PETALING STREET TRADERS TO CLOSE ON SEPT 16

No trading for the day for safety reasons because of plans for Red Shirt rally

Petaling Street will be closed for business on September 16, out of safety concerns because of plans announced for a rally by Red Shirt protesters that day.

About 500 shopkeepers and 773 small traders in Petaling Street, a shopping and tourist destination, decided not do do business on the September 16 Malaysia Day public holiday because of the proposed rally.

Kuala Lumpur Hawkers and Petty Traders Association chairman Ang Say Tee said the decision was made after a discussion with several non-government organisations last week, Bernama reported.

“Ninety per cent of the traders here have decided to close their business on the day in question to ensure their safety and to prevent any untoward incident,” he told reporters at a walkabout community programme in Petaling Street today.

He hoped that those responsible for organising the September 16 rally would cancel the gathering because many businesses in the area would be affected as they would be forced to close for the whole day. Ang said the gathering, which was racist in nature, was not suitable to be held on Malaysia Day, which should be celebrated with a patriotic spirit in a plural society.

More than 50 representatives of 20 NGOs took part in the programme to socialise with traders and Chinese residents in the area to show friendly relations between the Chinese and Malay communities.

Among those who attended were Pro-Rakyat president Khairul Anwar Othman, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and several NGOs including Otai Reformis, Bernama reported.

Khairul said 2,000 members of Pro-Rakyat and 500 members of Otai Reformis would camp in several areas of central Kuala Lumpur, including Petaling Street and Bukit Bintang, from morning to midnight on September 16. “As Muslims, also Malays and Malaysians, we wish to give our assurance that we will not allow the people of Malaysia, regardless of race, to be harmed,” he said.

Anonymous groups have called for a street rally called Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu (or Malay Pride Uprising) or Himpunan Maruah Melayu (Malay Pride Rally) to be held in the Petaling Street and Bukit Bintang areas to show support for the government of prime minister Najib Razak.

Promotional materials for the rally, containing messages of racial incitement, have also declared the rally to be a counter-demonstration to the Bersih 4 rally of August 29-30 in support of political reform and calling for Najib’s resignation as prime minister.

However, former Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam said yesterday that the only rally to be held on September 16 was the Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu, or people’s unity gathering, to be held at Padang Merbok, for which permission from City Hall was awaited.

He has repudiated any link with Kebangkitan Maruah Melayu or Himpunan Maruah Melayu, saying that that the unity gathering was being organised by the national silat federation Pesaka, which he heads, and was open to all Malaysians. He has warned racial extremists to stay away and denied any link to the use of red shirts at the gathering.

TOURISM MALAYSIA TO BOOST ARRIVALS FROM MALAYSIA

Theodore Koumelis - 10 September 2015, 09:34

From Travel Daily News

The visit of Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia aims to formulate measures to attract more travellers from Singapore to visit Malaysia, following the drop in arrivals from the country in the first quarter of 2015.

SINGAPORE - The Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Azizmet Singapore’s top travel agents and media on 7 September in efforts to boost tourist arrivals from the market. The visit aims to formulate measures to attract more travellers from Singapore to visit Malaysia, following the drop in arrivals from the country in the first quarter of 2015. 

 

Singapore arrivals into Malaysia last year was 13.9 million, a growth of 5.7 percent, however, the first three months of 2015 showed an 8.6 percent drop.
 

Dato’ Seri Nazri said, “We need to carry out various initiatives to drive growth from Singapore for the remaining months. We are intensifying our efforts here through joint promotions and tactical campaigns.”
 

During the Business Luncheon with the Singapore trade and media at The St. Regis Singapore, Dato’ Seri Nazri shared with guests some of Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to boost arrivals from Singapore including partnerships with the trade at the Travel Malaysia Fair 2015, joint collaborations with Malindo Air, a Durian Fiesta initiative, the development of special diving packages, the promotion of Malaysia as a music and entertainment hub, as well as the joint tactical campaigns in the market.
 

The Minister also updated guests on various tourism developments to keep them abreast of Malaysia’s latest tourism offerings and events.
 

He said, “Another exciting development that I would like to share with you is the introduction of the daily train shuttle service by KTM Berhad between JB Sentral, Malaysia, and Woodlands, Singapore. This train service, which operates seven times a day from Singapore to Malaysia, offers Singapore tourists more options now to travel to Malaysia.”
 

He added, “This service provides great convenience to Singapore tourists, and complements the existing connectivity that our two destinations currently enjoy. With the support from the airlines industry, we now have 489 flight frequencies per week with 73,314 seating capacity."
 

“With all these efforts and new developments in place, along with your assistance and strong support, I am confident that we will be able to achieve our target arrivals from Singapore this year,” he said.
 

Through the visit, Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri also aims to strengthen the presence of Malaysia in Singapore and build a stronger relationship with the travel agents and media. Besides that, he also publicised the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015 and encouraged local travel agents to work closer with their Malaysian counterparts to develop more creative and innovative holiday packages to Malaysia.
 

The Minister is scheduled to visit Batam and meet with travel agents and media there to promote Malaysia as well.

VACATION IN MALACCA

The most interesting historical place in Malaysia.

Malacca was founded by Parameswara, a Hindu Prince from the Kingdom of Srivijaya in Sumatra in the year 1403. After he embraced Islam and became the Sultan of Malacca, Malacca became a trading centre with goods from China, India, Middle East, Thailand and neighbouring countries passing through the port of Malacca. Visiting Malaysia is not complete without going to the historical state of Malacca.

As a result of Melaka's strategic location, the Portuguese conquered it in 1511 followed by the Dutch in 1641 and finally by the British in 1824. The Japanese was ruling it for a while during World War Two from 1942 to 1945. Malacca gained independence as one of the states of Malaysia on August 31, 1957

The english spelling for this state used to be Malacca but has since been changed to Melaka. We will use these two terms here and they mean the same thing.

Melaka together with Georgetown in Penang have been inscripted as historical cities under Unesco's World Heritage Sites (WHS) in July 2008. The first area is the St. Paul's Hill Civic Zone which consists of the government buildings, the original fortress town built during the time of Portuguese and Dutch occupation, Bukit Cina, museums and churches.

The second area is the Historic Residential and Commercial Zone which consists of more than 600 shophouses, religious buildings, commercial and residential buildings as well as tombs on the four main streets. Explore them..

 Malacca Vacation Places of Attractions

Malacca vacation is not complete without visiting the following attractions. See the historical heritage of Malacca where many of the old buildings dated back to the 16th century still stand strong today. See A Famosa, The Stadthuys and Christ Church all of which are within walking distance of one another. Try taking the trishaw and make sure you take a good picture as you ride as a memento for you to bring home. Not to be missed is the 45 minutes cruise along Malacca River and the Maritime Museum.

Finally, try Nyonya Food which is a combination of Chinese and Malay ingredients. Not to be forgotten is Portuguese cuisine at Restoran San Pedro and Restoran De Lisbon.

Malacca vacation - A'Famosa

This landmark as shown in the picture above is a must for all visitors to Malacca. Known also as Porta de Santiago, this fortress was built by Portuguese Admiral Alfonso d'Albuquerque in the year 1511. A big part of it was destroyed during the Dutch invasion and what remains today is just a small section of the fortress left behind by the Portuguese. Malacca vacation is not complete without visiting this ruin.

The Stadthuys

The background was built in 1650 as residence of Dutch governors and their officers

The Stadthuys is another major landmark left behind by the Dutch. Used to be white in colour, this building was refurbished and painted Salmon red colour to match the colour of the surrounding buildings. When completed in 1650, it was used as official residence for Dutch governors and their officers.

Malacca vacation - Melaka River Cruise

Your Malacca vacation is not complete without taking a cruise down Malacca River. Costing only RM10 for adult and RM5 for children, this 45 minutes tour will take you pass many Dutch style buildings. Remember to take along your camera and take interesting pictures of the old shop houses, bridges and Kampung Morten Malay village.

The Malacca River and the surrounding area. The cruise will be on this river.

 Malacca vacation - Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum near the city centre is located along Jalan Quayside. It housed a replica of the Flor de la Mar, a Portuguese ship that sank off the coast of Malacca. The exhibit at this museum showed the history of Malacca from the time of the Malacca Sultanate to the pre-independence time of Malaysia. You will be able to see models of iron chests, old charts, ships and maps.

The beautiful replica of Flor de la Mar Maritime Museum located along Jalan Quayside.

 Melaka Hotels 

There are many international standards hotels in Malacca. Some of the popular Malacca Hotels include The Bayview Hotel Melaka, Equatorial Hotel, Everly Resort, Grand Continental Hotel, Legacy Hotel, Mahkota Hotel Melaka, Renaissance Melaka Hotel and Seri Costa Hotel. The latest one is the Hatten Hotel which is located on the shopping mall itself.

TOURIST ARRIVAL INTO MALAYSIA

Here's the promotion and tactical campaign were done to encourage more travellers to Malaysia


Sources From ASTRO AWANI

Tourism Malaysia is intensifying efforts through joint promotions and tactical campaigns to woo more travellers from Singapore following a drop in the arrivals in the first quarter of 2015.

"We need to carry out various initiatives, including through joint promotions and tactical campaigns, to drive growth from Singapore for the remaining months of the year," Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz told reporters here on Tuesday.

Singapore's tourist arrivals into Malaysia last year was 13.9 million, a growth of 5.7 percent, but the figures for first three months of 2015 dropped 8.6 per cent.

Nazri, who is on a working visit to meet Singapore’s top travel agents and the media here, was accompanied by Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore Datuk Husni Zai Yaacob, Tourism Malaysia (TM) Chairman Wee Choo Keong and TM director for Singapore Noor Aine Ismail.

Speaking at a luncheon with Singapore trade and media representatives here, Mohammed Nazri outlined Tourism Malaysia’s efforts to boost arrivals from Singapore, including forging ties at the Travel Malaysia Fair 2015.

He said Tourism Malaysia would collaborate with Malindo Air, hold a Durian Fiesta initiative, develop special diving packages, and promote Malaysia as a music and entertainment hub.

On the latest offering from Malaysia, he said KTM Bhd would introduce a daily train shuttle service between JB Sentral (Johor Baharu) and Woodlands (Singapore).

"The train service, which operates seven times a day from Singapore to Malaysia, offers Singaporean tourists more travel options to Malaysia.

“This service provides great convenience to Singaporean tourists, and complements the existing connectivity that our two destinations currently enjoy besides 489 flight frequencies per week with 73,314 seating capacity.

“With all these efforts and new developments in place, along with your assistance and strong support, I am confident that we will be able to achieve our target arrivals from Singapore this year,” he said.

Nazri said the visit was also aimed at strengthening Malaysia's presence in Singapore and building a stronger relationship with travel agents and the media.

He urged local travel agents to work closer with their Malaysian counterparts to develop more creative and innovative holiday packages to Malaysia.

Nazri later left for Batam to meet travel agents and the media there.

Promotion In India
Another event to promote Malaysia to others countries in the world. With Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015, the promotion of campaign will set up.

Tourism Malaysia is participating in the PATA Travel Mart once again this year at the Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC) in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, from 6 to 8 September.

The Malaysian delegation is led by Tourism Malaysia’s Deputy Director-General (International Promotion) Dato’ Haji Azizan Noordin, who is also scheduled to attend the PATA Executive Board Meeting today and PATA Board Meeting on 6 September, as one of its board members and Chairman of PATA Malaysia Chapter.

Dato’ Haji Azizan is accompanied by Malaysian sellers who will help promote the country to the global tourism market. Among the sellers include big names in the local tourism industry, such as Tourism Johor, Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Lexis Hotel, Tourland Travel, Borneo Nature Tours, Asian Overland, World Express, Planet Borneo Tours, Legoland Malaysia, Theme Attractions & Resorts, and Flexiroam.

Leisure, shopping and luxury holidays are among the products that will be promoted by the Malaysian sellers during the business sessions.

The decoration of Tourism Malaysia’s booth this year highlights the Malaysia Year of Festivals (MyFest) 2015 in an effort to step up promotion of the tourism campaign. It is also in line with the Government’s efforts to promote Malaysia as a culturally rich travel destination. As part of its promotional activity, Tourism Malaysia’s booth will feature teh tarik and batik drawing demonstrations.

Today, Dato’ Haji Azizan also shared his views on ‘How to Promote a Destination’ at the PATA Youth Symposium, which was held at the Christ University in Bangalore.

On 5 September, Dato’ Haji Azizan will be hosting a dinner for the top outbound Indian tour agents and Tourism Malaysia’s partners to update them of new tourism developments and products in Malaysia, as well as to provide an opportunity for the Malaysian sellers to network and liaise with them.

On 8 September, there will be a briefing to the media on the Malaysia Motor GP 2015, followed by a briefing by Dato’ Haji Azizan on Malaysia’s shopping sector, with a special highlight on the upcoming 1Malaysia Year-End Sale (1MYES), which will be held from 14 November 2015 to 3 January 2016. During the Media Briefing session, he will also launch the 1MYES 2015 packages, where holiday packages have been specially created to boost arrivals to Malaysia during the shopping event.

On the same day, Dato’ Haji Azizan is scheduled to attend the 2015 PATA Gold Awards Lunch and Award Presentation hosted by Macau Government Tourist Office at BIEC’s Hall of Jacaranda and Gulmohar.

Organised by the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and hosted by the Department of Tourism, Government of Karnataka, the 38th PATA Travel Mart promises to be a huge event, attracting more than 1,000 delegates from over 60 countries and facilitating over 10,000 pre-matched appointments, as well as bringing together qualified international buyers and sellers for face-to face meetings, educational forums and networking functions.

This year, Malaysia welcomed a total of 6.5 million tourists for the first three months, signifying a drop of 8.6% compared to 7.1 million arrivals for the same period last year. Tourist arrivals from India totalled 177,196, which was an increase of 2.5% compared to 172,899 tourists.

Last year, Malaysia received 27.4 million tourists, which was an increase of 6.7%. Arrivals from India reached 770,108, signifying an increase of 18.3%.

MALAYSIA TOURISM PROMOTION BOARD OR TOURISM MALAYSIA is an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Malaysia. Tourism Malaysia focuses on the specific task of promoting Malaysia at all levels. Since its inception, Tourism Malaysia has grown by leaps and bounds and it has emerged as a major player in the international tourism scene. In 2014, Malaysia registered 27.4 million tourist arrivals and RM72 billion in receipts, making tourism its second largest foreign exchange earner.

Malaysia celebrated its fourth VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR (VMY) in 2014 with the theme “Celebrating 1Malaysia Truly Asia”. The promotion of the country continues with the MALAYSIA YEAR OF FESTIVALS (MyFEST) campaign in 2015 with the theme “Endless Celebrations” emphasising the various festivals celebrated by its multicultural society. Both campaigns are key drivers towards achieving the country’s target of 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020, as outlined in the Tourism NKEA (National Key Economic Area).

Through the Tourism NKEA, collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, other Government agencies and the private sector have been enhanced to help secure Malaysia’s position as a leading tourist destination. The targets set under the Tourism NKEA will be achieved through the implementation of twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs) clustered under five themes: Affordable Luxury; Nature Adventure; Family Fun; Events, Entertainment, Spa and Sports; and Business Tourism.

MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia had many interesting and beautiful place to visit and recommended for vacation.

Malaysia offers two very distinct experiences: the peninsula and Borneo (an island shared with Indonesia and Brunei). The peninsula is a mix of Malay, Chinese and Indian flavours with an efficient and modern capital, Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Borneo features some of the most interesting places in Malaysia with a wild jungle, orang-utans, granite peaks and remote tribes. Combined with some beautiful islands, luxury resorts and colonials towns, Malaysia, for most visitors, presents a happy mix.

 Similar to that again is its tropical weather where sunshine, hot temperature with showers could be expected throughout the year, Malaysian people are warm, friendly with smiles on their faces throughout the year.

Almost 2 million foreign tourists travelled to Malaysia in 2010. Most of them were citizens from neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia but a growing number of other foreign tourists are discovering this country as well.

Among the Top 10 Travel Destinations in Malaysia that travellers must go are:

1.    Penang 

Named after Britain’s King George III, Georgetown is located on the north-east corner of Penang Island. Most of George Town’s population is of Chinese origin. Due to strict controls, George Town retains many of its colonial-era shop houses to this day. It is officially recognized as having a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in Southeast Asia. The town truly springs to life in the evenings, when most of the locals head to the nearby street hawkers to have their meals and drinks. Mostly populated by Chinese community, travellers could find incense and temples everywhere in Penang. The ‘must-do” items includes visiting the Kek Lok Si temple, Penang Hill, Snake Temple, trying out full varieties of our local Penang foods, sightseeing world heritage architectures, sun-bathing at the beautiful Batu Ferringhi beach as well as exploring the ‘spicy’ little Indian street;

2.    Cameron Highland 

One of Malaysia’s most extensive hill stations, first developed by the British in the 1920s. It has a population of more than 34,000 people consisting of Malays, Chinese, Indians and other ethnic groups. The Cameron Highlands is renowned for its trails. They lead visitors through the forest to waterfalls and other tranquil spots. Apart from its jungle walks, the sanctuary is also known for its tea plantations and visitors can book several “tea factory” tours. The hinterland at highland where you can visit tea plantations in the cool air, sipping tea at cafes, viewing flowers and cactus plantation, as well as trying our local steamboat lunch and dinner. You can also play a round of golf there too.

3.    Taman Negara 

Taman Negara, which literally means “national park” in Malay, is one of the oldest tropical rain forest in the world. It features massive trees, waterfalls, jungle treks of various duration and the world’s longest canopy walkways. Several trails enable the visitor to explore the forest without a guide. Taman Negara is a haven for endangered species such as the Asian elephant, tigers, leopards and rhinos, but numbers are low and sightings are very rare. It’s unlikely that you will see anything more than birds, small deer, lizards, snakes and perhaps a tapir. With the thick rainforest surrounding you, try jungle trekking, tracking elephants with your leech-proof boots. kayaking and overnight at Kenyir Lake. Fishing and exploring the National Park at Endao Rompin.

4.    Pulau Redang, Perhentian, Kapas or Tioman 

These east coastal islands are best for snorkelling, scuba diving, photographing live corals and sunsets! You can also witness turtles laying eggs at sea shore if you are lucky. Located off the coast of northeastern Malaysia not far from the Thai border. The Perhentian Islands are the must-go place in Malaysia for budget travelers. They have some of the world’s most beautiful beaches and great diving with plenty of cheap accommodation. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar (“Big Perhentian”) and Perhentian Kecil (“Small Perhentian”). Both the islands have palm-fringed white sandy beaches and turquoise blue sea.

Tioman is a small island located off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. In the 1970s, Time Magazine selected Tioman as one of the world’s most beautiful islands. Tourists have surged to the island ever since, seeking a taste of paradises. The island is surrounded by numerous white coral reefs, making it a haven for scuba divers while the interior is densely forested. Visitors outnumber villagers outside the monsoon (November to February), but Tioman can be virtually deserted at other times.

5.    Sarawak and Sabah 

With a summit height at 4,095 meters (13,435 ft), Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Borneo. The mountain is known worldwide for its tremendous botanical and biological species biodiversity. Over 600 species of ferns, 326 species of birds, and 100 mammalian species have been identified at Mount Kinabalu and its surrounding. The main peak of the mountain can be climbed easily by a person with a good physical condition, and requires no mountaineering equipment although climbers must be accompanied by guides at all times. Climb the massive Mt. Kinabalu, visit the mythical Borneo where you can see wild Orang-utan and off course, taste plenty of fresh and cheap seafood! Off the shore of Tawau is the famous Sipadan “scuba diving heaven” Island.

6.    Melaka 

The historical city with many ancient architectures and cultures inherited from the Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish. Travelers could learn more on the local Papa and Nyonya community and its culture. Plan a short trip to Melaka to take colourful travel photos;

7.    Langkawi 

Malaysia’s best-known holiday destination, Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of about 65,000, the only other inhabited island being nearby Pulau Tuba. Fringed with long, white beaches and with an interior of jungle covered hills and craggy mountain peaks, it’s easy to see why this is Malaysia’s most heavily promoted tourist destination. The most popular beaches can be found on the west coast with a wide choice of restaurants and eateries and some of the best resorts in Langkawi. Big island with all sorts of activities to explore includes the Eagle Square, grand Perdana gallery of art by our previous premier, Tun Dr. Mahathir;

8.    Kuala Lumpur 

The capital city of Malaysia. The heaven for entertainment, shopping, drinking, and people watching. Travellers need at least 3 days to visit tourists spots such as the Petronas Twin Tower,Batu Caves, Tasek Perdana with Birds Park, Orchid Garden, museum, zoo, royal palace, Chinese temples etc. The best way to explore the city is by utilising its Integrated Railway System to connect to most travel sites. The Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur were the world’s tallest buildings before being surpassed in 2004 by Taipei 101. However, the towers are still the tallest twin buildings in the world. The 88-floor towers are constructed largely of reinforced concrete, with a steel and glass facade designed to resemble motifs found in Islamic art, a reflection of Malaysia’s Muslim religion. The Petronas Twin Towers feature a sky bridge between the two towers on the 41st and 42nd floors.

9.    Putrajaya 

 A new government administrative district where you could visit the lake, botanic garden, mosque and also to appreciate the grand architectures with nine bridges reaching the district surrounded by a man-made river.

10. Genting Highland 

The 1-stop entertainment, hotels and the only casino in Malaysia, all on top of a mountain over 5,00o feet’s from sea water level called Genting Highland.