Sarawak’s tourist arrivals up by 30 pct

KUCHING: Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Datuk Rashid Khan yesterday refuted claims that the number of tourist arrivals in the state had dropped.

According to him, tourist arrivals had in fact increased by 30 per cent, with the bulk of them coming from the Peninsula, Brunei Darusallam and Indonesia.

“With the connectivity between Kuching and Korea, also Japan, this is our focus market to promote our tourism industry.

“For the time being, we are doing aggressive regional marketing strategy focusing our promotion in the Asian countries including India,” Rashid said.

Describing such connectivity as an investment, Rashid said he was confident that the future return would be good because Asian countries were considered a high-yield market.

He said what he hoped to see was greater collaboration between STB and industry players such as the hoteliers, tour guides and entertainment outlets in order to drive the tourism industry forward.

“Greater collaboration is our best bet to ensure continuing increase in tourist arrivals.” he told reporters at the Chinese New Year appreciation dinner for STB’s tourism partners at a restaurant here Tuesday night.

Rashid also said STB would maintain its activities in the country while working hard on regional marketing promotion despite the fragile economic growth environment in Europe and America.

He also pointed out that Sarawak was the second largest domestic market and gained about 11.5 per cent of the market share of the 90 million domestic tourists.

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Kota Kinabalu-Beaufort rail service resumes Feb 21

Kota Kinabalu: The rail service between here and Beaufort which has been disrupted for quite sometime for improvement works on the tracks will fully resume on Feb. 21.

State Railways General Manager, Hj Mohd Zain Hj Mohd Said, said to commemorate the resumption of service, the rides would be free until Feb.

27. However, commuters will still have to take the free tickets from the counters being boarding the train. "From Feb 28, there will be promotional rates until the officiating ceremony end of March," he stated.

He added there will be six services between Tanjung Aru and Beaufort as follows:

l 6.10am - Papar-Secretariat (Sembulan) l 5.10 pm - Secretariat-Papar l 7.45 am - Tg Aru-Beaufort l 11.01am - Beaufort-Tg Aru l 1.40 pm - Tg Aru-Beaufort l 4.30 pm - Beaufort-Tg Aru

From Beaufort, commuters can continue their journey onto Tenom.

The entire Tg Aru-Tenom trip will take 2 hours and 15 minutes and the coaches will run at a speed of 80km per hour compared to 50km previously.

There will be a total of 14 stations between Sembulan and Tenom, namely: Secretariat-Tg Aru-Putatan-Kinarut-Kawang-Papar-Kimanis-Bongawan-Membakut-Beaufort-Saliwangan Baru-Halogilat-Rayoh-Pangi-Tenom.

Meanwhile, Hj Zain said the railway service was introduced in Sabah (then North Borneo) by the then British North Borneo Chartered Company Limited.

"The first railway track, a distance of 32 km, was laid in 1896 and completed in 1990 , linking Weston and Beaufort.

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AirAsia’s plans for Kuching connectivity

AirAsia has announced plans to reopen Kuching as a hub and to relaunch the Kuching-Perth routh.

Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad, told reporters that this move was part of their strategy to reestablish Kuching as a regional and international air travel hub and Miri as an alternative to Brunei to make domestic and regional travel more accessible and affordable.

Currently AirAsia, the region’s largest low cost carrier, does not have landing rights in Brunei. Presently, the only direct international flight destination from and to Kuching is Singapore.

He said the move followed the successful launch of its Miri-Singapore route.

Fernandes acknowledged that in the past Kota Kinabalu has received more development but AirAsia is keen to develop Kuching and Miri as well.

He said they were confident that the Kuching-Perth route would receive a good response from the Australian market.

Fernandes also told reporters that the key for developing Kuching as a air travel hub was to have a low-cost terminal as developing new traffic – such as between Kuching and Indonesia – would be crucial for success.

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Zooming in on Sabah

Kota Kinabalu

Kota Kinabalu is situated on the tropical island of Borneo and is the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah, one of the two states of East Malaysia. Often called the 'Land below the Wind' because it lies below the typhoon belt, Sabah occupies the eastern part of North Borneo and is East Malaysia's second largest state with an area of 74,500 sq kms.

Sabah has the South China Sea on the west and the Sulu and Celebes Seas on the east. Kota Kinabalu, lies in a fertile lowland plain where most commercial and administrative activities are concentrated and is named after Mount Kinabalu, situated about 90 kilometres north-east of the city. A well known destination internationally, it is a major getaway into the state of Sabah and Borneo.

The city offers good recreational facilities and there is no dearth of leisure spots and conservation areas. Anjung Samudra is a waterfront entertainment spot in the city, speckled with restaurants, cafes, pubs and nightclubs. Tanjung Aru, located about six kilometres from the city centre has a beach stretching over two kilometres in length studded with a number of food and drink stalls.

Kota Kinabalu also plays host to one of the most popular national parks in Malaysia, the Kinabalu national park, about two hours drive from the city. The park covers an area of 754 sq kms and is made up of Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambayukon and the foothills. It has been gazetted to preserve this valuable natural environment. The mountains have a fascinating geological history, taking 'just' a million years to form.

The mighty Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in South-East Asia, is actually a granite massif that was later thrust upwards through the crust of the surface. The park offers a spectacular view of the mountain and has been assigned the status of a world heritage site by the UNESCO because of the diversity of plant and animal life.

Other sites include the state mosque in Sembulan, which is the largest mosque in Sabah and is embedded with real gold plates. The Mustapha Tower, a 30-storey glass building, supported by high-tensile steel rods, stands at 122 metres and is arguably the tallest building in Borneo.

Popular shopping spots in the city are Kompleks Karamunsing, Centre Point, Wisma Merdeka and KK Plaza. The Filipino market and the Gaya Street Sunday Market are popular for traditional handicrafts, souvenirs and food stuff.

Just outside Kota Kinabalu in the South Chinese Sea is the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park with five tropical islands - Pulua Gaya, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Sulug and Pulau Mamutik. All the islands offer refreshing opportunities for diving at the coral reefs and the swift multi-coloured tropical fish are a real visual treat.

There's lots to do in the city; for avid nature lovers, there are the rainforests to explore and for sports enthusiasts, there is always sailing along the azure blue coast. Outside the city, Crocker Range National Park, located about 70 kilometres away from the city near Keningau, is a popular spot for jungle trekking and camping.

The world's largest flower species, the rafflesia, can be found in Tambunan. A stone's throw away is the Gunung Emas Highland Resort which is another spot popular for its scenery and cool climate.

The Tuaran Crocodile Farm, about 30 kilometres north of the city, has around 1,000 crocodiles in its enclosure, making it the largest of its kind in Sabah. The newly opened Sabah Zoological and Botanical Park (Lok Kawi Wildlife Park) in Lok Kawi, about 20 kilometres south of the city, is the first zoo in Sabah. Set on a 280-acre piece of land, it is arguably the largest zoo in Malaysia.

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Semporna Islands Darwin Project's Coral Seas Roadshow

A three-week Coral Seas Roadshow in Semporna and here reached 4,000 primary pupils and adults on the importance of conserving coral reefs, said its organisers.

Audiences changed their "fear" of sharks to "admiration" when they discovered that falling coconuts have killed more people than shark attacks, the organisers claimed, in a statement.

UK-based Marine Conservation Society and the Sabah Parks conducted the outreach and awareness programme through the Semporna Islands Darwin Project (SIDP).

The roadshow team used inflatable live-size models of turtles, dolphins, sharks and humphead wrasse to highlight how humans have threatened these species and what they can do to protect them. In an interactive fashion, team members asked participants what they felt were the biggest environmental issues in their area.

Indiscriminate disposal of rubbish, especially plastic bags, was unanimously voted a very serious threat, according to the statement.

But unless and until "all work together," there is little hope of preventing the teeming reefs, world famous islands and beaches of Semporna from being "completely spoilt," teacher Datu Mustapha bin Datu A from the Humana "Lil-Babs Learning Centre" in Pulau Bum-Bum, was quoted as saying.

Mustapha argued that flooding the younger generation with insight why protecting the environment is a "must" and the adverse consequences of destructive human actions, is "vital."

The audiences learnt first hand how quickly they can turn a healthy coral reef filled with fish to a desolate marine landscape of no value to anyone, through a popular game tagged "Build Your Own Reef," where the destructive power of fish bombing and over-fishing were "graphically illustrated."

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Pai Ti Kong

Last night was the Hokkiens' Pai Ti Kong. What is it?This is an excerpt from the Chinese New Year article which I wrote for Brunei Times 31st January 2011 edition and the photograph from a blog called leafmonkey.blogspot.com who wrote about the same event in Penang in 2006:-This is the Pai Ti Kong celebrated by the Hokkien Chinese on the eve of the ninth day of the Chinese New Year. The prayers

Kinabalu Park - Important Information

By Tourism Malaysia

Kinabalu Park, the entrance to Mount Kinabalu, is located at 1,585 metres above sea level and is the main starting point for the summit trail that leads to the top of Mt Kinabalu. Its covers an area of 754 sq km and is made up of Mount Kinabalu, Mount Tambayukon and the foothills.

It was gazetted to preserve this valuable natural environment. The mountains have a fascinating geological history, taking ‘just’ a million years to form. The mighty Mount Kinabalu is actually a granite massif that was later thrust upwards through the crust of the surface.

Subsequent erosion removed thousands of feet of the overlying sand and mud stone, exposing this massif. During the Ice Age, glaciers running across the summit smoothed it out, but the jagged peaks that stood out above the ice surface remained unaffected, retaining the extremely ragged surfaces. This rugged mountain is the focal point of the National Park.

KEY TIPS

If you plan to climb the mountain, be sure to bring a head torch for the early morning climb to the summit which starts in utter darkness and cold weather gear. The summit temperatures have been known to dip to below freezing!

Climbing Mt Kinabalu is a different experience for each person, but what makes most people succeed above all, is perseverance.

HOW TO GET THERE

By Taxi

Car rentals can be arranged through major hotels in Kota Kinabalu. Taxis go to Park HQ at Ranau and take a maximum of four passengers. You can negotiate for the taxi to pick you up from Park HQ for your return if you hire the whole taxi.

By Bus

All express and minibuses between Kota Kinabalu and Ranau or Sandakan pass the park turn-off, from where it is just 100m to the Park HQ.

WHO TO CONTACT

For more information about Kinabalu Park, kindly contact their office at (+6088) - 211 881 or (+6088) - 212 719. You could also visit their website at http://www.sabahparks.org.my

ACCOMMODATION OVERVIEW

Accommodation at Kinabalu Park range from hostels to resorts.

Source: New Sabah Times 'In' Sites

NOTE: Photo Copyright to New Sabah Times
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