SABAH, Malaysian Borneo

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 24 (Bernama) -- Terminal 1 of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport is expected to be fully completed and operational in May next year, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said. He said construction of the runway extension was halted until after the Sabah Turf Club (STC) had vacated part of the site which formed the runway extension. "The terminal was supposed to have been completed in May this year, but the work had to be postponed because the STC needed time to move to a new site," he told reporters at the presentation of cheques to two charity organisations at his office, here, on Tuesday. The STC is moving to its new site in ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: New Straits Times journalist Jaswinder Kaur bagged top honours at the 2009 Sabah Tourism Awards for an article on the Kinabatangan floodplains. The article was adjudged the Best Tourism Article on Sabah published in Malaysia in the biennial awards, which acknowledge those who played significant roles in the state's tourism industry. Jaswinder wrote about the importance of Sungai Kinabatangan to the tourism industry. Her award came under the Print and Electronic Media category. Japanese writer Yusuke Abe of ANA Inflight magazine (article published overseas category), Francoise Fombertaux of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (best international television programme) and ...
Read more >>

Kota Kinabalu: The State Government aims to double tourism receipts under the 10th Malaysia Plan (1011-2015) to RM8 billion and increase arrivals to 3.55 million (2.2 million domestic and 1.35 million international visitors). State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said his Ministry in the meantime had set a target of RM4 billion in tourism receipts and 2.3 million tourist arrivals for next year, as outlined in the State budget. "These numbers are achievable but they would definitely be far-reached and out-of-sight if we do not put our house in order. It is shared responsibility," he said at the sixth Sabah Tourism Awards ceremony at Magellan Sutera, ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah expects a total of 2.231 million tourists to arrive this year with revenue of RM3.87 billion.Next year, boosted by the release of the H1N1 vaccine before winter, the projected number of arrivals is 2.3 million with revenue of RM4 billion or an increase of 2.2 per cent.Between January and September this year, 1,569.476 visitors came to Sabah comprising 1,219,113 domestic tourists and 440,109 international tourists.The figure was an increase of 1.3 per cent compared to the same period last year  with domestic tourists recording a hike of 4.6 per cent which helped to cushion the impact of the economic crisis and H1N1 pandemic.Simirlarly, several international markets showed ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will host the national-level International Museum Day celebration next year from 18 to 23 May.A total of 500 museum officials from all over the country will be involved as well as several personalities from the International Council of Museums.Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture Datuk Masidi Manjun was speaking when delivering his winding up speech yesterday.He revealed that as the Sabah State Museum continued to gain popularity through various programmes, 365,995 people came to visit until Oct 2009 with revenue collected amounting to Rm426,976.15 as of September.Activities conducted by the Sabah Cultural Board to promote and preserve the cultures of 35 ethnic ...
Read more >>

MUSIC fest Stompin’ Sabah, billed as Sabah’s first and biggest entertainment-based New Year’s Eve celebration, will take place at Jesselton Point, Kota Kinabalu, on Dec 31 from 8pm till 2am. The event will showcase the coming together of “urban music” and “nature-inspired music” on stage. Stompin’ Sabah will feature local tribal troupes, deejays and international percussionists as well. The highlight of this event is the heart-stomping “drum battle” by Projek Pistol comprising local top musicians such as Edrie Hashim, Moq, Zam and Lola. Suria FM, the official Malay radio station for the music fest, is organising a contest for its ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: Several new tourism products have been identified for Beluran and Ranau under the Tourism Area Concept Action Plan which completed its studies in June 2009. The new products in Ranau are a secondary entrance hub to Kinabalu Park, nature walk and confidence course in Poring Hot Springs, an Alpine Rhododendron Garden in Mesilau, an alternative health centre with accommodation in Kundasang, guided trekking tours in Bundu Tuhan, the Ranau Heritage Centre Exhibition and an extreme sports centre in Mamut. The centre in Mamut includes trail bike trails, a motor cross course, four wheel drive circuits, rally course and an extreme sports training school. Tourism, Environment & ...
Read more >>

Kota Kinabalu: Some 350 bikers will converge at the Inaugural Sabah Bike Fest 2009, which will be held at the First Beach in Tanjung Aru, here on December 5, this year. The organiser for this event, Kakimoto Dot Com (KMDC) is expecting its communities from Brunei, Labuan, Sarawak and Sabah to take part. According to its spokesperson, John Lee, this event was mooted to provide a platform for bikers enthusiasts to network and interact with the public, hence creating awareness to the community that biking is albeit a healthy activity. "Among the objectives of this event is to promote social interaction among bikers and non-bikers from within Malaysia and its neighbouring countries with the ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: Residents and visitors to the city will be able to know more about Kota Kinabalu through a guide book that is now available in bookstores. The book entitled "Sabah Colour Guide: Kota Kinabalu and Environs" was launched by Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday. Authored by Wendy Hutton and published by Opus Publications Sdn Bhd, the 90-page book narrates, among others, the early days of the city (then Jesselton town) to its present state, the Kadazandusun community, Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, tourism, transportation, accommodation and many other facts about Kota Kinabalu. Commending Wendy for her inspirational effort, Masidi said a lot of ...
Read more >>

KOTA KINABALU: The first five-star hotel in Kundasang is set to be built on the foothills of Sabah's iconic Mount Kinabalu. The RM300mil Royal Kinabalu Mountain Resort will have 494 rooms and suites, half of them to be sold for private ownership akin to the time-sharing concept. Each unit costs between RM800,000 and RM1mil. At the sales launch yesterday, only five units of the 280 hotel suites for private ownership were available following heavy bookings from a pre-launch marketing drive around the state. "We have a waiting list of about 40 buyers," Kinsabina Sdn Bhd managing director Francis Goh said at the launch by state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun. He ...
Read more >>