Sabah, AirAsia ink MOU to bring state’s tourism industry to new level

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah and AirAsia have inked a strategic partnership that is aimed at connecting the state with most countries in Asia as well as Oceania in the next five years. Under the partnership with the Sabah Tourism Board (STB), the AirAsia Group aims to potentially launch 14 new domestic and international routes including Kota Kinabalu-Bandar...

Anwar urges strategic shift for tourism sector

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia requires a shift in targets, strategies and initiatives for the tourism sector, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. In this regard, he said the framework, incentives and infrastructure development set by the government must be met with private sector investment, as they play a crucial role in designing tourism products and providing...

Inclusivity is core to Malaysia’s tourism strategy, says Tiong in apologising for deputy

PETALING JAYA: Inclusivity forms the core of our cultural tourism strategy and no site should be made to cater exclusively to the needs of a single religion, says Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing. The Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister said, in a statement Saturday (June 29), that he wished to apologise for the statement by his...

Zaid pours cold water on govt idea to make Langkawi a Muslim-preferred destination

PETALING JAYA: Turning Langkawi into a Muslim preferred destination could be an uphill task, says former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, who highlighted several concerns. According to Zaid, there are existing Muslim tourism destinations in the region such as Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu and Kota Baru in Kelantan, Indonesia’s Medan, Jakarta and Surabaya, Thailand’s Hatyai, Saudi Arabia’s...

Malaysia is among the top trending tourist destinations in Asia

It has been two years since Malaysia reopened to international tourists. The tourism sector, which took a hit when the borders were closed from 2020 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has yet to fully recover. However, the tourism industry continues to show positive signs of recovery as tourist arrivals doubled over the past year. Based...

New MM2H participants not eligible for PR status, says Tiong

KUALA LUMPUR: New participants of the Malaysia My Second Home (MM2H) Programme in all three categories - Platinum, Gold and Silver - are not eligible to apply for permanent resident (PR) status, according to Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing (pic). In a Facebook post on Saturday (June 15), the Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister announced that the...

On the next long weekend break, you may want to visit these tea plantations in Malaysia

Did you know that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world? It loses only to the “elixir of life” – aka water. May 21 has been designated by the United Nations (UN) as International Tea Day since 2019. We’re a few days late to the celebration this year, but better late than never,...

A short getaway discovering local gems in Ipoh

During our SeniorsAloud Community walks, our leader suggested going on a three-day, two-night excursion to Ipoh, Perak and my wife and I were thrilled to join the trip. Our group travelled on the Electric Train Service (ETS) from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh. It was our first time travelling by ETS, and the journey took about two...

PM’s Central Asia visit a mission to find more staunch friends

TASHKENT: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Uzbekistan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan in Central Asia last week yielded positive results not only in terms of economic cooperation and several other sectors but also in the mission to find more staunch friends. While many leaders of other countries are focused on official visits...

JB hotels still in demand

JOHOR BARU: The state tourism sector will not face a negative impact following the attack at the Ulu Tiram police station here, say local tourism industry players. Malaysian Association of Hotel Johor chapter chairman Ivan Teoh said with Malaysia and Singapore school holidays around the corner, hotels here are expecting good bookings, especially from across the...