MAS offers discounts of up to 75% on international destinations

About 300,000 cheap tickets for international destinations, including RM199 one-way to Hong Kong, have gone on sale exclusively on Malaysia Airlines' (MAS) website.

The nine-day promotion until Aug 15 will offer discounts of up to 75% on all MAS' international destinations except Australia and North and South America.

However, travellers would need to plan their trips early as the tickets are only for travel from Jan 16 to May 22 next year.

For destinations in Asean countries, fares start from RM29 to Medan; RM99 to Phnom Penh, Phuket, Cebu and Surabaya; RM199 to Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta and Bandar Seri Begawan; and RM159 to Bangkok.

Orient destination fares begin from as low as RM199 to Kunming and Hong Kong; RM299 to Xiamen; RM399 to Guangzhou; RM449 to Shanghai; and RM529 to Beijing.

As for destinations in North Asia, customers get to enjoy low fares starting from RM299 to Kaohsiung and RM499 to Tokyo, Osaka and Taipei.

Fares to the Indian sub-continent start from RM299 to Dhaka; RM399 to Chennai and Colombo; and RM459 for flights to Hyderabad and Bangalore.

For European destinations, fares start from RM699 to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Rome, while fares for destinations in the Middle East and South Africa start from RM699 to Dubai and Beirut, and RM1,129 to Johannesburg.

A check on the website found that there were also offers for round-trip tickets to these destinations.

MAS commercial director Datuk Rashid Khan said the offers were to encourage more people to book online (www.malaysiaairlines.com).

“As the offers cover a five-month travel period next year, customers are invited to plan their travel well in advance now and purchase their tickets,” he said in a statement.

In support of Visit Malaysia 2007, Rashid said the Malaysia Airlines World Online Celebration was also offering attractive inbound fares to Kuala Lumpur from various Asean countries.

All promotional airfares are for economy class travel on MAS and exclude fuel surcharge and other applicable surcharges. Children enjoy a 15% discount while infants are charged only 10% of the adult fares.

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

Malaysian Room Crunch Turns Middle Eastern Visitors Away

THE end of July to September is usually the peak travel period for Middle Eastern holiday makers, but Malaysian travel agents have noticed a drop in volume this year as well as length of stay for this market.

Mayflower Acme Tours senior international sales manager, Ms Huda Yahya Mohd Saleh, said the company has seen a drop of some 24 per cent in arrivals from the Gulf region.

She added: "Phuket offers better rates compared to Langkawi. A three-week stay in a five-star hotel costs about RM15,000 (US$4,328) , inclusive of airfare. Add an additional RM3,000, and you can experience Europe. Which is better? Malaysia has also lost out to London, Paris and Geneva as summer holiday destinations."

Another challenge is the shortage of rooms in Kuala Lumpur this month leading to higher rates. Ms Huda said the company could not confirm rooms at five-and four-star hotels.

The Royale Bintang Kuala Lumpur general manager, Mr Leo Kuscher, said the hotel had full occupancy in July, and he expected the same for August until the first week of September. The average room rate at this four-star hotel has also increased by 25 per cent in July and August.

Asia Experience account manager, Mr Solihhene Abdullah, said: "Due to the unavailability of rooms in the city centre, we try to promote hotels which are a little further from Kuala Lumpur such as in Putrajaya or at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel, but the response from customers is lukewarm. When they cannot get a hotel they want, they move to another destination."

Mr Abdullah said he noticed the average length of stay of Middle Eastern tourists has fallen from seven to 10 nights, to two or three nights. "Usually, after Kuala Lumpur, they would move to a beach resort, but we noticed they are increasingly moving to Phuket and Bangkok."



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

2008 named Visit Indonesia Year

INDONESIA has designated 2008 as "Visit Indonesia Year (VIY)" and has planned for more than 100 MICE, culture, culinary, sports and lifestyle events to take place around the country next year.

VIY 2008 will take place in conjunction with the 100th year of the Indonesian Awakening Day.

Department of Culture and Tourism director general of marketing, Mr Thamrin Bachri, said: "VIY 2008 will mark the awakening of Indonesia's tourism. We will show that we have everything ready to welcome both domestic and international tourists and ready to compete regional and internationally."

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to launch VIY 2008 during his New Year speech.

"However, we will start domestic and international promotions soon," Mr Bachri said.

The highlights of the year include World Batik Summit, World Cultural Forum, the third Istiqlal Festival and Java Jazz Festival. Regional events include Lake Toba Festival, Musi Festival, the A1 Race and Indonesia Open Golf Tournament.

The government is allotting a nine billion rupiah (US$978,000) budget for VIY 2008's promotion this year, and has submitted a budget of 30 billion rupiah to support the regional events next year. This is in addition to the Department of Tourism's routine marketing budget, according to Mr Bachri.


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

Lost World of Tambun Theme Park eyes more Tourists

The Lost world of Tambun theme park in Sunway City, Ipoh, expects to receive more foreign tourists next year, especially Singaporeans, once the Ipoh-Rawang double-tracking railway is operational.

Its general manager Calvin Ho said the railway would not only boost the number of tourists visiting the park but also the entire city in general.

“The train ride itself can be marketed as a tourism product and be included as part of tourism packages,” he told reporters after a familiarisation tour of the park for over 30 Singaporean travel agents recently.

Ho said foreigners on a trip across the country would love to include a train ride in their holiday plans as “trains offer a nostalgic experience”.

Relaxing trip:Travel agents from Singapore enjoying a train ride around the Lost World of Tambun waterpark.

“It is so much more different from taking a bus, flying or driving,” he said.

The RM4bil 180km railway project is expected to be completed by Dec 31 and operational by early next year.

Ho said they targeted 350,000 tourists to visit the Lost World of Tambun this year, which would be 50,000 more than last year’s.

“Next year, with all the added developments to our park, our number of visitors will definitely grow,” said Ho.

Amongst the development, he said, was the construction of a five-star RM50mil Hot Springs Spa Resort to be ready next December. Other plans include a 50-room karaoke lounge, seafood restaurant and extreme sports park to be ready this December.

During the familiarisation tour, the travel agents were taken on a three-day two- night tour of tourist hotspots in Ipoh, like Gua Tempurung and the famous pomelo farms.

At the Lost World of Tambun, they were taken on a train ride around the park to see attractions like its Tiger Valley, Kepura Cave, Musical Fountain, Waterfall Beach Garden, Tambun Hot Springs, water slides and dry rides.

The tour was a joint effort between the park and Tourism Malaysia Perak in conjunction with Visit Malaysia 2007.

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

Need to Overhaul Penang's Tourism Industry

PENANG’S tourism industry needs a major overhaul to strike a balance between the island and Seberang Prai.

Association of Tourism Attractions (ATAP) Penang chairman Eddy Low said Seberang Prai could ideally be developed as an important domestic tourist attraction.

“Except for the Penang Bird Park and a few homestay programmes, Seberang Prai does not have any other tourism products of international standard.

“So, we have to make use of the existing recreational parks and delectable hawker food to draw the local crowd,” he said yesterday.

On Wednesday, several state assemblymen in Seberang Prai expressed disappointment that few tourists visited the mainland despite this year being Visit Malaysia 2007.

They cited lack of tourism promotions in Seberang Prai for the poor response.

Low said the tourism industry in Seberang Prai was not as big as that on the island as it lacked investment confidence from the private sector.

“The state government should address this problem by adding value to the existing tourism products in Seberang Prai.

“For example, non-pollutant water sports activities should be offered at the Mengkuang Dam.

“Tourists in the Mengkuang Titi homestay programme too should be given a hands-on experience to learn and participate in the local cultural and economic activities there,” he said.

Low said Penang needed to shift towards experiential tourism, where tourists could experience taking part in its cultural activities.

“Tourism now is no longer the supply of product, package or service, but the supply of experience,” he said.

Low said there was a need to train taxi drivers and others in the tourism industry to be knowledgeable about Penang’s rich heritage so that they could provide accurate information to tourists.

Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir said the lack of tourism promotions in Seberang Prai did not augur well for local businessmen.

“How are Seberang Prai residents going to benefit pwhen there are hardly any efforts to attract tourists to the mainland?

“Seberang Prai is still part of Penang. There are many historical sites, eco-parks and agro-based activities that can be promoted to tourists,” he said.

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

Three million visit Malacca in first half

Up to June this year, the state recorded some three million tourists – half the targeted number.

Malacca Tourism, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Rahaman Abdul Karim said he was confident the target, set by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam, would be met by the end of Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

“From August until the end of the year we are expecting an increase in tourists to our historical city.

“It is the holiday season and these are the months when people will take leave and come to Malaysia for holidays,” said Abdul Rahaman after launching the week-long Southern Region Domestic Sales Mission 2007 here on Thursday.

The mission was started by Tourism Malaysia in Malacca to promote tourism in the state and gather all the available travel agencies in the country under one roof to sell holiday packages and form partnerships with other travel agencies.

With 213 participants from all the states, it was the biggest tourism sales mission ever held in Malaysia.

There were nine participants from Pekan Baru and Riau, Indonesia, as well.

Source : STAR

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

Shangri-La receives Tourism Minister’s special award at the Malaysia Tourism Awards

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, received the "Tourism Minister's Special Award" at the recent Malaysia Tourism Awards 2005/2006 in Kuala Lumpur. The award was given in recognition of the group's outstanding contribution to the country's tourism industry.

Mr. Giovanni Angelini, chief executive officer and managing director of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, received the award on behalf of the group from Tourism Minister Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

In addition, Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort was awarded for "Excellence in Hotel Services" and "Best Indian Restaurant" for the resort's Naan Restaurant.

The awards were designed to give public recognition to individuals and companies that have played a significant role in the success of Malaysia's tourism.

About Shangri-La
Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific's leading luxury hotel group, currently manages 50 hotels under the five-star Shangri-La and four-star Traders brands, with a rooms inventory of over 24,000. The group has over 45 projects under development in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Japan, Macau, Maldives, Philippines, Qatar, Seychelles, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States. For more information and reservations, please contact a travel professional or access the website at www.shangri-la.com.

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

Some agents breaching Act, says Matta

Some tour agents, licensed to only deal with inbound tourists, have been found selling tickets for international flights.

Alleging this, the Johor chapter of the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) said this was a breach of the Tourism Act 1992.

Chapter chairman Kathryn Lee said inbound tour operators can only sell domestic air tickets while outbound operators are entitled to only sell international air tickets.

She alleged that at least 25 travel agencies in the state had been found to be involved in unscrupulous practices, especially in not adhering to conditions in their operating licences.

Under the Act, she said, three kinds of licences are issued: for inbound or outbound operators and for ticketing agencies that are eligible to sell tickets of any airline.

“Unfortunately, we have detected that about 15% of our members are not abiding by these rules,” she said, adding that Johor Matta was currently gathering more details.

Lee advised the public to contact the association for information regarding any travel agent registered as its member.

Johor Matta is organising a three-day travel fair here from Friday.

Lee said there would be 126 booths, with participation from both local and foreign travel agencies.

Visitors will be entitled to a lucky dip at the entrance, which offers more than 1,000 prizes, including a three-day two-night trip to Macau for two.

Those who buy holiday packages with a minimum deposit of RM500 will be entitled to two lucky draws offering seven prizes.

The grand prize for the lucky draw is a RM5,000 cash voucher and a three-day two-night trip to Macau for two.

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