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Malaysia Travel Guide

State to Pursue Connectivity Despite Setbacks

State to Pursue Connectivity Despite Setbacks

The State will continue to pursue connectivity to international airport hubs despite recent setbacks, assured the Assistant Minister for Tourism, Datuk Lee Kim Shin yesterday.

It is not easy to convince airlines especially foreign carriers to Sarawak as there are equally attractive destinations that they can look to, he said.

We are trying our very best and the ROUTES Asia 2019 sessions’ here has been a touch point to meet up with airline companies in the regions and we want to convince them that connectivity into Sarawak can be a viable business, he added.

Having scheduled meeting appointments and engagements with airlines and airports, we began to understand the business and that enables us to be wiser when dealing with the business professionals in the tourism industry, he continued.

Datuk Lee, who was leading the Sarawak Tourism Board’s delegation to the business gathering today met up with nine airlines especially companies mostly from the region and fours airport operators to obtain better insights into their business needs.

“We made headway today and with some promising results during the engagement session and that keeps our hopes up in securing better connectivity into the State, he enthused.

“We have to work hard and be able to give enough reasons to convince airline operators to consider mounting flight to Sarawak”, he added.

Today, the Sarawak team met up with at four more airline operators to wind up the session before calling it a day and return back.

Acknowledging that connectivity must be propelled by sufficient number of travellers, tourists and holiday makers, Datuk Lee said it must also be complemented by business travels and as such conducive business environment and attractive destination’s tourism products were sought for by airlines operators he explained.

ROUTES Asia, the region’s leading meetings of airlines and airport executives started on March 10 and will end today.

Datuk Lee (left) with Zainuddin Mohammad, Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad’s Senior Manager and sharzede (right) as the business meeting with representatives of Qatar Airways

 

Datuk Lee (right) presenting the Gunung Mulu National Park coffee table book to Min Yao, Director of International Planning of China Express Airlines. Seen from left is STB’s Chief Executive officer, Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor and China Express’s International Business Manager, Meng Ling.

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RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FEST PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WINS GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD

RAINFOREST WORLD MUSIC FEST PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WINS GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD

The Rainforest World Music Festival’s (RWMF) promotional video wins the Golden City Gate 2019 five-star Award at the ITB Berlin 2019, a leading international annual tourism trade event.

The video, “Rainforest World Music Festival” produced by a local production house, Asa Esa won in the 19th International Tourism Film and Multimedia category with a five star for an outstanding contribution.

On hand to receive the award from the President of Golden City Gate, Wolfgang Jo Huschert was the Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at a ceremony held at the Malaysian Pavilion at the Messe Berlin here yesterday.

Present at the presentation ceremony were the Assistant Minister for Tourism, Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Chairman of STB, Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab Aziz and the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Hii Chang Kee.

Held for the 19th time the award’s jury session was held on February 12, 2019 with more than 100 entries from 21 countries received for the competition.

The elated STB’s Chief Executive Officer, Sharazede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said it was a big honour to be bestowed the prestigious award.

“We will be celebrating the festival’s 22nd edition in 2019 and we hope that the award will be an inspiration for us to move on to make the festival bigger and better this year” she added.

The making of the two-minute promotional video “Awakening of the Rainforest” was inspired Mother Nature’s bountiful gift.

The Award was initiated in 2001 by the filmmaker Wolfgang Jo Huschert and started – back then – with five touristic films from three countries in the former ITB-Cinema.

Picture shows Datuk Karim (second from right) with the award citation which he received from Jo Huschert and Mrs. Huschert (right). Also seen from left is Sharzede and Datuk Lee and partly hidden, Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab. Also seen at right is Hii Chang Kee.

 

 

8 March 2019

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Malaysia Travel Guide

RAINFOREST MUSIC FEST PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WINS GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD

RAINFOREST MUSIC FEST PROMOTIONAL VIDEO WINS GOLDEN CITY GATE AWARD

The Rainforest Music Festival’s (RWMF) promotional video wins the Golden City Gate 2019 five-star Award at the ITB Berlin 2019, a leading international annual tourism trade event.

The video, “Rainforest World Music Festival” produced by a local production house, Asa Esa won in the 19th International Tourism Film and Multimedia category with a five star for an outstanding contribution.

On hand to receive the award from the President of Golden City Gate, Wolfgang Jo Huschert was the Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah at a ceremony held at the Malaysian Pavilion at the Messe Berlin here yesterday.

Present at the presentation ceremony were the Assistant Minister for Tourism, Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Chairman of STB, Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab Aziz and the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Hii Chang Kee.

Held for the 19th time the award’s jury session was held on February 12, 2019 with more than 100 entries from 21 countries received for the competition.

The elated STB’s Chief Executive Officer, Sharazede Datu Haji Salleh Askor said it was a big honour to be bestowed the prestigious award.

“We will be celebrating the festival’s 22nd edition in 2019 and we hope that the award will be an inspiration for us to move on to make the festival bigger and better this year” she added.

The making of the two-minute promotional video “Awakening of the Rainforest” was inspired Mother Nature’s bountiful gift.

The Award was initiated in 2001 by the filmmaker Wolfgang Jo Huschert and started – back then – with five touristic films from three countries in the former ITB-Cinema.

Picture shows Datuk Karim (second from right) with the award citation which he received from Jo Huschert and Mrs. Huschert (right). Also seen from left is Sharzede and Datuk Lee and partly hidden, Datuk Haji Abdul Wahab. Also seen at right is Hii Chang Kee.

 

 

8 March 2019

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Sarawak Sees Breezing Start at ITB Berlin

Sarawak Sees Breezing Start at ITB Berlin

Berlin, Germany; Wed: TheInternationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB) Berlin opened its doors at Messe Berlin yesterday to more than 10,000 exhibitors from 185 countries.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) participated in this world’s largest travel show with an 18-member strong delegation headed by the Minister for Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Haji Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah together with three Kuching-based travel partners.

The first day of the fair’s opening saw the packed programme for the Minister and his Assistant, Datuk Lee Kim Shin with trade business partners taking turns for the schedule meeting sessions and media interviews by Berlin based FVW Medien travel trade magazine, Reise Aktuell, Vienna based international travel magazine and the Radio xy UG station.

During these meetings, a variety of topics were covered including talks on airline connectivity, promoting current events and creating new events in Sarawak, as well as, promising an encoring interest from ITB Berlin in the future.

STB’s first day business engagements showed promising outcome with leading Amsterdam based De Jong Tours and Switzerland Asien Direkt GmbH showed  renewed interest in Sarawak.

Tomorrow’s line-up of programme for Datuk Karim includes the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on joint marketing programme in Germany between STB and Tischler Reisen GmbH and also the launching of the marketing campaign for the State’s new tourism destination, Sibu and Central Sarawak.

ITB Berlin is expecting more than 160,000 visitors attending the five-day fair   which is reputed to be the world’s biggest and leading travel trade show.

Picture shows FVW Median’s editor, Christine Engelhardt (left) interviewing Datuk Karim Rahman Hamzah. Seen from right, the Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture Youth and Sports, Hii Chang Kee, STB Chief Executive Officer, Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor and Datuk Lee Kim Shin.

 

Updated: 6 March 2019

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China Agents Responded On Sarawak Tourism Opportunities

China Agents Responded On Sarawak Tourism Opportunities

Kuching, Monday – 20 selected travel agents from Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China will be in the City to do tourism product inspection from December 28 to January 1 as part of the promotion initiative for Air Asia’s Direct Kuching-Shenzhen flight.

These top China agents are selected from the list of more than 70 agents that turned up at the Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) and Air Asia’s business sessions that were held in Guangzhou and Shenzhen on December 13 and 14 respectively.

The five-day familiarisation trip will enable the China agents to see and check for themselves the various Sarawak tourism product experiences and also the various hotel properties while at the same time they will be given opportunities to do networking sessions with local travel partners.

The Business sessions were being conducted by STB with five Sarawak hoteliers and eight travel agents attending to propose their tour packages to their China travel operators.

Meanwhile, Sarawak trade partners who participated at the two business sessions in Guangzhou and Shenzhen have expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the Roadshow trip.

The opportunity to meet up with quality big time China travel agents was intended to share business opportunities available in packaging the Sarawak tourism products and also a networking platform to discuss business potentials.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Minister for Tourism, Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who also led the roadshow delegation together with the Chairman of STB, Datuk Abdul Wahab Aziz, expressed satisfaction on the outcome of the trip.

“The Business sessions allow us to meet more than 70 China’s agents and they are very enthusiastic about Sarawak as it is seen as a new destination”, he said.

The proposed direct flight has given new window of opportunities for the industry and with the strong business support from these China based agents, we hope that it will turn a new chapter on China potential tourism market for Sarawak, he added.

He was optimistic that China’s huge tourism market will open up the travel and hospitality business in the State and bringing in tourism related investment opportunities to spur up development in the State.

“STB will continue to collaborate with Air Asia to tap the travel potential in South China especially now that we will have the direct flight and the need to sustain it,” he reiterated.

The Assistant Minister called on industry partners to prepare for the influx of China tourists with the availability of the direct flight and he equally hoped that more direct flight will be planned in the future connecting Miri to China as well.

Meanwhile, tourism promotion for the proposed direct flight was extended to Kalimantan Barat where Indonesians are expected to transit in Kuching to catch the flight to South China.

STB had earlier organised the Sarawak Travel Fair in Pontianak on November 17 to 18 and the proposed direct flight to Shenzhen which had received favourable acceptance to the Indonesians, said the Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mary Wan Mering.

Adding that it will be a double bonus to the state, the arrivals of Indonesian on transit to South China augurs well for the tourism arrival into the State, she said.

While admitting that air connectivity is crucial in getting the tourists into the state, she said   without it, a double hurdle challenge is in for us to promote the destination in the market place.

We are truly thankful to Air Asia for being able to look into our needs, she enthused.

China Agents

Picture show, the Sarawak delegation with Datuk Lee (front row fourth from left) with Datuk Wahab on his right with their China guests posing a thumb up photo opportunity   after finishing the Shenzhen business session.

 

Issued by:

Communications Unit
SARAWAK TOURISM BOARD
T: +6 082-423600  F: +6 082-416700
E: [email protected]

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