Holidaymakers Flood Port Dickson For CNY Break

For Port Dickson, the Chinese New Year began with a demand for accomodation, soaring 95 per cent.

This was evident for the period of between Feb 13 and 15, a survey conducted by the Negeri Sembilan Tourism Malaysia Office revealed.

Sixty-five hotels, resorts, apartments, bungalows and recreational clubs were on hand to cater to the holidaymakers, with a total of 7,694 rooms.

Tourism Malaysia Office director Hishamuddin Mustafa said, to ensure the safety of visitors, closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras had been installed at various locations and patrols increased by local authorities.

In a statement Wednesday, he said that among other attractions expected to receive a flood of visitors were the Army Museum, the PD Mini Zoo, the PD Ostrich Show Farm and the Lukut Fort and Museum.

"Port Dickson's 18km-long beach and tourist accomodations are what makes it a popular choice for local and foreign tourists, especially Singaporeans, during the festive season," noted Hishamuddin.

For more information on interesting destinations in Port Dickson and Negeri Sembilan, the public can contact the Tourism Malaysia Tourist Information Centre at the Seremban Plaza at tel: 06-7624488 (Monday to Friday), or the Mambau Barat R&R of the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway at 06-6722726 (Monday to Sunday).

Source : Bernama
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Port Dickson Beaches Are Safe For Picnickers

The beaches in Port Dickson are safe for visitors as no picnickers have been attacked by crocodiles or sharks there, said Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

He said the wound suffered by a visitor to Port Dickson, which was widely talked about in the internet, was not caused by a crocodile, shark or any other wild beast.

He said reports that he received from medical experts stated that the wound could have been caused by other things but not wild beasts.

"I did not say this, but according to experts who studied the case, we are not sure what had caused the wound. There are many possibilities, probably it was caused by corrals," he told reporters after chairing the State Exco meeting, here Monday.

He said that never in the history of Port Dickson had any visitor been attacked by wild beasts such as crocodiles or sharks.

He hoped members of the public would keep calm and not jump to conclusions based on the speculations in the internet.

He also disclosed that generally, Port Dickson was a holiday resort that was safe to visit.

"We carry out monitoring. Along the beaches, we have control towers with assistance from the St John Ambulance, Civil Defence Department and RELA," he said.

Whether the visitors chose to stay in the hotel or make camp on the beach, they did not have to worry about their safety, he said.

He said this when commenting on a report in the internet that a man was attacked and bitten in the leg by an animal believed to be a crocodile.

Source : Bernama
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Felda to open two more hotels in two years

Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) is set to open two more hotels in the next two years.

Felda chairman Tan Sri Dr Yusof Nor said the first hotel, with a resort concept, was being built on an 8ha site in Tanjung Leman, Johor.

Once completed by end of 2010, he said the RM31mil hotel would offer 200 rooms.

Apart from Johor, Felda had also received approval to build a hotel in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, he said after launching the Ramadan buffet at the Felda Residence Hotel here recently.

Dr Yusof said the Port Dickson hotel was being designed by a consultant.

The two new hotels would expand Felda’s diversified businessdealings, he added.

Dr Yusof said Felda presently owned two resorts in Pekan, Pahang and one in Perak apart from the Felda Residence Hotel here.

He said priority would be given to children of Felda settlers when filling management positions at the upcoming hotels.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel tourism news]

Launch of Legend Water Chalets

THE Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan Tuanku Ja'afar ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman officiated at the grand official launch of The Legend Water Chalets in Port Dickson recently.

Also gracing the event was Tunku Ampuan Besar Tuanku Najihah binti Al-Marhum Tunku Besar Burhanuddin.

About 200 invited guests including politicians, corporate guests, travel and tour agents, bankers, suppliers, contractors and senior government officials were also present.

Idyllic: The Legend Water Chalets are located near the town of Lukut and is about 4.8km from Port Dickson.

They included Negri Sembilan state executive council member Datuk T. Rajagopalu, Port Dickson Municipal Council president Tengku Datuk Idris Tengku Hadi, Kuala Lumpur Metro Group chairman Mat Hassan Esa, The Kuala Lumpur Metro Group directors Datuk Low Tak Fatt and Datuk Yap Chuan Thai and The Legend Group of Hotels and Resorts president Many Chew.

In his speech, Tuanku Ja'afar congratulated The Legend Water Chalets on the official opening .

He also congratulated the management of the Kuala Lumpur Metro Group, the owner of The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dick-son for winning the prestigious CNBC's International Property Award 2007 in London recently.

The win was under the “Best Architecture” and “Best Develop-ment” categories for the Group's second phase project, The Legend Interantional Water Homes which is currently under construction.

Tuanku Ja'afar also signed a plaque to officially launch the chalets.

Launched: Tuanku Ja'afar looking at a model of The Legend International Water Homes. Looking on are (from left) Datuk Yap Chuan Thai, Datuk Low Tak Fatt and Mat Hassan Esa.

The Legend Water Chalets was completed five months ahead of schedule and it has been opened to the public since October 2006.

Seventy per cent of the water homes, each with its own private swimming pool, have been sold so far.

The Legend Water Chalets, Port Dickson with its Balinese concept has the highest number of water chalets in Malaysia, that is a total of 641 units which include 392 units for the first phase and 249 units for the second phase.

It is located near the town of Lukut and is about 4.8km from Port Dickson along the coastal area of Negri Sembilan.

The chalets are easily accessible via the North-South Expressway and Port Dickson-Seremban Highway.

The KL International Airport (KLIA) is just an hour's drive away from the chalets and it takes only an hour and a half to the chalets from Kuala Lumpur.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2008]

Foreign companies keen to invest in health tourism in Port Dickson

Two foreign companies have shown interest in investing in the "wellness zone" in Port Dickson, known for its tranquil beaches.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai said one of the companies was planning to set up a centre to treat cancer patients there.

The wellness zone is designed to not only treat patients but also to provide a tranquil environment for the sick to recuperate.

A 61km zone in Port Dickson, where international spas and other health tourism facilities would be set up for patients to recuperate, and Nilai have been earmarked for the wellness zone.

Lim, who declined to elaborate on the foreign firms, said the International Trade and Industry Ministry was working with the Finance Ministry on incentives for those who want to operate within the wellness zone.

He said this to reporters after opening a health talk on "Team Up For Healthy Heart" at Pantai Putri Hospital on Sunday.

Lim also suggested that Perak had the potential to set up a wellness zone because of its proximity to Kuala Lumpur and Penang.

He added that foreign patients could be drawn to Perak as the state had a high standard but cheap cost of living.

He noted that revenue from foreign patients seeking medical help in private hospitals in the country had been on the rise.

Last year, he said, some 292,000 foreigners seeking medical treatment in the country brought in a revenue of some RM204mil. In 2005, a total of 232,000 foreign patients brought in a revenue of RM151mil.

He added that the figure was expected to grow further this year.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Nod for PD health belt

The Cabinet has approved a plan for a 10km health and wellness belt in Port Dickson, said Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim.

There would be special clinics, including those for traditional therapy, for tourists to relax or recuperate from surgeries, he said at the launch of the 56th Cidesco World Congress & Exhibition 2007 yesterday.

He said the ministry was collaborating with the Negri Sembilan government to promote the concept.

“We hope the medical and beauty industries will beef up efforts to attract tourists,” he said.

Some multinational companies had expressed interest but it was too early to announce which would be involved, he said.

Lim also said shopping contributed RM9bil or 25% of RM36.3bil tourist spending in the country, which included beauty and cosmetic products.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Seremban Girl wins Miss Tourism Title

NEGRI Sembilan lass Carace Kuan was chosen as the Miss Malaysia Tourism Queen International 2007 at the finals held in Port Dickson recently.

The 21-year-old student was in disbelief when her name was called out as the winner at the Glory Beach Resort.

Last year’s winner Jolene Lee crowned Kuan.

Winners all: Kuan flanked by Moo (second from left) and Ling. On the left is Cheok while Chuah is on the right.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim was the guest of honour at the dinner.

Moo Yan Yee from Perak was the first runner up, Veronica Ling from Johor the second runner up, Janet Cheok from Kuala Lumpur the third runner up and Perak lass Jessie Chuah the fourth runner up.

Kuan, who was mobbed by her family members and friends, said she did not expect to win.

“It was an enriching experience for me and I will do my best to promote my state and the country,” she said.

Kuan will represent Malaysia in the Miss Tourism Queen International 2007 finals in Huangzhou, China next month.

She received RM5,000, an air ticket to China as well as other prizes.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Tiara Beach Resort Shines

Tiara Beach Resort here received more accolades when four of its chefs won culinary awards in the “Battle of the Chefs” competition held in Penang recently.

Chef Chin Kok Hing won a silver medal under Class 21 - main course 1 (western hot cooking - meat and poultry) after he garnered 95 points from the panel of judges.

Together with compatriot Chef Halim Mosbah, Chin also won another diploma medal under Class 22 - main course 2 (western hot cooking - fish and seafood) with points ranging from 75 and 84.

In the styrofoam carving category, display artist James Tan Boon Hai was named a diploma medalist.

Super four: (From left) Tan, Chef Tong, Chef Halim, Chef Chin posing with their certificates and medals with Cheong after the event in Penang recently.

Resort general manager Kelvin Cheong said the management was proud of their achievements.

Despite being a relatively new resort in the country, our achievements were commendable to date.

“About 400 chefs from Indonesia, Brunei, Singapore and Thailand took part in the biyearly event.

“Our Sous Chef won a silver medal in western hot cooking ahead of KL Hilton, Mandarin Oriental, Sheraton Brunei, Grand Hyatt Singapore and Shangri-La Putrajaya to name a few,” he said.

Cheong said assessment was carried out by a panel of 18 judges from Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. He said the success was all the more sweeter as their resort was the only hotel in Negri Sembilan to win the culinary awards this year.

“Our chefs have been practicing over the months with numerous food tasting and finetuning sessions.

“We are glad their hard work paid off handsomely,” he said, adding that the winners would be rewarded by the resort in the form of a promotion and cash incentive.

Cheong said the resort would continue sending in its chefs to such competitions for exposure in the future.

“Such competitions will bring out the best in their culinary skills as they would be competing with so many senior chefs and past winners,” he said.

Since its low-key opening about two years ago, some 800,000 people have stayed at the resort.

Last year, the resort had been judged the “Best Family Holiday Destination” by Libur/ Traverama travel magazines.

The resort also boasts the country’s largest man-made beach and Port Dickson’s largest MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) venue.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Beauties descend on PD for Miss Tourism crown

A bevy of beauties will be competing in the Miss Malaysia Tourism Queen International 2007 at the Glory Beach Resort in Port Dickson tomorrow.

The winner will represent Malaysia in the Miss Tourism Queen International 2007 finals in Hangzhou, China, next month.

The beauties have been in Port Dickson since May 2 and had visited tourist spots such as Istana Sri Menanti, Seremban Museum, an orang asli village in Bukit Kepong, Replica Museum in Rembau, Army Museum in Lukut and a dragon fruit farm.

Among those competing for the title are students, a hair stylist, accounts executives and a fashion designer.

It will be the tiara, soon: The contestants in a traditional headgear after a visit to the Seremban Museum.

The youngest is Zara Ng and Veronica Ling, both 18 from Johor Baru, while the oldest is 24-year-old Janet Cheok from Kuala Lumpur.

The winner will receive RM5,000, complimentary one-night stay at Glory Beach Resort for six persons, haircare products. The runner-up will receive RM2,000, complimentary one-night stay for five people at Glory Beach Resort.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai is the guest of honour at the finals.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Teluk Kemang Beach will not be closed

The popular Teluk Kemang beach in Port Dickson will not be closed to the public while a project to widen it, slated to begin early next year, is being carried out. However, the traders there would have to temporarily move out to make way for a project to upgrade the facilities at the beach.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said yesterday tourists would still be able to visit the beach even as the projects were going on.

"These projects will not affect tourist activities at the beach. They can still go there."

He said the beach nourishment project would be undertaken using allocations from the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry. The upgrading project would use allocations from the Tourism Ministry.

"The beach nourishment project is needed as the beach has narrowed over the years because of erosion. With this project, we will widen the beach by about 50 metres."

On Tuesday, it was reported that traders and boat operators at Teluk Kemang were crying foul over the move to close the beach for a reclamation project.

A notice ordering traders and boat operators to move out of the beach by the end of the year to make way for the project, was issued by the council on March 5.

Mohamad said there was some misinterpretation of the notice.



Source : NST
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Access woes to PD beaches

HOLIDAYMAKERS to the scenic beaches of Port Dickson often congregate at popular picnic spots like Pantai Teluk Kemang, Pantai Saujana and Blue Lagoon.

The three are among the 16 beaches in Port Dickson, from KM3 to KM21, but the rest remain obscure to visitors because there is no direct access – nor is there any signboard leading there.

There is no access because the owners of private bungalows and hotels facing the seafront have fenced up all access routes. They seem to treat the beaches as private property though the laws recognise beaches as public property.

This is also the reason the three beaches are over-patronised, to the extent that they are congested during peak season and littered with rubbish.

It is only wise that the local authorities realise the true potential of Port Dickson's coastline instead of focusing only on the three popular beaches.

A check conducted by Bernama at Pantai Batu Sebelas revealed that private bungalows had blocked the access route leading to the beach.

Narrowed beach: All along Pantai Batu Lima, the beach is fenced up by owners of private properties, making it difficult for beach lovers to walk by the beach.

The same situation could be seen at Pantai Batu Sepuluh and a part of Pantai Batu Sembilan but this time, a five-star hotel and a military camp stand in the way.

Pantai Batu Tujuh, Batu Enam, Batu Lima and Batu Tiga fare no better and the beachfront in certain areas is the exclusive domain of a four-star and a five-star hotel and members of the public must cut through the hotel compound to reach the beach.

People who happen to spot the hidden beaches say they are surprised that Port Dickson has many more fine sandy beaches.

Norzaini Amiruddin, 24, from Ampang, regretted that the authorities could not provide access to the beaches.

“I got to know of Pantai Batu Sembilan beach by chance while putting up at a nearby hotel. Previously, I was not aware that there is a tranquil beach here,” she said.

Locals at Pantai Batu 11 like Syed Huzair Syed Hamzah also feel disappointed. Syed Huzair said villagers formerly had access to the seafront about 1km away from his home.

“Now, all the bungalows have fenced up the area and we no longer have access to the sea to fish,” he said, in the hope that the state government would take note of the matter.

Nasaruddin Abdullah Sani, 43, said he got to know of Pantai Batu Sembilan beach after being informed by his son who was studying at a nearby polytechnic.

“Beaches are public property; they can't close up the access leading to the beaches. What they are doing is like stopping the river's flow downstream,” he said.

Pie Rahim, 47, from Klang, said many were not aware that Port Dickson had a number of fine beaches and hoped the government would do something to provide access to the beaches and stop the rich from monopolising the beaches.

“Mention PD and the first place most would think of is Telok Kemang. Why are the other beaches forgotten?” asked the fireman.

The state government previously had reminded hotels along the beaches that the beaches are not their exclusive zones but it did not include the bungalow owners.

Meanwhile, State Economic Planning Unit director Dr Baharom Jani said the state government had identified strategic locations to open up access to these beaches and would consider reclaiming the sea to avoid trespassing on private land.

“We have already planned to develop the beaches, increase the road signs leading to the beaches and provide access roads, especially as Port Dickson is recognised as the National Resort Beach,” he said.

“There are many other beaches easily accessible to the public and I don't see why we have to disturb the private properties. We have no reason to acquire the land to provide access as this will involve compensation.”

He also pointed out that the state government was developing Pantai Tanjung Gemuk located to the north of Port Dickson.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Avillion’s Gricia Gan on plans for hotel division

Avillion's Gricia Gan discussed plans for the hotel division. Excerpts from the interview.

STARBIZ: What are the plans for the hotel division?

Gricia Gan: We are working to make Port Dickson the main hub for the Klang Valley Southern Corridor and an anchor for the hotel division.

Grixia Tan

Port Dickson will be a spa and golf getaway while Malacca is more for historical holidays. The spa to be built in the Avillion Port Dickson will be the first concept spa there and help facilitate Port Dickson as a leisure destination. We are also focusing on corporate activities including meetings and brainstorming sessions.

We are currently increasing the capacity of our banquet and convention facilities as well as creating more interesting products for this market segment.

We will also have a re-branding exercise to elevate the brand status of Avillion and to add new values to the brand.

Who are your target markets for the hub?

People in Malaysia and Singapore will be the base market while the secondary market will be people coming in from the KL International Airport (KLIA) and Changi Airport.

KLIA has a lot of leisure traffic from North Asia such as Taiwan and Hong Kong while Changi attracts a lot of people from Europe, Australia and some peripheral markets like Thailand and Indonesia.

Will the group be increasing the number of hotels it is currently managing?

We plan to open two Avillion hotels in the financial year ending March 31, 2008 – Avillion Marina View All Suite Hotel (158 rooms) in Port Dickson and are looking at managing another hotel.

We plan to open the Avillion Marina View by year-end to complement the Avillion Port Dickson.

It will be managed by our hotel management company and will generate a recurring income for the division in the next three years. Target average occupancy rate (AOR) is about 80% and average room rate (ARR) RM115.

The strategy is to increase the AOR substantially while maintaining a slight increase in ARR, resulting in a stronger bottomline.

When will the Avillion Marina View All Suite Hotel be completed?

The Avillion Marina View, which has a gross development value (GDV) of RM56mil is expected to be completed in April.

We have sold about 50% of the suites as apartments under the resort development division. They are then leased back to us for the hotel with a 6.5% return per annum nett.

What else is in the pipeline for Port Dickson?

Our pipeline of projects include the 158 Marina Vista Hotel suites (GDV RM60mil) to commence in 2008 and the 870 Marina View Service Apartment (GDV RM200mil) in 2010 or earlier depending on demand. Another 30 acres of prime land has been earmarked for further developments.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]

Tiara Beach Resort Draws in the Crowd

Despite being a relatively new resort in the renowned tourist destination of Port Dickson in Negri Sembilan, Tiara Beach Resort has created a niche market for itself.

Since its low-key opening about two years ago, about 800,000 people have stayed at the resort.

Resort general manager Kelvin Cheong said it started operations with around 500 units initially before gradually expanding to 980 and the present 1,320 units including studio, family and premier suites.

Great place: A lovely view of Tiara Beach Resort in Port Dickson.

“In conjunction with the Visit Malaysia 2007, we hope to have the arrival of the first millionth guest.

“I believe this can be a reality with the co-operation among the tourism authorities, travel agencies and resort staff,” he said in an interview.

Cheong said the resort has added another feather to its cap recently.

“We have been judged the ‘Best Family Holiday Destination 2006’ by Libur/Traverama travel magazines last year,” he said, adding that the management was constantly looking at ways to upgrade and enhance facilities and programmes to cater to guests.

For example, Cheong said, during the Chinese New Year celebrations, the resort organised a yee sang dinner with cultural and acrobatic show.

“We noticed that not just the Chinese enjoy the acrobatic acts brought in from the mainland but other communities too were equally and enthralled.

Imaginative: Certainly an unusual way to present the food during a function at the resort .

“Another highlight were lion dance performances by 10 renowned lion dance teams from Seremban.”

Cheong said the resort would continue to uphold safety and security.

“We have a dozen lifeguards and staff to keep watch on guests at pool areas.”

Cheong said the main thrust has been to make the resort a clean, safe and fun vacation spot.

Clowns and the dancers entertaining guests by the swimming pool

This, he added, was made possible with a waterfall swimming pool five times the size of an Olympic-sized pool, interactive structures with theme park amenities for adults and children, dubbed the Water Park Paradise.

The resort also boasts the country’s largest man-made beach and Port Dickson’s largest MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) venue.

Other recreational facilities include kids’ snorkelling and sand-castle areas, toddler pool, inflatable float balloons and slides, slip and slide water cascades, jacuzzi and sauna, water and beach volleyball, in addition to an outdoor theatre and children’s play centre, games room, gymnasium, biking and team-building activities.

To cater to differing tastebuds, the resort have five outlets - Beach Cafe, Terrace Cafe, Tiara Bistro & Cafe, Ice Cream Hub and Anna Thai restaurant.

On duty: A hotel worker helping guests near the children’s pool.

The bistro features live performances by a resident band and its specialty – honey-coated chicken wings.

For more information, contact the front desk at 06-662 8888 or visit its homepage at http://www.tbr.com.my/.

Source : STAR
[tags : malaysiahotelnews hotels malaysia resorts news travel tourism travel vmy2007]