Malaysian Tourism Industry Daily Bulletin - 09 April 2012

8 April 2012

"Tourism passport" for students to visit Perak

IPOH (April 7, 2012): The state government is coming up with the Perak Tourism Passport which it will distribute to students to encourage them to visit the state's tourist attractions. Executive councillor Datuk Hamidah Osman said the passport, sold at RM1 each, was an initiative of the state government to promote the Visit Perak Year 2012.

"We are now printing 10,000 passports which will be distributed to 15 schools which have student tourist clubs. In the passport are pictures of attractions in Perak," she told reporters after opening the Perak Student Tourist Carnival, here today. The passport also contains coupons offering a discount of between five to 50 per cent which can be used to visit places like Gua Tempurung, Bukit Merah Laketown Resort and the Lost World of Tambun.

Passport holders are also eligible for the monthly lucky draw by visiting at least two destinations listed in the passport. “They need to have their passport stamped at these places and send it to the Perak Tourism Office," she said, adding that students were the main target of the campaign as they could encourage their parents to come along.

Meanwhile, she said, works to upgrade the Darul Ridzuan Museum in Jalan Panglima Bukit Gantang Wahab as an archaeological museum was going on smoothly and expected to be completed by month-end. "It will be declared open next month," she said.

Works began early this year, costing RM100,000, as part of the bid to have the Lenggong Valley inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites. Universiti Sains Malaysia has agreed to hand over archaeological materials found in Lenggong Valley to be displayed at the museum. – Bernama

Copyright © 2012 Sun Media Corporation Sdn. Bhd

Malaysian Tourism Industry Daily Bulletin - 09 April 2012

Friday, April 06, 2012

Penang has potential to become boating hub

By Marina Emmanuel

GEORGE TOWN: Phuket-based entreprenuer and boating enthusiast Kanit Yongsakul is bullish over Penang's potential in turning into a marine playground, if sufficient international-class marinas are available in the island state. The developer of two marinas in Thailand - one in Phuket and the other in Krabi - said Penang has all the right attributes of becoming a port of choice for the well-heeled boating crowd. "I see no reason why new yachts which are built in England need to be uploaded in Singapore before heading for Phuket, instead of Penang where you have a deep seaport and the potential to create many jobs for the marine industry," he told Business Times on Wednesday. Khanit, who has been a leading figure in Phuket's marine industry for almost two decades and the developer of the island's first marina in the early 1990s, is no stranger to Penang where he sails regularly. Singling out attributes such as good food, a multi-cultural population and George Town's Unesco listing status, Khanit said Penang can do with at least two more marinas on the island's southern and northern parts.

"This will ensure there is no competition between the developers of marinas and plenty of new jobs can be created, while the island's population can be spread out," he added. The island is now home to two fully-operating marinas at Straits Quay in Seri Tanjung Pinang and one operated by the Marine Police Department at Batu Uban.

Kanit, who is the founder of the Phuket Boat Lagoon, said some issues in Penang marinas need to be addressed if the authorities are serious about raising the island's profile as a boating spot.

"There is currently a shortage of fuelling facilities along with suitable and accessible local food outlets for the crew of the boats berthing here. There is also a need for safe anchorage and good road accessibility to marinas."

The civil and mining engineer, who built Phuket's first marina with 80 berths, suggested that incentives such tax holidays be given to developers of marinas here.

The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Malaysian Tourism Industry Daily Bulletin - 09 April 2012

08 April 2012

“Go local for safe holidays”

PAGOH: This is time for Malaysians to appreciate the country's security and support its tourism industry.

Following the latest warning by Thai authorities on possible terror attacks in Danok, which borders Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said Malaysians should heed the warning and visit local tourist spots instead. Recently, two Malaysians were killed in a bomb blast in Hat Yai. 

"What happened recently should be a lesson to others. This is a serious threat, so we should not overlook the matter. “This is the time for Malaysians to take a vacation in their own country, which is among the safest in the world. We don't have to worry about anything here." It was reported that the impending attacks would take place during the annual Songkran festival between April 13 and 15.

"We should not take this lightly. If what is reported is true, then this is a serious warning, especially to those who travel between Malaysia and Thailand. They should know better the situation there. The Foreign Affairs Ministry will issue a statement on whether it is safe for Malaysians to visit southern Thailand." 

The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Berhad

Malaysian Tourism Industry Daily Bulletin - 09 April 2012

Malaysia 51st "Happiest Country" In The World

By Manik Mehta

NEW YORK, April 5 (Bernama) -- If happiness could be measured the way a country's economic performance is measured in terms of gross national product or gross domestic product, then Malaysia would be the world's 51st happiest country. This is the conclusion drawn in the United Nations' so-called "World Happiness Report" recently released at its headquarters in New York.

The report, which had been commissioned for the UN Conference on Happiness held in New York on Monday was compiled on the basis of survey responses received from 2005 until mid-2011 to "measure the happiness level of 156 countries".

In Malaysia's case, there were a number of factors that led to its 51st ranking. Materialistic prosperity of individuals may have been one thing but wealth, usually an indicator of a person's material wellbeing, was not the only crucial factor in this determination. There were factors such as a person's general disposition, the level of contentment with basic aspirations, etc. which were also taken into account.

However, Malaysia was ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia, behind Singapore which emerged as the happiest Southeast Asian country. On a worldwide basis, the island was ranked 33rd out of the 156 countries surveyed. Thailand was ranked 52nd, Myanmar landed at 74th position and Indonesia was 83rd.

The rich Scandinavian countries such as Denmark, Finland and Norway took the top three rankings in the report which suggested that nationals of richer countries tend to be happier despite the fact that wealth was not the defining factor for happiness.

"Political freedom, strong social networks and an absence of corruption are together more important than income in explaining well-being differences," the report said. "At the individual level, good mental and physical health, someone to count on, job security and stable families are crucial."

The report also is a pointer to different perceptions in different parts of the world. In general, there is a universal feeling that greater attention should be paid to happiness as criteria for government policy.

The world's richest nation, the United States, landed at 11th position, with Japan at 44th and communist China at 111th position, trailing behind Iran (84th) and Syria (106th). The "distinction" of being the least happy country in the world went to the West African nation of Togo.

Bhutan, which has found a constituency of supporters in the United States where people are becoming "increasingly philosophical", as one diplomat told Bernama, is playing a leading role in the bid to redefine what development means. Recognizing that economic indicators like GNP or worker productivity are imprecise measures of national well-being, Bhutan has applied the new concept of "gross national happiness" in its own budgeting since the 1970s.

-- BERNAMA

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