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...

Tourists urged to book tour packages with legit operators following drowning case

KOTA KINABALU: Those planning to spend their holidays in Sabah have been advised to secure their tour packages with tour operators who are registered with the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry (Motac). State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew issued the reminder following a suspected drowning incident involving a Chinese tourist at Mengalum Island,...

Johor has great potential to be a major tourist destination in Malaysia, says MB

ISKANDAR PUTERI: Johor has many tourist centres with huge potential which the state can be proud of, says Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi (pic). The Mentri Besar said recently, a video went viral on social media questioning the state's tourism sector and that Johor has no interesting places to visit. “The video highlighted that Johor is boring with...

Experience Sarawak’s vibrant gastronomical scene

A sweet fragrance enveloped the air as we arrived at Kek Lapis Warisan at Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce in Kuching, Sarawak. The pleasing aroma of butter wafted from the kitchen, leaving us curious over what to expect. Kek lapis, Sarawak’s multi-layered traditional cake, dates back five decades. In fact, according to 45-year-old Kek Lapis Warisan...