.

On Friday evening, Nuremberg airport was closed briefly after an Air Berlin flight with 133 people on board skidded off the runway and became stuck in snow. No-one was injured in the incident.

The snow is already more than 30cm (1 ft) deep on the isle of Ruegen, off Germany's Baltic coast, ZDF TV says.

German households have been advised to keep three or four days' worth of provisions, including alternative cooking fuel in case of power cuts. Among the essential items listed by the BBK is a battery-powered radio, for checking weather reports.

In cities like Duesseldorf, Red Cross workers were setting up heated tents for emergency accommodation as up to 10 homeless people have frozen to death in recent weeks because of the cold weather.

Icebreakers

In the UK, which is suffering its worst winter for decades, Prime Minister Gordon Brown pledged that gas supplies would not run out, and that road salt will get to "where it is most needed".

Temperatures have dropped as low as -22C (-8F) in some parts.

Local authorities have agreed to cut their use of salt by 25% in an attempt to preserve dwindling supplies.

British Airways cancelled 54 flights from Heathrow on Saturday. Delays were expected at other airports and low-budget airline Easyjet said it was cancelling some flights.

In the Netherlands, icebreakers have been deployed to clear shipping routes such as the Twente canal, the harbours of Almelo and Enschede and the Ijsselmeer inland sea.

Northern Spain is expecting more heavy snowfalls while the country's south has been hit by severe floods.

France is also braced for more snow. Meteo France warned: "The amount of snow expected is significant, exceptional even."

Parts of France - notably the south-eastern region of Provence - are without power and suffering transport delays after up to 20cm of snow fell in recent days.

Dozens of flights were cancelled in Toulouse, Lyon, Brest and Paris.

In the south-east, near the Mediterranean, power lines snapped under the weight of snow, cutting power to at least 7,500 homes.

Cities of the future - KL not one of them

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 08:22:00 +0000

Aren't we envious of the people of China whose government (despite being Communist and perhaps with a poor human rights record) is doing everything it can not only to spur economic growth but to make the everyday life of its citizens as easy as possible?

Of course, I am talking about China's new bullet train which can travel 394.2 kph, the fastest in the world, faster than Japan's bullet train (243 kph) and France's (277) kph. The result of which the Chinese can travel fast from Guangzhou - the business hub in southern China near Hong Kong - to Wuhan in the north.

And not so long ago, China also completed its long railway line from Shanghai to Tibet during which some parts of the journey when the air is thinner, passengers would have to wear oxygen masks.

Now that's what I call progress.

Now, what do we have in Malaysia? After 50 years, we have no shame in boasting about our highways, Petronas Twin Towers (which to me look like the Cathedral in Barcelona), the stupid twin-terminal KLIA, the ugly elevated expressways, this and that.

When it comes to public transport, everything is done a bit here and a bit there and in the end our citizens are still wasting a lot of time and spending a lot of money commuting to work especially our female workers who often sleep on the cramped buses.

The former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has to answer a lot for this negligence. He naively thought Malaysia could be another US where everything revolves around cars. Surely enough, cars have now taken over our lives.

Since our roads and space are never enough for the ever-growing number of cars, we have now become more agitated, stressed and suicidal. The only wage-earners who are slightly happier are those who live in other cities outside Kuala Lumpur and leave their families and cars at home during the week and travel by express buses to work in Kuala Lumpur.

We all know that the elevated expressways which grew like spaghetti in some parts of Kuala Lumpur have unavoidably become part of a developed country like Malaysia.

But do we know that the city fathers of Boston in the US have just realised that elevated expressways are a scourge of modern public life because they divide cities and communities. They have just decided to pull them down and replace them with underground roads.

So too the city fathers of Seoul, South Korea who recently decided to tear down a boulevard running right across the city in order to restore a beautiful river running right beneath the boulevard.

Now, do we think that our leaders could see the point? Not in a million years.

[NEWS] HEALTHCARE TRAVEL INDUSTRY - 3

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:33:00 +0000

The Prime Minister said the establishment of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) was also vital to bring together the synergistic efforts of significant players in the Malaysian healthcare travel industry, both in government and private sector, to galvanise our collective efforts to drive growth of this industry to a higher level.

Najib said MHTC was tasked with the responsibility to formulate strategic plans for promotion of healthcare travel services and to spearhead the promotional activities for the Malaysian healthcare travel industry.

"MHTC will also provide a focal point for industry players to collaborate and resolve issues that may hamper the development of the industry as well as be the focal point for enquiries on healthcare travel," he said.

Najib also announced that an Advisory Committee had been appointed to assist the government to steer and set direction for the healthcare travel industry, where Liow and Nor Mohamed would co-chair the committee.

He said the members of the Advisory Committee comprised representatives from the government and private sector organisations and individuals were selected on the basis of their capabilities in contributing to the growth of the industry.

-- MORE

NAJIB-HEALTH 4 KUALA LUMPUR

"I believe that our ability to develop a world-class healthcare industry in the country will also contribute to reversing the serious brain drain of Malaysian medical professionals. I realise that, being professionals, the opportunity for professional development can be stronger than monetary incentives.

"I call on the industry to collaborate not only amongst yourselves but actively seek collaboration with renowned healthcare institution abroad to achieve this goal. This will not only help us to have access to greater skills and knowledge but also help us gain a presence in the evolving global healthcare networks," he said.

The Prime Minister said the participation of well known foreign healthcare providers or companies could help Malaysia to develop and promote highly specialised medical services as part of our ambition to become the gateway for the Asia Pacific healthcare market for foreign healthcare players.

He said while healthcare might be deemed a sensitive sector in some countries, partial opening and carefully crafted liberalisation policy would benefit the healthcare industry in terms of quality and availability of wider range of services and this would require extensive research by health policy makers.

"We must also ensure that increased arrivals of foreign patients do not compromise the services rendered to local patients. While the government is investing more in expanding our public healthcare system, the private sector should undertake corporate social responsibility initiatives to provide services for the needy in the country," he added.

-- MORE

NAJIB-HEALTH 5 (LAST) KUALA LUMPUR

Meanwhile, Liow in his speech, said his ministry had identified a group of 35 reputable hospitals in promoting healthcare travel or health tourism.

Among the criteria for the selection of hospitals in this group, he said the hospital must be a member of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia and have Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, ISO or other international accreditation.

Besides that, the hospital offered specialities or some sub-specialities, provided for a minimum of 50 beds and must have its own webpage, he said.

In 2008, Liow said about 375,000 healthcare travelers visited Malaysia's promoted hospitals, bringing in a revenue of RM299 million from this activity.

"This year, the economic slowdown has somewhat affected our performance. During the first half this year, the promoted hospitals recorded 165,095 foreign patients, with revenue of RM142.3 million.

"Compared to the first half of 2008, there is a reduction of 13 percent in foreign patients and a two percent reduction in revenue. But in terms of revenue per patient, we see a growth of 12 percent from RM769 to RM862 per patient.

"The challenge from here on is for us to return to positive growth as the global economy improves and to further increase the revenue per patient figure. This can be achieved by our private hospitals becoming reputable providers of high quality healthcare," he said.

Holiday Travel Rises as Holiday Nears

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 07:34:00 +0000

BECKLEY -- Millions hit the road for their holiday destinations, packing the roads and crowding the airports.

AAA predicted the largest travel increase for any major holiday in 2009.

AAA forecasts 87.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Christmas holiday, an increase of 3.8 percent. They are calling this season's growth the largest year-over-year percentage increase since the 2003 year-end holiday. On average, motorists across the country are expected to see gas prices about four cents less than a month ago, but 93 cents more than last year at this time, according to AAA. They estimate nearly 78 million Americans, 88 percent of holiday travelers, will travel by car; 4 million to 5 percent, by plane.

"Christmas is falling at the end of the week so people are taking longer weekends. And they have a longer time to travel," said AAA District Office Supervisor Crissy Gray.

While car and air travel are up, AAA said bus and train travel are down. Nearly six million Americans traveled by train or bus, an overall decrease of 3.1 percent from a year ago. AAA reported that holiday travelers are in it for the long haul. They stated that most folks hiked nearly 800 miles, round-trip, from home.

2009’s Top 10 Travel Destinations?

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Thanks to Amateur Traveler I was recently pointed to Yahoo!’s Top 10 Destinations of 2009. I always wonder about parameters for lists like these, because in this case, all but one destinations are located in North America — I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume data for this list was collected from North American users! Anyways, here’s the list of 2009’s Top Travel Destinations, based on user searches on Yahoo!Travel:
Eiffel Tower, Paris France: 2009’s Top 10 Travel Destinations amalaysianabroad.today.com
Eiffel Tower by jnichols
10. Paris, France

Ah, gay paree. I’ve been here once or twice, with only fleeting memories in my head, because I was really young then. While taking French classes at Chicago’s Alliance Française, there were lots of exercises that involved the streets and sights of Paris: one day, I’ll return for a proper touristy visit!! If nothing else, I’d like to see the Mona Lisa “live”. I’d need to brush-up on my French — again!
9. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

The only time I’ve set foot on any Hawaiian island was on my first ever trip to the USA: the long (and delayed) flight had stopovers in Narita and Honolulu before arriving in Los Angeles. Didn’t set foot outside the airport, of course. I’m in no hurry to visit, but I’m sure I’ll end up here one day; after all, I would like to be able to say I’ve visited all 50 US states (and its territories!).
8. Orlando, Florida, USA

I have yet to find my way to Florida, let alone Orlando, home of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Escape, Sea World and who knows how many other themed attractions, which aren’t really my thing.
7. San Francisco, California, USA

Visited San Francisco for a few days in 1999, and totally fell in love. I couldn’t tell you specifically what did it for me, but I’d love to go back and explore the place for real. It’s one of the most expensive places to live, tho, so I wouldn’t try to move there, just visit.
Statue of Liberty, New York: 2009’s Top 10 Travel Destinations amalaysianabroad.today.com
Statue of Liberty by bunnygirl
6. New York City, New York, USA

I’ve visited NYC at least twice that I can remember, both times pre-9/11. The first was during Thanksgiving 1991, where I caught a part of the Macy’s parade without knowing how this was the thing to see if in NYC on Thanksgiving, LoL!
5. Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

I admit, I have yet to visit our neighbor to the South. Located at the southernmost tip of the Baja Peninsula, Cabo San Lucas earned the reputation for a place to catch El Marlin Azul, and seems to have become more like an enclave of the US than part of Mexico, I hear. Meh, I think I’ll pass.
4. San Diego, California, USA

The second biggest city in California, it’s also popular due to its proximity to Tijuana, Mexico, so visitors can essentially enjoy the arts and culture of two very different cities in the same trip.
3. Cancun, Mexico

I’ve only ever heard Cancun mentioned in conjunction with Spring Break, frankly. It doesn’t sound like a place I’d enjoy. Perhaps the rest of the Yucatán, yes; Cancun, no.
2. Miami, Florida, USA

I’ve enjoyed glimpses of Miami life from reading Dexter and occasionally watching CSI:Miami: the infusion of Cuban and other Hispanic culture has resulted in vibrant nightlife, music, food, etc; I’d be interested in experiencing it “live”!
1. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

This was one of the destinations of my family’s Grand Canyon tour in the early ’90s: the main thing I remember is the obscene waste of water used in fountains in front of all those grand hotels in the middle of the desert. I think I’ll stick to watching CSI than going out of my way to visit again.

More people are travelling by air

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:30:00 +0000

PETALING JAYA: A rebound in passenger air travel including premium travel in many markets globally is evident but airlines are not likely to rush to add capacity as uncertainties over the sustainability of the global economic recovery and worries of the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic still looms.

Traditionally, it took about six months for airlines to recover from the bottom and if the second quarter were any benchmark, the recovery should be fast, said an expert. But historically, the fourth quarter is a peak period.

“The signs are there and some airlines are seeing some encouraging forward bookings but these are still early days to cheer over a recovery as airlines are still operating in a tough environment,” said an industry expert.

The region’s major airlines – Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines (MAS) – are seeing encouraging forward bookings and to some extent, a return of travellers to the premium segment.

Yields will continue to come under pressure and rising cost, especially the price of jet fuel, will remain a concern for airlines going forward.

Yields have been severely depressed due to airlines discounting fares in an effort to stimulate demand.

A Reuters poll showed that crude oil is expected to rise to an average of US$75.40 a barrel in 2010.

But at any sustainable sign of recovery, airlines are going to rush to raise fares to restore profitability and that means the cost of travel will go up again.

MAS managing director/CEO Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin at the airline’s financial result briefing last Wednesday said the “airline will soon need to boost its bottomline as the (fares) current low levels are not sustainable in the long term.”

Despite that, MAS has to offer “competitive and compelling fares” to keep up with rival AirAsia Bhd.

Unlike full service carriers that have been forced to cut capacity since the onslaught of the economic crisis, some low-cost carriers have emerged big winners in the crisis.

AirAsia has expanded aggressively during the crisis and will continue to give its full service rivals a run for their money in the markets which it operates.

“The economic crisis may have seen carriers facing arguably the most difficult environment in recent memory, but AirAsia saw vast opportunities to grow our business,” AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes said recently.

He said the airline would continue with its expansion and launch several new routes over the next 12 months, including to several Indian cities.

He said based on the forward booking trend, the underlying passenger demand in the fourth quarter was positive for the airline.

Fuel cost will remain a major concern for airlines and MAS suffered a net loss of RM300mil in the third quarter ended Sept 30, mainly because of wrong-way bets on fuel prices.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the industry is forecast to lose US$11bil this year, and about US$3.8bil next year.

So that means airlines will continue to lose money even if there is a recovery next year as rebuilding yields may take a while.

IATA has 230 member airlines and the association will review its financial forecast in mid December.

Near home, the figures released recently by the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) showed its 17 member airlines carried 11.1 million passengers in October and this was a slight improvement from September but still below levels seen a year ago.

AAPA was reported to have said that it was “unsure whether signs of a fragile recovery in passenger and cargo volumes will prove to be sustainable.”

Malaysia Airlines Launches Two Direct KL To Brisbane Flights

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:30:00 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines will launch two new weekly non-stop flights from Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane effective March 28, 2010.

The flight on Fridays and Sundays will complement its current five times weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Brisbane via Sydney, the national carrier said in a statement Tuesday.

The two flights will depart Kuala Lumpur at 9am, arriving in Brisbane at 6.55pm on the same day, it said.

Flights will leave Brisbane at 11.20pm, arriving in Kuala Lumpur the next morning at 5.45am.

Malaysia Airlines Regional Manager Australia, New Zealand and South West Pacific, Abd Manaf Harun said: "We are delighted to provide these new direct flights in response to customer feedback.

"For long haul flights,customers want the assurance of comfort, convenience and seamless travel which we provide.

"The new Friday services will appeal to Malaysian leisure travellers as they are able to maximise their holiday time and commence it at the start of the weekend."

According to Abdul Manaf, customers are also assured of easy train connectivity to the Gold Coast as flights will arrive at 6.55pm.

"Likewise, Australian travellers returning home will appreciate the Sunday early evening arrival as that would give them time to rest before heading back to the office on Monday," he explained.

Malaysia Airlines connects to five destinations in Australia - Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

It also offers a total of 46 weekly services to Australia.

Malaysia wins seven Asian travel awards

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:14:00 +0000

LONDON: Malaysia swept seven Asian awards at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2009’s regional finals gala ceremony here Saturday.

While Malaysia Airlines bagged Asia’s Leading Airline award, Resorts World Genting scooped Asia’s Leading Family Resort and Asia’s Leading Casino Resort titles.

Tourism Malaysia’s “Malaysia: Truly Asia” tagline was also voted Asia’s Leading Marketing Campaign during the star-studded function at Grosvenor House, a JW Marriot Hotel, in London’s Mayfair.
MAS chairman Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid (third from left) and MAS regional manager for United Kingdom and Ireland Syed Abdillah Syed Aziz (beside him) with their award. With them are: (From left) MAS air hostesses Lilis Surianty (far left) and Yvonne Kow (second from right) as well as Miss Vietnam Huong Giang (third from right) and Miss China Yu Sheng (far right).

Two other titles – Asia’s Leading City Hotel and Asia’s Leading Design Hotel – went to Hilton Kuala Lumpur while Asia’s Leading Airport Hotel award went to Pan-Pacific Kuala Lumpur International Airport Hotel.

MAS chairman Tan Sri Dr Munir Majid and Genting Malaysia Berhad president and chief operating officer Datuk Lee Choong Yan received their awards from Miss Vietnam/Miss World 2009 contestant Huong Giang.

Dr Majid said the recognition bore testament to the fact that the global industry and travellers recognised the national carrier’s brand of service delivery.

“Our focus has always been on serving customers, with a commitment towards continuous service, improvement and delivery,” he said.

Lee said the awards would further encourage them to consistently provide memorable guest experience through innovative products and services.

“I am also confident these awards will help Malaysia enhance its reputation in the tourism industry and attract more visitors to our resort and the country,” he added.

The Malaysians picked up seven awards in the Asian category while regional awards were also given out to winners in the Australasia and Indian Ocean as well as the Caribbean and South America regions.

In the individual countries’ category, Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur was voted Malaysia’s Leading Hotel; Ritz-Carlton Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia’s Leading Business Hotel); Sheraton Langkawi Resort (Malaysia’s Leading Resort) and Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa in Penang (Malaysia’s Leading Spa Resort).

The event was attended by more than 1,000 senior management and decision-makers from the global travel and tourism industry.

Dubbed the “Oscars” of the global travel and tourism industry, the awards are recognised as the highest accolade within the travel industry.

Votes are cast globally in 919 categories by travel professionals from 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organisations in over 160 countries.

Tonight (Sunday) the winners of the grand finals will be announced, marking the culmination of a year-long quest to find the very best travel brands in the world.

Malaysia presents tour packages

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:26:00 +0000

During this year's Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF) running from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board presents a wide selection of tour packages and ready to give a total of NT$80,000 prizes to the attendees.

Now booking a 4-day trip to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca is eligible for a preferential price, starting at NT$8,500; an east Malaysia tour is priced at NT$13,900; a Singapore and Malaysia tour package only cost NT$10,900. One Malaysia domestic travel agency also launches a 3-day / 2-night Kuala Lumpur trip at less than NT$3,500. Backpackers also have something to grab. Air Asia offers a one-way ticket Taipei to Kuala Lumpur at only NT$2,430.

To attract visitors' attention, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board especially invites celebrities and performing groups from Taiwan and Malaysia during the four-day session. Famous hosts, SaSa and Hao Jiao Xiang Qi will appear at the show and have fun with the visitors on Nov. 1, at 1:30 p.m.

More information about 2009 Taipei ITF, visit official website of Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board at http://www.promotemalaysia.com.tw or www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my.

Malaysian Airlines to upgrade reservation system on Oct 31

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:18:00 +0000

MALAYSIA Airlines will be upgrading its reservations system from I 1pm on October 31 until 12pm on November 1, according to a Malaysia Airline press release.

During the system upgrade, reservations and ticketing services at the call centre, ticket offices and the web booking facility will be inaccessible. However, all other services, including check-in will not be affected.
“The upgrade will take 13 hours, and we are doing this over the weekend to minimise any inconvenience to our passengers. To ensure a seamless travel experience, we encourage customers to complete all their travel requirements before October 31, 2009.

“Please book and purchase your flight tickets, make changes to your flight itinerary or make special requests such as meals, seat selection and complete your Enrich online redemption early. Please avoid making any travel transactions during the upgrade,” said Malaysia Airlines’ General Manager, Transition
Management, Encik Mohd Salleh Ahmad Tabrani.

Customers are also encouraged to call the call centre at 1300 88 3000 to provide their mobile numbers to enable the airline to contact them promptly should there be any changes to their flight.
“During the upgrade period, customers may opt to use the web, counter services or the self check-in kiosk at the KL International Airport. Please check in on time. If you are checking in from the airport, it’s an, hour before for domestic and two hours for international flights. From KL Sentral, it’s two hours for domestic and three hours for international flights.

“And, in the event of emergency travel, please call 1300 88 3000 for assistance,” he added.
Passengers who have yet to purchase their tickets can take advantage of Malaysia Airlines’ Get-the-Deal offering low fares to global destinations, as well as attractive Weekend Getaway Fares.

Cebu Pacific slashes rates for HK, Malaysia flights

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:48:00 +0000

MANILA - Gokongwei-led budget carrier Cebu Pacific said it is cutting its rates by as much as 50% for its flights to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu.

In a statement, Cebu Pacific said passengers can avail of a one-way "Go Lite" fare of P999 for Manila-Kota Kinabalu and Clark-Hong Kong flights.

The airline is also offering a one-way "Go Lite" fare of P1,999 for travel from Manila to Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur, and for flights from Cebu to Hong Kong.

The seat sale is from October 28 to October 30, and is valid for travel from December 1 to February 28, 2010.

"Cebu Pacific has flown over 286,000 passengers on its Malaysia and Hong Kong flights for the first half of 2009. We hope to highlight this and encourage more passengers to travel for the months of December to February," Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and distribution Candice Iyog said.

"Go Lite" fares are for passengers with no check-in baggage. Those with check-in bags have to add P100 to the fare upon booking.

Cebu Pacific said passengers who book online and pay with credit cards or via partner banks can avail of the Hong Kong Disneyland package by adding P5,184. The offer includes a 3-day, 2-night accommodation and a one-day Disney tour.

At present, Cebu Pacific flies to Kota Kinabalu twice weekly and Kuala Lumpur daily. The low-cost carrier also flies 6 times daily to Hong Kong from Manila, Clark, and Cebu.

Meanwhile, Iyog said Cebu Pacific is also offering a one-way "Go Lite" fare of P888 for travel from Manila to San Jose (Mindoro) and Tagbilaran (Bohol) as well as flights from Cebu to Clark.

China And Malaysia Launch Cooperation In Tourism

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:03:00 +0000

Tourism units from China and Malaysia have signed an agreement for a tourism cooperation project in Beijing.

The project, which will last from November 1, 2009, to October 30, 2010, will be implemented by China International Travel Service Limited Head Office, China CYTS Outbound Travel Service, Beijing My Tour International Travel Service Company, Air China Limited, and Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board.

The three travel agencies will mainly promote the popular and themed MICE products of Malaysia in their products directory. They will also send 10,000 tourists a year to Malaysia through Air China's air network.

Malaysia - Melaka & Kuala Lumpar

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Our travel guide said not it was not a good idea to travel across the border into Malaysia on a weekend as the border crossing would be extremely busy and there may be trouble getting hotels.
So, on Saturday, we left our hotel at 10.15am to cross the border!

We took the train and then bus to the border. Emmigration was very fast. Back onto another bus to cross the causeway into Malaysia. It was busy and we had to stand all the way. Although again it was a very hot day, the air conditioning on the bus did keep it reasonably cool.
Immigration into Malaysia was very fast, we then got on another local bus into Johor Bahru (Kotaraya) bus station where Avis car hire was based.
Things were going really well.
Then, went off to get Malaysian cash. Trouble, after walking around for a long time, it was only after the 4th cashpoint that would give money.
But, worst of all, no hire cars available due to big event in Kuala Lumpa.
Things not going well,
We were thinking of devising a plan B that would keep us in JB until Monday.
But, girl in Avis had still been trying to get us a car and had found one with another company but it was at the airport so we took a taxi to pick it up.
Things going well now, although running a bit late.
We exchanged text messages with Claire as she had access to the internet to look for a hotel for us in Melaka.
Things not going well.
Although Claire could find some hotels, she was unable to book any but did give us the names and addresses of where we should look. This was a great help.
By now it was getting dark and we had to deal with the one way systems and only had a small map to find the hotel area.
We eventually found a hotel Claire had recommended and took the last room.
Things going well.

The hotel is in the Chinatown area. This area is alive with tourists and locals. Being Saturday night some of the roads nearby were closed to traffic and were now full of market stalls and people. The area was buzzing.
Inside our hotel, it is very tranquil with little courtyards open to the sky, tropical plants, fishpond and a piano in reception.

This area is experiencing an upturn in popularity giving something different to the normal type of chain hotels.

We have decided to stay in this area for about 5 days before driving up to Kuala Lumpa for a couple of days and then its onto Indonesia.

MAS polls eighth in top airlines ranking

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 12:06:00 +0000

SUBANG: Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has moved up one spot to rank eighth in the Top Airlines, Worldwide category under the Best in Travel 2009 Poll.

The poll, which is conducted by Smart Travel Asia, the dedicated travel magazine for Asia, also sees MAS tie with Lufthansa for the spot.

MAS managing director and chief executive officer, Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin said they were delighted to receive the recognition.

“We will remain focused on doing ordinary things that matter most to customers extraordinarily well,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

He added the airlines remained committed in providing its customers with a “seamless travel experience”.

He said MAS customers will be among the first to experience the 737-800 Boeing Sky Interior as it was the second airline in the world to take delivery of the aircraft beginning next year.

MAS was in fifth place in the Top 10 Airlines, Cabin Service and ranked eighth Top 10 Airlines Business Class categories. The Best in Travel 2009 Poll ran for three months from May this year.

The selection criteria was based on a combination of actual travel experience, word-of-mouth and an idea of the brand drawn from advertising and editorial exposure in the media, primarily online.

Travel Malaysia fair sees record turnout

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 03:52:00 +0000

SINGAPORE, Oct 23 — More than 50,000 people packed the three-day Travel Malaysia fair at Suntec City last weekend, snapping up travel and holiday deals worth more than S$5 million (RM12 million).

The record turnout and sales, about 30 per cent higher than last year, gave a welcome boost to the Express Bus Agencies Association (EBAA) which organised the event jointly with Tourism Malaysia.

Companies operating cross-border express coach services have seen their business slashed by as much as 30 per cent since low-cost carriers like AirAsia and Jetstar Asia started flying between Singapore and Malaysia in February last year.

From just one route and 56 to-and-fro services a week, low-cost carriers now operate more than 450 flights between Singapore and destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Langkawi, Penang, Ipoh, and Kuala Terengganu.

Just this week, the two governments announced the all-clear for air routes between Singapore and Labuan and Sibu islands, as well as the towns of Alor Star, Kota Baru, Kerteh and Bintulu.

Sebastian Yap, executive director of Transtar express coach company and chairman of the sub-committee that oversees events promotion and terminal operations at the EBAA, said the overwhelming response to the travel fair was a shot in the arm for land-based travel services.

The company, which launched its Transtar Classic service at the fair, offered 9,900 one-way Singapore-Kuala Lumpur tickets at S$9 each, and has already sold 85 per cent of the seats, Yap said.

Unlike its high-end buses that come with just 18 reclining seats and individual entertainment screens, Transtar Classic, which takes to the roads next month, has 61 seats and eight shared screens.

One-way bus tickets usually cost anything from about S$20 to more than S$60 each, depending on the level of services on board. All-inclusive air tickets, when on offer, can cost about the same.

Despite the competition, coach operators are not worried about being squeezed out of the market.

While flying to Kuala Lumpur, for example, may take just 45 minutes compared with about five hours by bus, some travellers like Richard Ee, 57, a regional manager in a construction company, still prefers taking a coach. That is because there is no waiting at the airport and buses take people straight to their hotels in the city, said Ee, who has experienced several delays on budget airlines.

The economic slowdown, which has made Malaysia a more popular destination for Singapore travellers keeping an eye on their wallets, has also increased the pie for all, said a spokesman for the Tourism Malaysia office here.

In September, Malaysia saw more than 1.1 million visitors from Singapore — a 35.5 per cent leap over the same month last year. This comes to about 9.4 million visitors from Singapore in the first nine months of the year — about 16 per cent higher than the arrivals last year.

To cash in on the traffic, more than 100 companies from Malaysia, including hotels and travel agents, took part in the travel fair.

Sabah wild animals to be filmed for American TV

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:15:00 +0000

KOTA KINABALU: American animal expert Jack Hanna, popularly known as “Jungle Jack” is in Malaysia for a television shoot of the wild.

The 62-year-old is in Sabah to film orang utans, sunbears, proboscis monkeys and pygmy elephants in the wilds of Borneo for his entertainment and educational television show “Jack Hanna’s Into The Wild.”

Hanna and his crew will also be heading towards Sarawak and peninsular Malaysia during his two-week trip to Malaysia and Singapore for at least four 30-minute television series.

Invited by Tourism Malaysia, Hanna told reporters here that the great apes and elephants had always fascinated him and that it was the first time he was doing a show on orang utan and the Borneo pygmy elephants.

‘’I have always wanted to come to Malaysia but my tight schedules around the world delayed me. I am really excited to be here in Borneo,” said Hanna who has been hosting educational animal shows for the last 43 years.

Continue reading at: Sabah wild animals to be filmed for American TV

Fine feast fiesta

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:51:00 +0000

The ongoing Malaysia International Gourmet Festival 2009 offers foodies a chance to sample local and international cuisines offered by different outlets

Diners thronged the ballroom of the brand-new Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur recently in search of some fine food.

The hotel was the venue for the launch of the Malaysia International Gourmet Festival (MIGF) 2009, which attracted more than 2,000 local and international guests.

The month-long event, which was supported by Tourism Malaysia, was launched by Kuala Lumpur city mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail, who together with MIGF organising chairman Datuk Steve Day, cut a huge chef’s hat to denote the start of the festival.

Among the guests-of-honour were 100 foreign ambassadors and Dr Junaida Lee Abdullah, the deputy secretary-general of Tourism Malaysia.

There were also dozens of food writers and travel agents from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Britain, India, China and UAE (all invited by Tourism Malaysia) for the event.

At the ballroom, the entourage were met by a Latin band together with 24 master chefs from the festival participating outlets who rang out a samba beat with their pots and pans.

They were flanked on both sides by two sleek-looking limousines from Mercedes-Benz, the official car for the festival.

Surrounding the stage were stations representing all the 24 participating outlets where guests were invited to sample the exotic creations from the master chefs. Some of the stations were decorated to highlight the type of food offered.

For instance, Chinese fare were presented in an imperial Chinese palace setting while Malaysian favourites were placed in a traditional Malay dwelling. There were also stations resembling a jungle resort and a Middle Eastern souk, among others.

In the atrium area outside the ballroom, the elaborately-designed Prince Court Medical Centre had eight sous chefs whipping signature dishes under its ‘healthy diet, healthy lifestyle’ banner.

The centre’s contemporary Chinese cuisine with a Malaysian influence was beneficial to the body and tasted good.

Nearby, Sime Darby showcased one of its unique new sustainable properties while Philips displayed its lastest hi-tech TV screens. Canon had roaming photographers taking pictures of guests and printing them on-the-spot as souvenirs.

Meanwhile, Trinidad showcased its luxury lifestyle products; Watch Shoppe its fine timepieces; and Harrod’s served up British tea and teddy bears.

Stations representing Italy, Chile and Canada flying their national flags kept thirsty guests’ glasses topped up.

The gala launch party went on long into the night as some of Malaysia’s best chefs continued to serve up delicious food to the guests.

The 9th MIGF, which ends on Oct 31, offers gourmets a chance to experience unique Malaysian and global cuisine at special festive prices. Participating restaurants are offering special promotions which include discounts on beverages, hotel rooms and block bookings.

Perhentian Islands, Malaysia Perhentian Kecil, Terengganu, Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:27:00 +0000

Ahhh...Relaxation. The Perhentian Islands are about an hour off the eastern coast of Malaysia in the south China Sea. I went there to relax, and relax I did. There are two islands that make up the Perhentian Islands. There is a big one (more resort like, meaning more money) and a smaller one (where more backpackers reside). I obviously stayed on the smaller island called Kecil on Long Beach.
After arriving on the island around 11:30 a.m. after a brutal five hour bus journey across the country, I found a chalet that would do and settled in. My chalet was a little wooden a-frame hut, complete with a tiny fan and a mosquito net. It was about 20 seconds from the beach and cost me a little less than $10 US a night. When I arrived, I was told that the island's electricity works off a generator and there was no electricity from 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., and 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. So that meant as I slept comfortably each night with my fan, at 8:30 a.m. on the dot I would immediately break into a sweat and my sleep was over.
Beyond the electricity issues, the beaches were great. They were not crowded at all, the water was crystal clear, and there was not a cloud in the sky for the four days I was there. During the days, I laid around on the beach, went in the sea, and read a lot. At night I found myself eating at the same restaurant each night because it was a makeshift meeting point for backpackers and they had nightly movies on a big screen. So I would eat dinner, watch a movie, and then maybe have a few beers and call it a night. This is what I did for four days, and I loved it. The majority of people on the island did scuba diving courses, but I decided not to, mainly because of the money, but also because of my lack of interest. Everyone says diving is a great experience, but I just haven't been excited enough to try it out.
There's not much else to say about my time on the island. It was just a time to unwind, catch some sun, and completely take it easy. At times it felt strange doing completely nothing, but then I would just look out on the beach and remember why I was there; to do nothing.
After the days on the island, I made my way back to mainland and caught an overnight bus to Kuala Lumpur where I am at right now. I got in around 4:30 a.m. and found a new hostel in Chinatown called the Monkee Inn. It is clean, the staff are friendly, and it is in a perfect location. I am staying here for four nights while I await my flight for Australia. And that's all for now.

Research and Markets: By 2020, The Government Of India Expects Travel And Tourism To Contribute Rs8,500 Billion To GDP, Almost Four Times The Value In

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a1dcae/travel_and_tourism)
has announced the addition of the "Travel and Tourism in India" report to their
offering.

The Travel and Tourism in India report offers a comprehensive guide to the size
and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest market size
data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It
identifies the leading companies and offers strategic analysis of key factors
influencing the market - be they new legislative, technology or pricing issues.
Background information on disposable income, annual leave and holiday taking
habits is also included. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to
change.

Sector coverage: travel accommodation, transportation, car rental, retail travel
and tourist attraction markets

Why buy this report?

* Get a detailed picture of the travel and tourism industry;
* Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
* Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading
brands;
* Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.

Outlook well on way to growth

By 2020, the government of India expects travel and tourism to contribute
Rs8,500 billion to GDP, almost four times the value in 2005. With successive
governments committed to reform, a strong manufacturing sector and a private
sector that already has a critical mass that is needed to drive growth, it is
unlikely that the strong growth in GDP is likely to be reversed. The rising
middle class is also becoming increasingly affluent, mobile, Internet savvy and
more sophisticated in terms of what is demanded in terms of tourism products and
services, and more importantly the price they are willing to pay for it.

A boom is expected in travel accommodation, as more serviced apartments, budget
hotels (2-star category) and highway motels are established.

Significant changes are expected in travel retail, with the arrival of more
international players, such as Le Passage and Cox & Kings, particularly in
outbound travel. British company Cox & Kings plans to relocate its corporate
headquarters from London to Mumbai as a result of its being bought out by its
Indian arm in late 2005. Global interest also includes the American millionaire
Alfred Ford with plans to set up a Himalayan ski resort. Internet intermediaries
are expected to expand significantly and grow the market without significantly
adding to volume growth. Rural tourism and medical tourism for inbound tourists
will also give rise to new products and services in this sector.

Until recently, not much emphasis had been given to the maintenance and
development of the historical and heritage sites in India, which resulted in a
large number of tourists staying away from these. However, the Indian
government's increasing investment in the upgrading and modernisation of
infrastructure will translate into better facilities, amenities and access to
the leading tourist attractions and sites.

Key Topics Covered:

* Executive Summary
* Tourism Hit Due by Economic Meltdown and Mumbai Terror Attacks
* Government and Ministry of Tourism Respond Speedily To Revive Tourism
* Stiffer Competition Due To Dwindling Demand Puts Players Under Pressure
* Internet Share of Sales Remains Small But Growing
* Challenging Times in the Interim But Long Term Prospects Promising
* Key Trends and Developments
* Economic Indicators
* Liberalised Legislation Supports Growth of Tourism
* Sustainable Tourism
* Consumer Lifestyles
* Low Cost Carriers
* Emerging Niche Sectors
* Internet Developments
* Terrorism and Security
* Leave Entitlement
* Consumer Demographics
* Balance of Payments
* Market Indicators

List of Tables

* Table 1 Leave Entitlement: Volume 2005-2008
* Table 2 Holiday Demographic Trends 2003-2008
* Table 3 Holiday Takers by Sex 2003-2008
* Table 4 Holiday Takers by Age 2003-2008
* Table 5 Length of Domestic Trips: 2003-2008
* Table 6 Length of Outbound Departure: 2003-2008
* Table 7 Seasonality of Trips 2005-2008
* Table 8 Balance of Tourism Payments: Value 2003-2008
* Table 10 Arrivals by Country of Origin: 2003-2008
* Table 11 Leisure Arrivals by Type 2005-2008
* Table 12 Business Arrivals: MICE Penetration 2005-2008
* Table 13 Arrivals by Method of Transport: 2003-2008
* Table 14 Arrivals by Purpose of Visit: 2003-2008
* Table 15 Incoming Tourist Receipts by Country: Value 2003-2008
* Table 16 Tourism Expenditure by Sector: Value 2003-2008
* Table 17 Method of Payments for Incoming Tourist Receipts: % Breakdown
2005-2008
* Table 18 Forecast Arrivals by Country of Origin: 2008-2013
* Table 19 Forecast Arrivals by Method of Transport: 2008-2013
* Table 20 Forecast Arrivals by Purpose of Visit: 2008-2013
* Table 21 Forecast Incoming Tourist Receipts by Country: Value 2008-2013
* Table 22 Departures by Destination: 2003-2008
* Table 23 Leisure Departures by Type 2005-2008
* Table 24 Business Departures: MICE Penetration % Breakdown 2005-2008
* Table 25 Departures by Method of Transport: 2003-2008
* Table 26 Departures by Purpose of Visit: 2003-2008
* Table 27 Outgoing Tourist Expenditure by Country: Value 2003-2008
* Table 28 Outgoing Tourist Expenditure by Sector: Value 2003-2008
* Table 29 Method of Payments for Outgoing Tourism Spending: % Breakdown
2005-2008
* Table 30 Forecast Departures by Destination: 2008-2013

Companies Mentioned:

* SpiceJet Ltd
* Thomas Cook India Ltd
* Jet Airways (India) Ltd
* MakemyTrip.com
* Indian Hotels Company Ltd

For more information visit
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/a1dcae/travel_and_tourism

Travel to Singapore & Malaysia with Makemytrip @ Rs. 37,990

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:35:00 +0000

Travel the best of the South-East and enjoy an unforgettable vacation. From the mist-covered slopes of the Genting Highlands, to the neon-lit blocks of Singapore’s shopping malls, to Sentosa Island’s innumerable activities, to Kuala Lumpur’s towering skyscrapers, South-East Asia gives you something for everyone. Travel to Singapore and Malaysia with Makemytrip an stay 2 nights in Kuala Lumpur, 2 nights in Genting and 3nights in Singapore.

Travel to Singapore and Malaysia @ Rs. 37,990* for 7N and 8D

Inclusions:

* Return Economy class airfare
* Daily Breakfast & Indian Dinner
* Stay at 5* hotel in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore
* 2 nights’ accommodation in Genting
* Genting Outdoor Theme Park Pass
* 2 nights’ accommodation in Kuala Lumpur
* KL by Night
* Half-day city tour of Kuala Lumpur with visit to KL Tower
* Visit to Batu Caves
* 3 nights’ accommodation in Singapore
* Half-day city tour of Singapore
* Sentosa Island Tour including Sky Tower, 4D Magix, Merlion, Underwater World with Dolphin Lagoon, Songs of the Seas, Skyride, and Luge ride

Itinerary

Day 1: KUALA LUMPUR
Meals: Dinner

Day 2: KUALA LUMPUR
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 3: GENTING HIGHLAND
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 4: GENTING HIGHLAND
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 5: SINGAPORE
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 6: SINGAPORE
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 7: SINGAPORE
Meals: Breakfast & dinner

Day 8: SAYONARA
Meals: Breakfast

Hotel Details

HILTON PJ
City: Kuala Lumpur

GRAND COPTHORNE WATERFRONT HOTEL
City: Singapore

FIRST WORLD HOTEL
City: Genting

AirAsia extends promotion, launches regional campaign

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:06:00 +0000

Low cost airline AirAsia announced today the extension of its Low Fare Madness promotion on all seats and flights departing mainly from Malaysia.

The promotion, which was meant to end yesterday, will now be extended to 18 October 2009 for travel from 19 October until 19 November 2009. It excludes AirAsia X flights.

Fares start from as low as RM 49 up to RM249 for travel from Malaysia to destinations such as China, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia just to name a few.

Seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and are exclusively available online via www.airasia.com and mobile.airasia.com as well as at AirAsia's sales offices and sales counters in Malaysia.

Go Holiday is also offering affordable holiday packages from as low as RM236/pax when the travelling period booked is in conjunction with this campaign. Guests can book packages via www.goholiday.airasia.com

The extension of AirAsia's Low Fare Madness promotion comes as the carrier launches its regional campaign this week.

Themed 'Have You Flown AirAsia?', the campaign aims to showcase AirAsia's innovation, high quality service and uniqueness - a low cost carrier unlike any other.

It will be rolled out across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand from Wednesday with a television commercial directed by the late Yasmin Ahmad. It will also be supported by online, outdoor, print and social media outlets including a microsite at www.haveyouflownairasia.com.

"To stay ahead of the competition, we need to keep our brand fresh" said AirAsia Group CEO Dato' Sri Tony Fernandes.
"We want our guests to feel good about the AirAsia experience and keep them coming back for more."

Mount Kinabalu

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:13:00 +0000

My home for the next couple of days is still Borneo but this time about twenty minutes up the road by Air Asia in the State of Sabah, Malaysia. Brunei was definitely worth a look just to see how the other half live so to speak. I do like the death penalty for drug trafficking but as far as everything else being banned...come on now Mr. Sultan of Brunei. Lighten up some. Alcohol, bars, and anything else moderate people may desire are just not allowed there. I learned from several people in Brunei that citizens just take the ferry over to the Malaysian island of Labuan on weekends for a regular den of iniquity where whores, booze, clubs, and anything else one could desire await. But of course none of them I spoke to partake in anything more salubrious than Labuan's duty free shopping. Yeah, right...I call BS on that one.

One particularly amusing and interesting vice does remain in Brunei despite the Sultan's best efforts as he can't seem to get a grip on the world's oldest profession. But yes, there is a twist to the Brunei variety..."ladyboys" as they are called are the ones trying to practice their trade on street corners after dark and I can describe the scene in one word--nasty as hell. Ok. Three words. But anyway, picture an Asian male, 5'1", 90 pounds with inch long fake eyelashes and pancake makeup.

Now get this...if said ladyboy approaches anyone and the police happen to see, the approachee whether innocent or not goes to jail even if the ladyboy runs off. In other words, Grandma Mavis from Fiddlefart, Mississippi would rot in jail doing hard time just for chatting up a ladyboy and telling him what a nice young man he is. One did try to offer his massage services so we quickly crossed the road not only because of the police threat but because it's just plain nasty.

Luckily with no ladyboys in sight in KK, new sites of a more pleasant kind await, and two items interested me...some beautiful islands off shore that require a water taxi and Kinabalu National Park about two hours away. My buddy leaves tonight so I will do the islands with people from the hostel after he is safely enroute back to the US so as to avoid any more incidents.

Mt. Kinabalu rises about 13,000' above Borneo to take its claim as the tallest mountain on the island. Naturally I am drawn to anything outdoors like that with hiking trails. Tour operators want $100 for a roundtrip transfer over there and that is way beyond what I am willing to pay. A little research and asking around finally hit some gold when I found out minibuses make the route to a city just beyond the park's entrance and will drop off at the main gate. The buses leave when full which took about an hour and a half this morning, but for $4 one way who is complaining.

This time was well spent for I glanced at the Daily Express newspaper and right there on page 7 of today's edition was an article called "Where Anything Fit to be Eaten is Sold." The pictures of smoked animals drew me in and I began reading about how people (Christians actually) consume dog, bat, monkey, snake and so on. The author used the island of Sulawesi, Indonesiaas an example of this culinary following, and I found this quote, "You can tell how lowly beef, chicken and mutton rate in the diet of majority Christian Minahasons living here by checking out the meats section of the Tamu." (A tamu is a market.) I would've visited Sulawesi had the disasters not altered my plans. Darn! The things I am missing out on!

While this does confirm all of our suspicions that dog is indeed consumed over here what I took away was how the article basically was an Anti-Christian slam piece under the guise of eating dog meat. The article clearly stated that the southern Muslim part of the island does not partake in this meat trade at all. Though a muslim may not touch it, "there are no specific taboos among the Minahasons towards eating extraordinary meats except they must be consumed within three days of being smoked. Otherwise the meat will turn bad, slimy, and poisonous." Nice.

So just how does a potential consumer tell if the meat is older than three days old you ask? Good question, and that's why I am here for you to scour the earth for cultural oddities far removed from our daily American lives. Check the dog's eyes...they should not be red. Red eyes mean that the dog was smoked more than three days ago and you wouldn't want to serve that to your esteemed guests now would you? So, yes, always check the eyes first no matter what the seller tells you the dog's condition is. And don't pay more than $2 for a whole unprepared dog or about a $8 a kilo (2.2 lbs) if the dog comes presmoked. Just letting you know should you ever be in SE Asia needing to negotiate for whatever reason in the Tamu.

The author went on to point out that good Muslims do not keep dogs nor much less even think about consuming them and this practice is a strictly Christian one. Think about that...man's best friend is not kept by the author because his religion evidently forbids it, and he would have us believe that millions of Christians all across the world are consuming Sweet and Sour Shit-tsu right at this very moment. What jerks these people are to publish this crap with such an intentional slant.

Enough of that already and back to better things...two hours later our beat up and smoking old minibus dropped us off at the entrance and our $4 admission left us wondering now what? If I had the gear and the time I would naturally have done a three day trip to the summit, but a day hike around the place suited me just fine. Two German guys asked if they could tag along and I hesitantly said "ja." Both were wearing Birkenstocks with no traction and I knew without practical footwear this would be a challenge. When hiking the group's speed is always based on the lowest common denominator which in this case would be our new friends.

A good hike for me is physically challenging but with awesome views along the way or at the end as a reward for all that hard work. What I found at Kinabalu was indeed challenging but not in any way, shape or form that was remotely fun. My friend said it best after about the first ten minutes, "This blows." The trails were the slipperiest, wettest, muddiest and worst I have ever seen in a lifetime of hiking and let me tell you...it is absolutely no fun wondering where to step so as not to sink a foot into muck. I was stepping on roots, rocks, or whatever else wasn't under a mud slick just to make forward progress.

Within the first five minutes one of the Germans slipped of course because of his unsuitable footwear and his Birkenstock continued down the path without him. Sometimes an executive decision just has to be made so I jettisoned our new friends and continued on hoping to find something dry. We had planned on 6 hours of fun and were excited to see wildlife, plants and and of course spectacular views of Kinabalu. After thirty minutes of this agony we turned around and tried a different trail. It was no better. A third trail was steeper but even muddier.

Since my shoes were already wrecked from the water taxi incident I didn't mind so much the wet and muddy but with nothing to even look at but a dense forsest canopy, the views kind of stunk. At least being above 5.000' brought some welcome relief from the heat and humidity of the coast. The only wildlife out there came in the form of some butterflies, a dead millipede and mosquitos that actually seem to like 100% DEET bug spray. What a difference from Bako National Park where I could have hiked for days.

Unfortunately I would have to rate this expedition in my bottom two ever and we decided to just cut our losses and head back to KK. After exiting the trails two Australian guys asked me where the good trails were because they couldn't find any. Four Japanese tourists asked us where some good trails were as well and they were worried because they paid $100 each and weren't getting their money's worth. On the way out we ran into an elderly Malaysian couple who decided to take the minibus up to the park but thought it was a complete waste of time, too. I am so glad that it wasn't just me...I was worried I hadn't given the place a full chance. I am 100% sure that climbing to the summit is worth it, but for the rest of us confined to the base trails, it blows.

This morning I had no idea how we would get back to KK and just hoped we could waive down a minibus heading our way. The first one to pass by was full and and a taxi had offered to take us for $60 a person. No way...not when we can go for $4 a person in the minibus. I just can't believe these taxi drivers can look at themselves in the mirror at night. We had all day to wait and the minibuses come by regularly I found out. The Malaysian couple told another taxi driver fishing for business that he, too was a rip off and they waited with us.

As luck would have it, a guy driving a minivan taxi had to be back in KK by 3pm and he offered us rides for $5 a person...definitely I am game for that. That single extra dollar bought us legroom and some air conditioned comfort in a vehicle with shocks and struts. And sitting on cloth sure does beat sticking to vinyl after hours of hiking. Amazing how prices drop in an instant if you just have some patience and don't mind waiting a while.

he afternoon was not a waste though by any means. I got to see the highest peak on Borneo and even got to attempt some of its trails. Though they weren't much to look at I can say I have hiked there and it is definitely a morning I will remember, especially the sight of a German dude loosing his sandals and falling butt first into the mud. I laughed at myself yesterday when I plunged into two feet of muck at the bottom of nasty water so I hope he can eventually laugh at himself.

Plus once again I was able to get to a remote area like the locals and avoid getting ripped off like the tourists do. It's like a big game for me to figure out how things work in these countries and I really enjoy getting a local experience which I definitely had going to and from Mt. Kinabalu. The trails may rate in my bottom tier but the overall experience was definitely high up there on my list.

How to keep it comfy on the flashpacker trail South-east Asia specialises in cheap yet chic lodgings. Andrew Spooner picks his favourites

noreply@blogger.com (FUYOO1971) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Despite the recession, one of the long-haul destinations that can still guarantee British visitors good value is South-east Asia. Thailand, for example, offers some of the best-value accommodation on the planet. It certainly lives up to its tourist office's marketing slogan "Amazing Thailand, Amazing Value".

But don't confine your travels to this one country. Visit the hills of Laos, the beautifully preserved towns of Malaysia, the ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the emerging beach destinations of Vietnam.

Wherever you travel in this vibrant and engaging part of the globe, you won't need to break the bank to stay in comfortable accommodation. Here are some of the best budget-luxury options in the region – from colonial villas in Malaysia to serene riverside bungalows in Laos. All these recommendations will cost you no more than £20 per person – and sometimes you'll get even cheaper deals.

Soria Moria, Cambodia

This Norwegian-run boutique hotel in Siem Reap – the small town located right next to the spectacular ruins of Angkor Wat – offers neat, comfortable and stylishly simple accommodation. There's a pleasant, breezy rooftop bar, a great restaurant, and the location is perfect for wandering the riverside eateries and bars in central Siem Reap. What's more, the owners are involved in various non-aid-based NGO-style programmes designed to train and invest in local people, including the excellent White Bicycle and Love Card projects (see the Soria Moria's website for more details).

How much: Doubles from £18 to £40 per night (00 855 63 964768; thesoriamoria.com).

Nong Kiau Riverside, Laos

While the former Laos royal town of Luang Prabang attracts all the plaudits, it is also a magnet for crowds of tourists. Savvy travellers now head north instead, about 45 miles up the Nam Ou river from Luang Prabang (boats still provide regular transport), to the misty riverside town of Nong Khiaw. The best place to stay here is at the stunning modern bungalows at the Nong Kiau Riverside. The beautifully decorated wooden chalets are furnished with four-poster beds dressed with mosquito nets. They have hot-water bathrooms and views over the river and the dramatic limestone pinnacles and mountains here. The restaurant has a good selection of fine wines and serves great French and Laotian food, which, given the remote location, is something of a triumph. The only downside is that Nong Kiau Riverside is often full, so make a reservation well in advance.

How much: Doubles from £20-£25 (00 856 20 570 5000; nongkiau.com).

Vang Vieng Eco-Lodge, Laos

About five miles north of the infamously raucous Laos backpacker town of Vang Vieng, Vang Vieng Eco-Lodge offers a quiet place to retreat. Set in a serene and exceptionally beautiful location, its 10 simple wooden chalet-style bungalows, each with their own large balcony, have been built on the banks of a river surrounded by luxuriant greenery and precipitous limestone formations. The friendly local management also cook up some awesome Lao curries and fantastic French-inspired breakfasts. At weekends, and during the high season, this place can fill up well in advance, so be sure to book ahead.

How much: Doubles from £20 to £25 (00 856 21 41 3370; villalao.com).

Old Penang Guesthouse, Malaysia

The atmospheric backstreets of Georgetown on Penang Island, Malaysia, complete with rows of shophouses and covered walkways, offer some of the best-preserved colonial-style architecture in the whole of South-east Asia. One of the most atmospheric places to stay here is the Old Penang Guesthouse, a gorgeously restored property that has been turned into a simple guesthouse. Each room is reasonably basic – bathrooms and toilets are shared – but the location and stylish touches still make it a great base for a couple of days while exploring the city.

How much: Doubles from £10-£14 (00 60 4 2638805; oldpenang.com).

Orchid Hibiscus, Thailand

Run by its engaging Italian host, Paolo, Orchid Hibiscus is set just outside the ancient ruins of Sukhothai in central Thailand. There are about a dozen, cute, wooden, air-conditioned bungalows here, decorated Thai style, within gardens filled with pretty orchids and home to colourful tropical birds. It even has a pleasant swimming pool – a god-send after a hot day spent cycling around the nearby ruins – with plenty of space to soak up the sun. And a satisfying breakfast, often served with wild honeycombs, is included in the price.

How much: Doubles from £18-£20 (00 66 55 633284; orchid_hibiscus _guest_house@hotmail.com).

Pai River Corner, Thailand

Until recently, the small town of Pai, buried deep in the hills of northern Thailand, was known as something of a backpacker party town. But with a small airport now open, Pai is changing, and has a more upmarket, bohemian vibe with some great boutique properties opening up. One of the best of these is the Pai River Corner, a collection of brightly decorated, comfortable, Thai-style bungalows set beside a pretty river. Each has a balcony overlooking a private garden and there's a small pool, outdoor Jacuzzi and bar. The jovial Thai/Australian management serve up regular barbecues and excellent Thai food.

How much: Doubles from £28-£60 (00 66 53 699049; pairivercorner.com).

An Huy Hotel, Vietnam

Slowly emerging as a destination, Vietnam is home to many relatively undiscovered treasures, including the beautifully preserved French colonial town of Hoi An. Just a couple of minutes' walk from Hoi An's old town is the charming An Huy Hotel. Contemporary-Asian styled rooms are attractive, upbeat and comfy. There's a pleasant courtyard, a restaurant, free WiFi, and breakfast is included in the price. As in many places in South-east Asia, you might be woken early by the local cockerel population – pack earplugs.

How much: Doubles from £18-£25 (00 84 510 3862116; anhuyhotel.com).

Andrew Spooner is co-author of Footprint Books' Southeast Asia Handbook 2010, due out this month, price £16.99 (footprintbooks.com).

Compact Facts

How to get there

Andrew Spooner travelled to Southeast Asia with Etihad Airways (0800 731 9384; etihadairways.com), which offers return flights from Manchester and London to Bangkok in Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, both via Abu Dhabi, from £428.