12 per cent increase in tourist arrivals to Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has for the first time, experienced a double-digit growth in tourist arrivals this year, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun.

He said the number of tourist arrivals increased to 12 per cent as of July, contributed by countries such as China, Taiwan, Korea and Australia.

He said Sabah usually experienced a six percent increase at the highest. “The most significant arrivals were from China with a majority of high end tourists.

“There was even one month when their arrival shot up to 42 per cent,” he told reporters after representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman at the launch of the Accor Hotels’ Sabah website here yesterday.

Masidi also expects visitors from China, with about 76,200 as of July, to possibly overtake those from Korea which is currently at around 80,000.

Tourist arrivals from peninsular have also contributed to the sharp increase in the number of visitors.

“I recently met with the new chairman and managing director of Malaysia Airlines and suggested that the airline start direct flights between Kota Kinabalu, Beijing and Shanghai.

“We need to give MAS some time to adjust to their new management. But the feedback that I got was that it is only the issue of availability of aircraft,” he said.

He said at present, there was only the Kota Kinabalu-Hong Kong route being served.

“We expect a big influx of visitors from China if Kota Kinabalu is connected to more cities in China, with the country fast becoming a world economy, and more millionaires being created there than in any part of the world,” Masidi added.

On the event, he welcomed Accor’s initiative as it was a strategy that not only benefit Accor group, but most importantly is that it could introduce Sabah to the world with only a click.

“What we need is to ensure we have good service quality. This is also an effort to educate the world community that we have a state called Sabah in Malaysia, and Sabah can offer travel products superior or better, especially in tourism to the world.

Continue reading at: 12 per cent increase in tourist arrivals to Sabah

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Firefly begins silent cancellation in Sarawak, leaving passengers and tour operators fuming

KUCHING: Firefly, Malaysia Airlines’ (MAS) community airline, has apparently begun cancelling some of its flights to and from Sarawak since yesterday.

This is ahead of Firefly’s rumoured pullout from the state by end of October.

It was learnt that at least one Kuching-Kuala Lumpur flight was cancelled late last night, with passengers put onboard a MAS flight instead. The unannounced move has left more than a few ticket holders unhappy.

“My Kuching-KL flight yesterday evening was cancelled after I booked it online just a few days earlier,” said Ng CH in an e-mail.

“I read in newspapers about the possible cancellations. When I checked (with Firefly), I was informed my flight had indeed been cancelled. They transferred me to a MAS flight, which was departing at about the same time.”

A senior MAS official confirmed that Firefly flights involving Sarawak without enough passengers, “to break even financially”, were being cancelled.

“The standard operation procedure is like this: When a last minute cancellation occurs because of too few passengers, then, preferably, affected ticket holders will be placed on the next Firefly flight. But when the (departure) time is too far apart, a FIM will be issued,” he explained.

FIM is an aviation terminology for “Flight Interruption Manifest”. It is normal for airlines to issue FIMs, especially among affordable airlines.

“Once the FIM is issued, passengers can be put onboard MAS,” the official added.

It was not determined how many of Firefly’s Kuching-KL-Kuching flights have been cancelled, or how many will be cancelled in the coming weeks.

Of the four Kuching-KL flights listed on Firefly’s website for today, only two evening flights are priced and with tickets bookable online.

For tomorrow, Firefly has three Kuching-KL flights on sale. For Sunday, five are on sale; but for Monday, there are only three flights again. Efforts to contact Firefly for comments on its scheduling were unsuccessful. Talk of Firefly being downsized surfaced after the MAS-AirAsia share swap deal was announced in August.

During Firefly’s peak around mid-year, the airline was flying multiple daily flights between Kuching-KL, Kuching-Johor and Sibu-KL. It had a reported load factor of 70%.

But Firefly is now all but certain to cease flights from Sarawak and Sabah to Peninsular Malaysia by the end of October. On Malaysia Day on Sept 16, the Kuching-Johor sector became the first Firefly route to be axed.

According to the MAS official, it was very likely all three Firefly routes involving Sarawak would be terminated by Oct 31.

He said this had “more or less been confirmed internally (with MAS and its subsidiaries)”, pending an official public announcement.

Continue reading at: Firefly begins silent cancellation in Sarawak, leaving passengers and tour operators fuming

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Website to promote Sabah to international travellers

KOTA KINABALU: The world’s leading hotel manager and market leader in Europe, Accor, has launched its Destination-Malaysia Sabah website at accorhotels.com/sabah, to promote Sabah to international travellers and existing Accor customers who are new to the destination.

The company which operates in 90 countries with 145,000 employees, is aiming to increase visitors to Malaysia, particularly in Sabah through cross referrals and digital multimedia content collaboration with the relevant authorities.

Accor vice president Gerard Guillouet in an opening speech said this during the launching at Novotel, 1 Borneo Hypermall yesterday.

“This website has been designed to constantly provide updated information, in partnership with both Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia to the Internet users so that informed decisions can be made as to their travel itineraries.

“It is my earnest wish that Accor and the Sabah state government become synonymous in the world of tourism so that we can jointly work towards truly making Sabah a must-see on the global tourism map,” said Guillouet

He added that Sabah and its tourist assets are renowned worldwide and is aptly reflected by the increasing number of direct flights to the city from the various cities in the region as well as the rapidly growing numbers of tourist arrivals to Sabah.

Accor is delighted to partner with Sabah Tourism Board and Tourism Malaysia in working very closely to constantly push the tourism agenda to new heights.

He said the successful partnership was evident in the four hotels that currently have operations in Malaysia, namely Novotel 1Borneo in the city, Pullman Kuching, Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside and Novotel Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

The success of these ventures, he said, had encouraged the company to expand its network of hotels with three more projects that are soon to be opened in the near future.

Continue reading at: Website to promote Sabah to international travellers

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MASwings eyeing to become household name in Sabah and Sarawak

KUCHING: MASwings aspires to be a household brand for the people of Sabah and Sarawak.

The community airline had held many activities in the past five months to position MASwings as an airline that serves the need of the people in Sabah and Sarawak.

“Being a community airline, I realise the importance of MASwings to the people of Sabah and Sarawak. Therefore, I tell MASwings employees that they really need to perform to serve the people in Sabah and Sarawak,” said the managing director of MASwing Datuk Capt Mohd Nawawi Awang during MAS and MASwings Raya open house at Hilton Kuching Hotel yesterday.

He revealed that 85 per cent of Maswings staff from Sabah and Sarawak. Out of 1,300, some 1,100 employees are from both states.

Capt Mohd Nawawi said he understood the difficulties faced by the people in rural places such as Bario and Ba Kelalan in getting from one place to another.

With MASwings as the lifeline for the people in the interior, he said the community airline looks forward to playing its role in serving the interior communities in Sabah and Sarawak, even with the limited equipment it has — 10 ATR aircrafts and four Twin Otters.

Besides serving the people of Sabah and Sarawak, Capt Mohd Nawawi said MASwings also aspires to expand beyond the shores of Sabah and Sarawak to position itself for the future.

“When I came in to lead the company five months ago, I realised I’m in the privileged position to take the airline into the future. When I came on board in April, my first task was to expand into BIMP-Eaga.

“Initially, our target was to start our operations in July and I thought three months down the road I could start our first operation into BIMP Eaga,” he said.

Continue reading at: MASwings eyeing to become household name in Sabah and Sarawak

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Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari to be an annual April affair

KAPIT: The Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari will be permanently held every April from next year.

Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said the event should be held consistently at the same time.

“We need to fix the date and the month for the international raft race to be held so as to attract more participation both locally and from outside,” he said when officiating at a dialogue at Rumah Ajai recently.

He pointed out that the change of date this year could be why the number of teams dropped from 41 last year to 27 this time round.

“Perhaps the decline in the number of participants could be due to the frequent changes of the date for the competition as they had prepared themselves for the competiti on that is expected to be held in April.

“The safari should have been carried out in April this year, however it was postponed to July to give way to the state election. Unfortunately, the date was again postponed to September,” he said adding that the raft safari aims to promote Kapit as a tourism destination for nature, adventure and culture.

During the event, Masing also announced a grant of RM5,000 for the Rumah Ajai women’s bureau.

Meanwhile, when officiating at the second transit point of the raft race at Rumah Anding, Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo said the competition had helped foster closer ties among participants and longhouse communities.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari to be an annual April affair

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Rehabilitation of orangutans in Sabah bears fruit

KOTA KINABALU: Several images of orang-utans building nests in replanted trees were captured by WWF-Malaysia in the newly restored degraded area at the northern part of Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve (NUS), Lahad Datu, where efforts to rehabilitate wildlife habitat were initiated by Sabah Forestry Department (SFD).

These efforts give hope that the wildlife population in this degraded forest will increase before long.

Datuk Sam Mannan, the director of Sabah Forestry Department, expressed contentment upon seeing that the reforestation efforts are helping the orang-utans in NUS.

He also mentioned that the best for the survival of this species is to have well-managed forests as a home.

A mixture of native tree species were planted in NUS with the aim of enhancing quality of wildlife habitat and food sources, especially for the orang-utans.

“The declaration of restoration efforts in Ulu Segama Malua Forest Reserve on March 15, 2006 is strategically linked to the largest endangered population of the Bornean orang-utan, subspecies Pongo pygmaeus morio, in Sabah,” said Sam.

The Ulu Segama-Malua Sustainable Forest Management, covering an area of 241,098 hectares (ha), was initiated by the state government and is jointly managed by SFD and Yayasan Sabah (YS) for the conservation and rehabilitation of habitat for endangered wildlife.

SFD has partnered WWF-Malaysia in reforestation efforts within 2,400 ha of the NUS area since 2008.

WWF-Malaysia chief technical officer (Borneo programme) Dr Rahimatsah Amat was delighted to see that the orang-utan conservation efforts in NUS were bearing fruit.

“The orang-utan is the largest arboreal (tree-living) animal in the world. They spend most of their time in trees; feeding, sheltering and travelling through the forest canopy from one tree to another. Without trees, it would be difficult for orang-utans to survive.”

Thus, his hope is to see orang-utans continue utilising the restored forest area, which has more replanted trees for food, shelter and travel.

“We’re already seeing some really exciting results from our research and monitoring team, reporting evidence of much wildlife starting to return to the restored areas of the degraded forest. Not just orang-utans but also other wildlife such as clouded leopard, sun bear and many more endangered species

There was a herd of wild Borneo pygmy elephants that passed through our reforestation site early this year but fortunately, they didn’t cause any major damage to the replanted trees. On the other hand, the elephants have left their dung at the replanted site as a tremendous natural fertiliser,” added Dr Rahimatsah.

A video clip of an orangutan swinging on replanted trees at WWF Malaysia’s Youtube site can be viewed below:

Continue reading at: Rehabilitation of orangutans in Sabah bears fruit
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Riot of colour and culture expected at Baram Regatta

MIRI: Marudi will be a riot of colour and culture when the people of the Baram Basin don traditional costumes to showcase their rich cultural heritage in Baram Regatta 2011.

The historic regatta dating back over a century was a peace-making event to mark the end of tribal wars and headhunting.

Organising chairman Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, who is also Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supplies) and Marudi assemblyman said the Baram Regatta would be an opportunity to showcase the cultural uniqueness of the people.

“I call on the people of Baram – Orang Ulu, Chinese, Iban, Malay and other communities – to come deck out in their traditional costumes on Oct 1-2 as this is the time to showcase our ethnicity and identity,” he said.

The carnival-like atmosphere will descend on Marudi, also known as Claude Town in the colonial days.

The carnival kicks off with the Baram Idol singing competition at Marudi town square on Oct 28; the semi-finals will be held the following night together with the finals of the sape competition.

Miss Baram Beauty Contest preliminary rounds will kick off on Sept 30 while Baram Idol champion would be decided the same night from the seven finalists in the 1Malaysia Cultural Nite programe.

The remote controlled boat competition and trade expo would be held during the day.

On Oct 1 morning, Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Mohamad Salahuddin will officiate at the opening of the 104th edition of the Baram Regatta as paddlers battle for glory in the Baram River.

Continue reading at: Riot of colour and culture expected at Baram Regatta

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AirAsia-MAS tie-up offers growth opportunities for Sarawak's Hornbill Skyways

KUCHING: Hornbill Skyways sees great potential in helicopter services in Sarawak following the Malaysia Airline-AirAsia collaboration.

Although AirAsia and MAS’ Firefly flights are affordable there is already public anxiety as to whether they (people) are still going to enjoy the cheap fare.

“Although Hornbill Skyways may find that the plan is capital and labour-intensive, they must also see it as a business venture worth pursuing and a great social obligation to Sarawakians. We can’t deny the fact that the majority of the people still want affordable air fares,” Dato Ahmad Ibrahim, an entrepreneur said when met recently.

He proposed that Hornbill Skyways look into the suggestion because “if realised it will become a pride for Sarawakians”.

“It would be great if Sarawakians take up this venture because we can then have our own airline. Besides, it will create more jobs.”

Ahmad, however, said that to realise this dream, Hornbill Skyways would have to expand, diversify into airline service provider and increase its fleet and manpower from time to time to be more effective.

He acknowledged that such venture and running an airline company would need massive investment and capital.

Sarawak Tourism Board CEO Datuk Rashid Khan meanwhile believed that MAS’ collaboration with AirAsia would not adversely affect the state’s tourism sector.

“The airline would continue to support the state tourism industry,” he said, adding that a new
airline would emerge following the MAS-AirAsia collaboration.

On talks that Firefly was downsizing and cancelling flights and routes in the wake of the collaboration, Rashid said he would talk in detail about the implication of cancelled routes in the next few days.

On the suggestion that Hornbill Skyways should venture into airline business, he said the company would need huge capital to see it through.

Social activist Datuk Anthony Nait said it would take great political will to see the helicopter service provider take the challenge.

“Besides, huge capital is needed to run an airline company. But if Hornbill Skyways really wants it and successfully realises the plan, then we can say it is our pride,” he said.

State Democratic Action Party (DAP) treasurer Violet Yong who is also Pending assemblywoman said there must be some good reasons for routes to be cancelled.

On the cancellation of Firefly’s Kuching-Johor route (now) and the Kuching-Kuala Lumpur on Oct 31, Yong said if the routes were not attractive enough they were bound to be cancelled.

Since airline business and tourism sector are usually interlinked, miscommunication between MAS and the state tourism players could be a factor.

Continue reading at: AirAsia-MAS tie-up offers growth opportunities for Sarawak's Hornbill Skyways

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Japan & Philippines Tighten Defense Ties for Spratlys

Bolstering defense Japan - Philippines

Japan and the Philippines agreed on during the visit of the Philippines' president to Japan September 27, 2011 to strengthen maritime security ties, while also underscoring the importance of preserving peace and stability in the West Philippines Sea (South China Sea) amid rising tensions with China.

China has pronounced many times that they owned everything the in West Philippines Sea that worries other tiger economies in Asia such as Japan & South Korea which major of their trades are passing the world's most busiest sea in the West Philippines Sea and South China Sea – Spratlys archipelago.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and the Philippines President Benigno Aquino III met, on a four-day visit to Japan. Japanese Prime Minister told reporters that the two sides committed to bolstering "cooperation between coastguards and defense-related authorities."

A joint statement said bilateral ties have evolved from friendly relations to a "strategic partnership," and called for more collaboration on "regional and global issues of mutual concern and interest." The two countries also agreed to conduct frequent discussions on defense at more senior levels and increase the number of Japan Coast Guard missions to help train their Philippines counterparts.

Although the agreement does not directly mention China, it is a major symbolic step toward a multilateral consensus in Asia on dealing with increasing territorial friction with China.

China maintain its claim to the whole West Philippines Sea & South China Sea  with its 9 dotted map inspite of criticism of the ASEAN neighbor with 200 Nautical Miles Exclusive Economic Zone claim in the sea.

The Philippines and China both lay claim to the Spratly Islands; an archipelago in the West Philippines Sea and South China Sea that geologists think may lie atop significant oil and gas deposits and rumored to be the 4^th largest oil and gas deposit in the world. Philippines' officials have accused Chinese vessels of hindering oil and gas exploration in a portion of the waters known as Recto Bank (Reed Bank) which is just few kilometers off Palawan Province – Philippines says this is not part of the disputed areas. Vietnam, which also claims part of the Spratly chain, has likewise complained of China's increasingly assertive claims in the region.

China's Fishing Vessel tactics

China has been noticed by the neighbors that they are using fishing vessel tactics which equipped with high powered weapon to enter other waters. Japan learned from China's tactic after China invaded the Mischief Reef few kilometers off Palawan province of the Philippines using the fishermen vessel to erect a fishermen shelter then later converted it into a Military Garrison even inside the Philippines territory.

In 2011 alone, Japan intercepted Chinese Fishing vessel entering their waters. Moreover, Indonesia's coastguard also arrested Chinese entering their seas using a fishing vessel.

The recent issue that escalate tension between Vietnam and China happened also this year when Chinese fishing vessel cut the cable of the Petro Vietnam, a Vietnam Government Owned Oil exploration which china alibi as it is just a Chinese Fishing vessel and mistakenly drag the cable but later admitted that Vietnam is illegally operating in the area as they said its owned and they do not violated any law and they are not invading.

The Philippines didn't escape from China's harassment. China harassed Filipino Fishermen in the Philippines Waters saying to leave the area because it belongs to china, then another incident happened when China fired the Filipino Fishermen in the Palawan Sea and put markers in the Island and waters in Palawan shore.

Japan too, has seen its relations with China strained by a territorial dispute, this one over islands in the East China Sea. A war of words broke out between Beijing and Tokyo last autumn following the arrest of a Chinese fishing crew by the Japanese coast guard, and the year since has brought a series of incursions by Chinese ships into the disputed waters. Mr. Noda earlier this month voiced concern over China's military build-up and increased maritime activity near Japan.

The agreement between Japan and the Philippines stresses the two countries' shared interests, bringing the similar but separate maritime squabbles with China under a larger cooperative umbrella.

"The peaceful settlement of disputes serves the interests of the two countries and the whole region," said the joint statement, signed by both leaders. Japan and the Philippines "share the recognition that these same interests should also be advanced and protected in the West Philippines Sea and South China Sea."

Responding to the Japan-Philippines meeting, China's foreign ministry on Tuesday (September 27, 2011) reiterated its claim to the disputed waters in the South China Sea.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and surrounding waters of the South China Sea," said ministry spokesman Hong Lei in Beijing.

Regardless of many criticisms, China never leaves the phrases; "we owned everything" & "China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and surrounding waters". Philippines Challenged China to bring the disputes to the United Nations to end it but China refused and said we are only open to bilateral settlement not to the United Nations. 

The next ASEAN tiger cited by Asia Inc & Business leader could be the Philippines

The Philippines has a most unique economy in the world which is highly dependent on domestic consumption that drives their economy that could be hardly hit for any possible global economic recession. Inspite of rich resources, Philippines did not rely on exports to drive a better and fast forward economy.

The Philippines now tagged with fresh opportunities in Asia, boosting and high grades gold mining, boosting of oil and gas exploration,  good political leader,  revived confidence from global investors and now named as to be Asia’s next tiger economy, potentially regaining the glory lost decades ago, according to a visiting regional business leader from Brunei.

Dato Timothy Ong, a leading Brunei businessman who founded and now chairs regional dialogue platform Asia Inc. Forum, said in a press briefing on last September 26, 2011 that he has seen signs that the Philippines could return to its goal of being the next Asian tiger despite staying at the bottom half of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in terms of economic performance for years.

Ong is also the convener of ASEAN 100 Leadership Forum, which will be hosted by the city of Makati on Sept. 28-29, 2011 at the Makati Shangri-La. This year’s ASEAN meet aims to foster insightful and intelligent discussions on the future of ASEAN and how the region can emerge as one of the world’s significant economic blocs.

According to Dato Timothy  Ong, the Philippines can join the ranks of Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong, the so-called Asian “tiger” economies or newly industrializing countries. He cited five reasons why the country, though a “dark horse,” or a sick man in Asia had the makings of the next move to be the next “tiger.”

The Chair of the regional dialogue platform Asia Inc. Forum cited 5 following reasons why the Philippines could be the next ASEAN Tiger as:

1.      The new leadership under President Aquino has promised to weed out corruption in the country, which has been creating a lot of optimism. It’s widely perceived that the high level of corruption in the country has driven up the cost of doing business.

2.      Mr. Ong said that the Philippines’ would be vast pool of hardworking professionals and skilled manpower, many of whom have been deployed across the globe. “With this wealth of human resources, it’s important to ask then why the Philippines aren’t more successful economically,” he said. Many countries had been dependent on Filipino Professionals and skilled workers to drive their economy like for example banning the Filipino to work in Taiwan will paralyze the Taiwan’s economy. Banning the Filipino to work in the Middle-east might paralyze their economy. Deporting Filipinos in (North Borneo) Sabah might paralyze the Sabah’s economy which the world knew how important the human resources are.  The continues development in the other north Asian countries had been dependent on Filipino skilled workers like for example the Billion Dollar projects of Korea’s builder Hyundai Engineering in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan which been dependent on Overseas Filipino Workers as highly skilled which the builder could not outsource such kinds from the local man power pool in the 2 ‘stan countries. Many Leading fortune 200 companies in the world are talents hungry but the Philippines have vast and awashing man power pool. Many countries take advantage of Filipinos for not just for cheap labor but also trustworthy multi-tasker and English speaker that could compete globally.

3.      The third factor would be the Philippines’ “centers of excellence,” Ong said, noting that the country has become a competitive hub for business process outsourcing. He likened the Makati central business district to a “First World” city in a Third World country.  “If the Philippines is capable of being first world in these centers of excellence, why can’t it be First World in every respect?” he said.

4.      Ong said the fourth reason would be the Philippines’ homegrown companies that were at par with the world’s best.  He cited fast-food giant Jollibee Foods Corp., international port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. and the Ayala group of companies. “There is a sense of optimism that characterizes the country as a whole.  As the new government takes its steps in leading the country towards change, it may be able to experience higher standards of governance,” he said.

5.      Finally, Ong noted the Philippines’ “sharply improving competitiveness” as another factor supporting its aspiration to be the next tiger economy. He cited recent reports that the Philippines had jumped 10 notches to 75 from 85 in the latest ranking of the World Economic Forum. Ong said this happened only within the first 15 months of the term of the new president.

Meanwhile, Ong said ASEAN would likely partly meet its target to establish an integrated economic community by 2015.

“A One ASEAN is important for our collective future to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and economic stability in the region; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in economic, social, cultural, technical and administrative spheres,” Ong said.

“At the moment, Southeast Asia is like a big gated community where neighbors barely know each other. They know each other by name, they exchange pleasantries but they wouldn’t really go out of their way to have dinner at each other’s house,” he said.

Once integrated, he said, ASEAN could be a very influential bloc as it could become Asia’s third-largest economy next to China and Japan and the ninth-largest in the world.

The Philippines hinting to be a the second ASEAN tiger is so closed to achieve.

Firefly pullout will dampen Sarawak target of four million tourist arrivals

KUCHING: Firefly’s impending pullout from Sarawak before the yearend may mean that the targeted four million foreign tourist arrivals, a figure set by state authorities earlier this year, is unlikely to be achieved.

This is according to Sarawak Tourism Federation, an umbrella association for the private sector, which said the pullout would be a huge setback for the industry, coming just months after Royal Brunei Airlines closed its Kuching-Brunei route.

Federation president Audry Wan Ullok said Firefly’s high flight frequency – up to seven times daily between Kuching and Kuala Lumpur – plus the high load factor of about 70% would be a big gap to fill.

“My feeling is we will really start to feel the impact (of Firefly’s possible pullout) during the year-end school holiday,” Audry told The Star here yesterday.

“Domestic tourists make up a very big part of our industry. Because of that, cheap airfares have always been an important ingredient of Sarawak’s tourism.

“As for non-Malaysian tourists, they have to transit because of lack of direct flights. Travel expenses to Sarawak are a big part of tourist budgets. Often times, travelling costs more than accommodation.”

Last year, about 3.2 million tourists came to Sarawak, out of which 1.4 million were domestic travellers.

Peninsular Malaysians made up about 747,000, and Sabahans about 625,000.

Non-Malaysian arrivals were just over 1.9 million, with Bruneians making up about 1.19 million.

For 2011, arrivals in Sarawak was increasing. Year-to-date arrivals growth had been around 20%, with the rate of non-Malaysian arrivals increasing faster than domestic travellers.

Continue reading at: Firefly pullout will dampen Sarawak target of four million tourist arrivals

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Firefly’s Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route scrapped

KUCHING: Firefly, the two-year-old affordable wing of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), has cancelled its second route between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, with more cancellations likely.

The airline has ceased to sell Kuching-Kuala Lumpur tickets for flights after Oct 31 on its website, and tour agents are aware of the cancellation.

Firefly’s Kuching ticketing office yesterday said, ticket holders for flights beginning Nov 1 “will most likely be put onboard MAS”.

“That is most probably what will happen.

“That is what we are telling ticket holders for now. We are not sure of anything at this point.

“A new (flight) schedule has not been released,” said the ticketing office personnel, who declined to be named as he was not authoritised to speak on the matter.

The Kuching-Kuala Lumpur cancellation comes after Kuching-Johor was cancelled on Sept 15.

Firefly was flying three routes between Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia (and with high frequency) around mid year.

The only Firefly route left for Sarawak is between Sibu-Kuala Lumpur.

Firefly’s website is still selling tickets for those flights.

However, a well-placed source within MAS’ Sarawak management said yesterday that Firefly’s online ticket sales “should not be considered as an indicator of flight availability”.

“My staff and I have been told to wait for an internal announcement (that will come) by the end of this week,” the senior staff said. “We think it will be regarding the route rationalisation. Stage by stage the Firefly flights are taken off one sector at a time.”

The Malaysian aviation industry is undergoing its most extensive flight rationalisation exercise in recent weeks. This follows the surprise announcement of a MAS-AirAsia shareswap deal in August.

Since then, it has been an open secret that Firefly’s jet aircraft routes would be scrapped. Media reports have said it was not a matter of “if” but “when”.

Sarawak Tourism Federation president Audry Wan Ullok, when asked about this yesterday, said talk was that Firefly would cease all jet aircraft routes by November.

She said the deal to end such a large portion of Firefly’s operations – this is according to her sources in the state Tourism and Heritage Ministry – was brokered and finalised over the recent Hari Raya.

Continue reading at: Firefly’s Kuching-Kuala Lumpur route scrapped
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Huge potential for Pelagus Rapids as adventure tourism destination

KAPIT: Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit sees a great potential for Pelagus Rapids to be developed and promoted as an adventure tourism destination, especially for white water rafting.

“Pelagus Rapids is the icon of the Kapit tourism industry when properly developed. Since the impoundment of Bakun HEP, the river landscape has drastically changed. The numerous islands in the middle of the river and white water are excellent for river cruise. The strong current at the rapids is perfect for white water safari like kayaking,” he said.

This was his comment when approached by pressmen who followed him on a speed boat ride to the Pelagus Rapids on Sunday afternoon.

He was accompanied by Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi, Kapit Resident Dahim Nadot, his deputy Mohd Ikhmal Abdullah, Kapit District Officer Simon Japut Tiok, Song District Officer Galong Luang, heads of government departments and community leaders who travelled in a convoy of speed boats.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Huge potential for Pelagus Rapids as adventure tourism destination

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Food Security in Brunei Darussalam

[The Oxford Business Group reported the following news about Brunei on 27 September 2011.]



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Food Security in Brunei Darussalam


Brunei Darussalam is ramping up efforts to increase its rice harvest – seen as core to its policy of strengthening food security – turning to newly developed high-yield grains and improved technology to raise production, though it will be some years before

Royal Dutch Shell Plc toplist the Philippines as Investment priority

Royal Dutch Shell- Shell Philippines Exploration BV is interested to invest another $1 billion to increase the production of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project off Palawan and announced earlier that it would pursue its Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Project in the Philippines. Shell Philippines vice president for communication Roberto S. Kanapi said there are opportunities for investment and expansion, unlike in the past when the Philippines was placed on low priority.

OIL AND GAS: The fifth largest company in the World - Royal Dutch Shell Plc has placed the Philippines in its investment map as it sees growth opportunities in the country.

The Royal Dutch Shell plc commonly known as Shell is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world (and the second-largest energy company) according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six oil and gas "Super Majors". It is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading. It also has major renewable energy activities, including in biofuels, hydrogen, solar and wind power.

Shell has operations in over 90 countries including the Philippines and produces around 3.1 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and has 44,000 service stations worldwide

On a press conference in the Philippines, Shell V-President for communication Roberto S. Kanapi told reporters that there were opportunities for investment and expansion in the Philippines, unlike in the past when the Philippines were placed on its low priority.

“Increasing demands, opening of several areas for oil and gas exploration and strengthen competition makes the industry exciting as the Philippines untapped resources opens its gate for early birds. Shell did not show any details yet but putting the Philippines for their high priority of investments might say there are lots of things to happen soon... There are plans for Shell in the Philippines as saw that the Philippines is an attractive market and a growing market at that. And I think the change in governance also helped a lot,” Kanapi explained.

“As for the cases we are facing, we will go to courts with that and that is part of doing business in the Philippines, but we are prepared for that. We are looking more into the opportunities than the threats,” he added.

The Shell Companies in the Philippines is now in the process of completing a study that will determine the next steps for its refinery in Tabangao, Batangas—as to whether it will be expanded or upgraded to cater to the increasing local demand.

Kanapi said that they expected to complete the study next year in 2012. The decision to list Shell on the local bourse would also largely hinge on the results of the study, he added.

Royal Dutch Shell, through its upstream unit Shell Philippines Exploration BV, is likewise showing interest  to invest another $1 billion to increase the production and extend the life of the Malampaya deepwater gas-to-power project off Palawan.

SPEX, along with other consortium members Chevron and PNOC Exploration Corporation, plans to invest about $250 million for the second phase of the Malampaya project, which will entail the drilling and development of two additional wells. This is expected to be completed by February 2014. Another $750 million will be invested for the third phase, which will involve the installation of a new platform where additional equipment and facilities will be housed by December 2015.

“The projects, entailing new investments, are seen to further benefit the Philippines in energy self-sufficiency and government revenues and will continue to be a major source of power for Luzon’s energy requirements in the years to come,” SPEX said.

Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Plc has also expressed interest in participating in the liquefied natural gas program of the government.

Edgar Chua, country chairman for Shell Companies in the Philippines, had said that the company was interested in becoming a supplier of LNG as well as in putting up the necessary infrastructure, including the “regasification” facility and pipelines which required huge investments.

Mr. Chua did not indicate if Shell would be interested in bidding for the proposed 100 kilometer Batangas-Manila natural gas pipeline that will require as much as $1.3 Billion Dollars in investment of which $500 million will go to the construction of the pipeline while another $700 million to $800 million will be needed for the “regasification” facility and the receiving LNG terminal.

Chua only noted that Shell would likely look for other potential local partners for its planned foray into the Philippine LNG industry.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc announced earlier that it would pursue its Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Project in the Philippines.

Sarawak tourism a holistic task

KUCHING: Sarawak’s approach to tourism is a calculated and holistic endeavour that is being delivered in stages to ensure that it is sustainable and on-going in the long term.

In its play, the state’s tourism chief wanted to attract Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) investors to help finance an enclave in Sarawak dedicated to everything Middle Eastern and enhance the state’s lure for Arab tourists.

Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Minister of Tourism and Heritage Sarawak said the state must convinced Middle Eastern tourists who visited Malaysia to include Sarawak in their plans. One way would be to build them a holiday enclave that made them feel at home.

“Currently, Sarawak lacks the infrastructure to cater for Middle East tourists, who have specific needs,” Abang Johari was quoted as saying

in the upcoming edition of the Inside Sarawak 2011 investment report.

“Who better to develop this area than investors from the Middle East who know the market. If I had my way, I would bring Middle Eastern entrepreneurs to invest in Sarawak and build an enclave where every need of Gulf tourists is fulfilled.

“So, these visitors will not only enjoy doing the things they like to do during vacations but also get to see the natural beauty and environment of Sarawak,” he added.

Abang Johari said that the rainforests and Sarawak’s multicultural society and heritage would always be its strengths in terms of attracting tourists. With inside Sarawak targeting GCC investors, he said Middle Eastern visitors need more. They prefered to travel in family groups and liked to eat Middle Eastern food.

In addition, he said, tourists from the Gulf countries were not used to chilling out at a resort or hotel. They wanted to shop or visit an amusement park.

Abang Johari further said the resort province of Miri and greater Kuching area were ideal locations to build an enclave dedicated to Middle Eastern visitors.

“We are fortunate that Sarawak is big,” he said. “We can have enclaves for visitors from the Middle East, Chinese tourists and Western tourists, among others and these different market segments can interact with each other as well.”

Continue reading at: Sarawak tourism a holistic task
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Hikot - Pinoy Social Network in its full blown like Facebook

Pinoy’s Social - Hikot aims to be better than Facebook

After the launching of the Philippines’ pride social network last February 14, 2011, it suddenly lost in space as their upgrade takes so long that deletes all existing accounts but recently their site, Http://www.hikot.com shows it full blown and perfect network; with a big congratulations aura in their recent upgrade.

We have tried to contact the administration of the Hikot if this is their full and final blown but until now, they did didn’t comment back. The recent look of the hikot is closely the same with Facebook but it shows more sophistication and dynamic feature which could not be found in Facebook. With this recent version of Hikot, it seems that they are trying to compete with Facebook’s global market shares of users.

The concept of hikot.com is not just a social network but also a market place where you could sell your products, post jobs, seek jobs, with interesting forum which you could like and would appear in your feed and a very sophisticated site which links to Facebook and twitter. They also a very dynamic site which you could post tourist spots, places, company, product or even promote yourself to find a better career.

The sociability of the Filipinos will never fade and it is a Filipino culture. Before the existence of social network site like Friendster and Facebook or even Hikot; Filipinos are already sociable reasons why the Philippines become the TEXT or SMS Capital of the World which is now added another title as the Philippines is the Social Network Capital of the World. Filipinos are willing to spend times just to be connected with their love ones from anywhere in the world. For more than 9 Million Filipinos living abroad which keep connected to their family and relatives in the Philippines; Social Network like Hikot or Facebook is really needed. From the old system of postal mail, to MIRC in 1990’s YM & (Yahoo Messenger) to SMS / TEXT and Email in 2000’ now it is Social Network Generation.

Though Hikot is still new in the Social Network industry, they are trying to do their best to gain percentage of users from around Asia as they commented on their launching last February 14, a heart’s day in 2011.

Hikot shows features which even better than Facebook. Compare to Facebook, Hikot features the following which could not be found in Facebook:

1.      Forum (A free forum which open to discuss anything under the sun which linked to the user’s feed and activity)

2.      Marketplace (A free classified feature which users could post jobs, seek jobs, sell products services which would appear in their activity and feeds)

3.      Blog (A Specialized feature by Hikot which could not be found in Facebook)

4.      Polls and Quizzes

Facebook and Hikot similarities;

1.      Notification bubble.  Facebook and Hikot share the same features. This will bubble up to notify user for an incoming message,  add friend request, and other online activity and feeds which notify the user while online.

2.      Live Chat Feature. Hikot and Facebook have the same features f Live chat

3.      Photo viewing, tagging and liking features. Hikot and facebook share the same concept but Hikot expanded its feature by liking it to the Twitter and Facebook. Once you will like in hikot’s photo it will appear in Facebook if you Hikot nad Facebook accounts are interconnected. 

4.      Commenting feeds. Like Facebook, Hikot offer the same features

5.      Other features are almost in common except for the features which exist in Hikot and not in Facebook.

Kapit comes alive with water-themed fiesta

KAPIT: Once again this sleepy town has come alive with the annual crowd-pullers – Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari, Power Boat Races, Kayak 1Malaysia races, and a mini-carnival.

The town has been beaming at its seams the past couple of days with people from nearby longhouses who were eager to witness the potpourri of colourful and exhilarating events which started last Thursday and ends today. Yesterday being a public holiday — official birthday of the Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Muhammad Salahuddin, also gave the crowd size a shot in the arm.

The raft safari, which took place on the Baleh and Rajang Rivers, was a two-day spectacle over an arduous distance of 60km. It started on Friday with Rumah Ajai in Nanga Senuang, Sungai Majau as the starting point and Rumah Anding in Nanga Sepuna, Mujong, as the ‘transit’ point (a distance of 40km). Minister of Land Development Tan Sri Dr James Masing flagged off the race which ended at Rumah Anding for day one.

Yesterday, Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo flagged off the second day of the raft safari at Rumah Anding, which is some 20km from the finishing point at Kapit Wharf.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Datuk James Mamit will officiate at the power boat races today at the Kapit Waterfront, while the Kayak 1Malaysia event is left to Assistant Minister of Tourism and Heritage Datuk Mong Dagang.

The mini carnival, which was centred at the Town Square from last Thursday till today was officiated at by Kapit MP Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi. Among the highlights of the carnival were children singing competition for kids aged 12 years and below, karaoke contest, ‘live band’ presentation, safari beauty pageant, traditional sports, exhibition booths, ‘pua kumbu’ competitions, beadworks, handicrafts and sale of traditionally-baked cakes.

These annual event are jointly organised by Kapit Division Tourism Task Group , Ministry of Tourism and Heritage, Sarawak Tourism Board , Ministry of Tourism, and Malaysian Tourism and Promotion Board.

The raft safari, which was first held in 1996, has always been more than a mere test of endurance and navigational skills.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Kapit comes alive with water-themed fiesta

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Proboscis Monkeys cling to precious habitat in Brunei

Unlike in other parts of Borneo where the Proboscis monkeys
are found in sanctuaries or reserves, the colony of
Proboscis monkeys in Brunei lives relatively close to civilisation

Some groups of Proboscis monkeys live near their human neighbours

Tour operator taking visitors to the monkeys' habitat

Photos courtesy of and Copyright to Mohammad Abdullah and
Brunei Press Sdn Bhd.

By Mohammad Abdullah

There are many species of animals found only in Borneo, and one such animal known locally as the "Burak" or "Bekantan" (Proboscis monkey) is one of the best kept secrets in Brunei Darussalam.

I once spied on a colony of Proboscis monkeys during an eco-tour in Sabah in 2002. Little did I know that we, in Brunei Darussalam, have our own colony of rare long-nosed pot-bellied celebrities which are also known as 'Orang Belanda' (Dutchman) due to their long nose and pot belly.

It was only a few years ago that Brunei ventured into eco-tourism and started tours to view these magnificent unique creatures literally in our own backyard.

Unlike in Sabah and other parts of the island of Borneo where the Proboscis monkeys are found in sanctuaries or reserves, the colony in Brunei lives relatively close to civilisation. In fact, some houses built close to the banks of mangrove swamps regularly get visits from the Dutchman. Making these endangered animals an almost permanent fixture in these residential areas, co-existing peacefully with their human neighbours.

These endangered animals are largely restricted to living in coastal areas and along rivers where they live only in lowland habitats such as coastal and riparian habitat, many of which are flooded by tides. It prefers dipterocarp forests, mangrove forests and riverine forests.

This species is rarely found more than a kilometre from water sources. It is perhaps the most aquatic of the primates and is a fairly good swimmer, capable of swimming up to 20m. It is known to swim across rivers.

Proboscis monkeys generally live in groups consisting of an adult male, some adult females and their offspring. Other groups also exist such as all-male groups. There are some individuals that are solitary, most of which are males.

The Proboscis monkey is assessed as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and listed in Appendix I of CITIES. Its total population has decreased by more than 50 per cent in the 36-40 years to 2008 due to ongoing habitat loss and hunting in some areas.

Brunei's Proboscis monkeys are no different. Though they are not hunted, their habitat is endangered due to expanding residential areas and urban development, which threaten the mangrove forests.

Unless we do something to help preserve these animals by creating a reserve or sanctuary, then we are sure to lose one of Brunei's rare treasures.

To view these magnificent creatures, just pop down to the jetty and take one of the many tours that offer a river cruise of the Brunei River where tourists can see the Proboscis monkeys in their habitat.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend
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Proboscis monkey survives by a nose

VISITORS to Borneo come face to face with a monkey that has to be seen to be believed.

The endangered proboscis monkey is very hard to keep in captivity, so most people have never seen one in real life - unless they have been to the island.

The big-nosed monkeys live alongside orang-utans and are facing much the same threats, such as land clearing for palm oil plantations. Tourism can also disrupt the monkeys' natural social behaviour, feeding and breeding.

Dr Heather Leasor, of the Australian National University, studied threats to the proboscis monkey population for her PhD.

"I just find them fascinating, their social interactions with each other, their odd faces, the group dynamics," she said. "They are quite charismatic. Not everybody thinks so. They think they look odd and weird. But I think they're majestic and beautiful too."

She compared her observations of monkeys in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and surrounds with those recorded by other researchers more than a decade earlier, before tourism and palm oil plantations took off.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Proboscis monkey survives by a nose

Recommended Proboscis Monkey Tours in Sabah:

• Klias River Cruise
• Kota Belud Wetlands Usukan Cove
• Kinabatangan Ox-Bow Lake

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More visitors from Manila to Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: An additional flight between Manila and here resulted in an increase in the number of passengers in the first six months of this year as compared to a similar period in 2010.

The thrice weekly connection between the two destinations saw the number of passengers grow from 12,800 between January and June in 2010 to 16,200 passengers during the same period this year, an increase of 27 per cent.

According to Cebu Air Inc. corporate communication specialist Michelle Eve De Guzman, the number of passengers from Manila to Kuala Lumpur (KL) also saw an increase of 31 per cent, from 58,000 in the first six months last year to 76,000 during similar period this year.

“Realising the increase, Cebu Pacific, the largest national flag carrier in the Philippines, decided to increase its direct flights between Manila-KL to 14 flights weekly beginning January 8 next year. This means there will be two flights daily between the routes,” she said.

To date, Cebu Pacific has 10 flights between Manila-KL.

Speaking during a media briefing at the Sabah Tourism Board here yesterday, she added that there was no plan to increase flights or introduce new destinations between Manila and Sabah yet.

“However, eight representatives from top media organisations in the Philippines are currently in Sabah for the Cebu Pacific Backpackers Adventure Challenge. There are four teams, comprising two persons per team, who are going around Sabah to try to do the most activities within five days with a budget of RM1,000. The team with the most activities wins the challenge,” she said.

The participants will then write on the experience here and that it will be like a ‘blueprint’ for Filipinos who wish to spend their holidays in Sabah.

Continue reading at: More visitors from Manila to Sabah
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Kapit needs more dynamic tourism products

KAPIT: Kapit needs more dynamic tourism products to attract more visitors to the town.

Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Billy Abit Joo said Kapit’s tourism industry is still in its infancy and tourists do not know where to go when they visit Kapit.

Promoting Kapit’s rich natural and cultural attractions alone, he said, did not suffice.

“Come up with tourism branded products like T-shirts, souvenirs, beadwork, handicrafts, places of attraction, etc. Small items for tourists to buy for remembrance.

“In places where tourism is well-developed and successfully run, there’s always tourism products as their trademark. Also the marketing must be strategic and packaging like websites, online information centre, availability of tour guides and services, places of interest, facilities,” he said during the soft launching of the four-day Kapit Mini Carnival yesterday.

It is being held in conjunction with the two-day Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari, which begins today.

“Baleh-Kapit Raft Safari is a very important event. It’s on the Kapit calendar to promote Kapit as a premier eco-tourism destination.

Continue reading at: Kapit needs more dynamic tourism products
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the Philippines will host Asean ZoPFF-C meeting over Spratlys disputes

Bridging UNCLOS and ZoPFFC

September 22, 2011:

The Philippines will be hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Maritime Legal Experts’ Meeting this week to discuss Manila’s proposal for a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Cooperation (ZoPFF/C) in the settlement of the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) dispute.

Maritime legal experts from the 10 Asean member-states –

1.      The Philippines

2.      Brunei Darussalam

3.      Malaysia

4.      Indonesia

5.      Singapore

6.      Vietnam

7.      Cambodia

8.      Laos 

9.      Thailand

10. Myanmar–

The meeting will converge in Manila this 3^rd week of September 2011.

The meeting was based on the decision of the Asean foreign ministers during the 44th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali, Indonesia “to study the proposal with the assistance of maritime legal experts.”

“The meeting seeks to establish a common understanding among Asean member-states on the ZoPFF/C proposal,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement.

Its findings will be reported to the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting (Asean SOM), which will then make recommendations for the Asean Foreign Ministers to consider before the 19th Asean Summit in November 2011 in Bali, Indonesia.

The said meeting will be held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City (Metro Manila).

Under the Philippine-proposed ZoPFF/C, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said that disputed areas of the Spratly Islands must be segregated from the undisputed areas as consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

In this framework, disputed areas can be transformed into an area of joint cooperation while undisputed areas will solely be under the jurisdiction of a particular claimant-country.

Spratly Islands is a group of islets, reefs and atolls that are purportedly rich in oil and mineral reserves.

They are being claimed in whole by China and in part by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

The past months saw the flaring of political tensions between Beijing, Manila and Hanoi over alleged increasing Chinese military activities in the contested waters.

As the Philippine government lodged diplomatic protests over the perceived Chinese intrusions, Beijing was quick to deny the allegations.

Del Rosario said that the issue be settled under maritime international laws, and even suggested it to be brought before the United Nations-backed International Tribunal on the Law of the Seas (ITLOS).

The Asian economic powerhouse, however, remained adamant that it will only negotiate with claimant-countries in a bilateral level.

Sarawak and Kalimantan urged to work together on adventure tourism

KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu has suggested that Sarawak and Kalimantan collaborate in developing adventure tourism in the region.

He said the two states in Borneo had the potential to be among the most attractive destinations for adventure tourists from around the world.

Adventure tourism in Sarawak and Kalimantan could be divided into urban settings and interior rides or walks.

“The experience can be enriched if the tourists interact with local people. There are many ethnic groups in the interior of Sarawak and Kalimantan and their cultures are attractive components of adventure tourism,” he said at the launch of the Screensaver Photography: Kalimantan, Sarawak, Europe exhibition here on Tuesday night.

Jabu said the exchange of cultural troupes and expeditions between Sarawak and Kalimantan should be enhanced.

He said he had always enjoyed his participation in the exchange of cultural troupes between the two states over the years.

Travel through the interior of Sarawak and Kalimantan was an unforgettable experience of culture and nature, he added.

Continue reading at: Sarawak and Kalimantan urged to work together on adventure tourism

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