1,150 flood victims in Beaufort receive aid from Felda, Grand Borneo ... - Hotel in Sarawak Blog

1,150 flood victims in Beaufort receive aid from Felda, Grand Borneo ...
At least eight civilians killed in Kabul hotel attack | my Sarawak ...
Hotel in Sarawak Blog: ROUTES ASIA: Sarawak Tourism Works on ...
Hotel di kuching - Come Sarawak

1,150 flood victims in Beaufort receive aid from Felda, Grand Borneo ...

Posted: 16 Mar 2014 03:30 PM PDT

BEAUFORT: A total of 1,150 families affected by the recent floods in the Beaufort district received aid from the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and the Grand Borneo Hotel yesterday.

Felda Sabah regional general manager Juany Salleh said the aid, in the form of daily needs for the victims here and in Lumadan was part of Felda and the hotel's social responsibility initiative.

"The assistance given was based on village heads' information involving 16 villages," he told Bernama after the presentation of the flood relief aid at Kampung Poring here.

Meanwhile, Mejabai village head, Sanin Tananak, 49, said the aid was a relieve after his village was hit badly by the floods and had affected the livelihood of villagers.

Selinsing's village head, Musthani Jusdeh, 51, said the aid would help ease the burden of 44 families who have been badly affected by the floods.

More than three quarters of the Lumadan area was hit by the floods last month and many of the victims could not be relocated to evacuation centers since their village was inaccessible. — Bernama

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At least eight civilians killed in Kabul hotel attack | my Sarawak ...

Posted: 20 Mar 2014 11:45 PM PDT

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KABUL: At least eight civilians, including children and foreigners, were killed in a Taliban attack on a luxury hotel in Kabul, the spokesman for Afghanistan's interior ministry said Friday.

In a brazen assault just weeks before Afghanistan's presidential election, four teenage gunmen with pistols hidden in their socks managed to penetrate several layers of security at the Serena hotel, a prestigious venue favoured by foreign visitors to the capital, on Thursday night.

One of the civilians killed in the attack was a former Paraguayan diplomat who was in Afghanistan as an election observer, Paraguay's foreign minister Eladio Loizaga said.

The Taliban, who have vowed a campaign of violence to disrupt the election on April 5, claimed responsibility for the attack.

"8 civilian (sic) including, 3 women (2 foreigners), 3 men and 2 children were killed during the terrorist attack on Serena Hotel Kabul last night," interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on his official Twitter feed.

Deputy Interior Minister Mohammad Ayoub Salangi gave a death toll of nine — five Afghans and four foreigners.

The four attackers were gunned down by Afghan security forces. - AFP

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Hotel in Sarawak Blog: ROUTES ASIA: Sarawak Tourism Works on ...

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 11:35 AM PDT

ROUTES ASIA: Sarawak Tourism Works on Reimaging Kuching

The current project of reimaging Kuching as a destination is part of a five-year Tourism Industry Transformation Program which began in 2010 with one thought in mind – to improve the visitor experience in a very niche market and to position Sarawak as a home of adventure with elements of culture and nature. Ahead of Routes Asia, The HUB Daily sat down with Dato' Rashid Khan, chief executive officer, Sarawak Tourism Board to learn more about his vision.

Sarawak is situated on the third largest island in the world and that makes accessibility a major challenge but the Tourism Board are aware they need to make it easy for travellers to get to the region, thus the reason to host Routes Asia. "The key challenge is to improve air-connectivity so that visitors are able to experience the well kept secrets of Borneo," said Dato' Rashid Khan.

The first phase of this process has been to enhance the visitor experience and work with airline partners operating through hub airports such as Kuala Lumpur International and Singapore Changi and increase air connectivity through these facilities. "The very least was to make the journey more comfortable through reducing transit and waiting time to connect to not only Kuching airport in Sarawak but also to airports such as Sibu, Miri and Bintulu," explained Dato' Rashid Khan.

The Tourism Board has also collaborated with the airlines to create more city pairs to enable travellers to fly direct to Sarawak, a project that has proved fruitful. "On the domestic front, AirAsia is forthcoming and aggressive in developing city pairs such as between Kuching or Miri and Penang, Kota Bahru, Kuala Trengganu and Johore Bahru and Langkawi bypassing Kuala Lumpur altogether. Similarly in terms of regional flights we have helped bring in Xpress Air and MASWings to Kuching from Pontianak," said Dato' Rashid Khan.

The second phase of the plan has been to engage with partner airlines like Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Silk Air and Malindo Air to operate more frequencies on their existing routes and Dato' Rashid Khan believes the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community will help it succeed. "We are preparing for the eventual ASEAN Economic Community that will open up opportunities for airlines within ASEAN member countries to capitalise on the Visitors the implementation of the ASEAN Open Sky Policy Roadmap by 2015 with more liberal aviation agreement of a single market," he said.

Outside ASEAN the Sarawak Tourism Board have identified other key markets with development opportunities, most notably Taiwan, Hong Kong and China where there is a demand for outbound and inbound travel to and from Sarawak.

"Despite the lack of direct flights, visitor arrivals figures from these countries are growing at a healthy growth rates," said Dato' Rashid Khan. "We are targeting idle planes lying overnight in major airports in these countries and attract them to fly either scheduled or non-scheduled charters into Kuching or Miri airports and back- something which can be easily achieved within an eight to ten hour time frame and sweat their assets without compromising on their normal schedules and operations."

A key part of the strategy has been an investment in marketing communication messages to reimage Sarawak as a business and leisure tourism destination with a strong focus on adventure with elements of culture and nature to offer visitors different experiences in one place.

Sarawak's multicultural capital city, Kuching, has a long history, but offers visitors more. There are four nature parks on both land and water – Bako National Park, Kuching Wetland National Park, Kubah National Park and Talang Satang National Park all within 40minutes to 90 minutes radius. Most visitors are aware of the Mulu Caves but Kuching also has the Wind Cave and Fairy Cave among others that are just 40 minutes from the city center. The city also has Gunung Santubong, Damai Beach and the Sarawak River, all providing very different adventure and nature experiences to the visitor.

"Accessibility to tourism attractions will be made easier for visitors to move around as we are looking into ways in which people can enjoy the city using different modes of transport. As Kuching is not very big city, visitors who come here are used to going on foot and take walking tours to discover the city. Of course, other mode of transportation such as buses and taxis are only used for longer distances such as going to the airport or to go out of town," said Dato' Rashid Khan.

The Tourism Board is also starting to look at how the Sarawak River which runs through Kuching can enhance the visitor experience. "With the ferry and water taxi services, you can get from one place to another and also have a different view of the city, see new places and enjoy the peace and calm of a river running through the city," said Dato' Rashid Khan. The Kuching Waterfront is currently being expanded and very soon we will have a pedestrian bridge connecting both banks of the river near the State Assembly Building.

Alongside accessibility, the transformation plan also identified that tourists visiting Sarawak were becoming more varied and coming to the region to experience different product offerings. Where previously there were only two types of hotels – business class hotels and backpacker hotels – both of which are located in the city centre- now different types of hotels are being added to the mix to cater to different types of visitors.

For those who prefer mid-priced boutique hotels, there are several to choose from located around the city with four new hotels are being planned to offer more variety and add 1,500 – 2,000 more rooms by 2016. A 400 room hotel will also be built next to the airport; the UCSI Hotel Kuching will be built near the Borneo Convention Center for those who are in town for an event, while there are also a few ultra luxury hotels being built near the historical part of town.

"While we are still at the infancy stage in terms of tourism infrastructure, we have always been welcoming and hospitable," said Dato' Rashid Khan. "It is our second nature to be friendly to visitors. We hope build on this and bring in the visitors to experience first-hand this warm and friendly city. And this is the image we want to project to airlines and tour operators from all over the world attending Routes Asia 2014."

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About The Author... Richard Maslen, Editor, Routesonline

Richard leads the Routesonline community delivering content every day and the weekly The HUB e-newsletter. With over 16 years in the industry working for a number of aviation publications he brings the team a wealth of experience and insight. Questions? Leave a comment below or send him a tweet!

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Hotel di kuching - Come Sarawak

Posted: 09 Mar 2014 07:56 PM PDT

I am going to take you to a country which is full of islands. Any guess? Yes, you are right. It's Malaysia. There are878 islands in Malaysia. This country is known for its stunning sights and attractions. We are going to explore its astounding natural beauty that magnetizes vacationers/ tourists or visitors attraction. It's a country of exclusive culture and tradition. It's one of the best places on the globe with delicious cuisine and hospitable people. Kuala Lumpur is its capital with charming iconic Petronas Twin Towers. Malaysia has many offshore geographical places. There would be around 510 which include ridges, sandbank and rocks. It's a multicultural state with many festivals and celebrations. Tour to Malaysia, is really a unique and pleasant experience.

There're lots of choices to stay in Malaysia, so it's tough to decide where to stay?

Mid-range hotels and 5 stars hotels with Chinese, Indian or Malaysian traditional cuisine and cozy rooms are easily available for vacationers/visitors anywhere in cities. You can enjoy luxury hotels or resorts located on islands. Accommodation is so cheap in Malaysia, you can easily get a room for $ 3 to $ 9 USD/night. Private rooms are available for $ 11 to $ 20 USD/night. You can camp in Taman Negara and can save lodgings cost.

Anyways, here're some suggestions.

Lone Pine Hotel, located Batu Ferringhi, Penang Island, posses welcoming staff, stunning swimming pool, lip-smacking food, and calm atmosphere with beautiful sea views. You can get a huge variety of cocktails in bar corner.

Golden Sands Resort by Shangri-La, located on Batu Ferringhi beach, Penang Island, is a fantastic family resort, offers services such as water sports, tennis court, delicious food, pools, cozy rooms, hospitable staff and family entertainment center. Its cuisine includes Bar & Grill pizzas and seafood, tea/coffee, snacks, pastries.

Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, in Kuala Lumpur City Centre, is a fantastic hotel with superb services. Welcoming staff, comfortable rooms, suspended pool and delicious Malaysian food make it more worthy staying.

Tanjong Jara Resort, located on Batu, Dungun, is one of the top 25 hotels in Malaysia, offers services such as Spa village, Pools, tennis court, delicious dining out, air-conditioned rooms, seafood and bar. You can spend a relaxing morning with coffee and newspaper on the beach.

Berjaya Tioman Resort, located in Pulau Tioman, is a traditional Malay style resort, offers services like pools, golf, tennis court, spa, coffee, snacks, global drinks, tasty food, air-conditioning cozy rooms and water sports including diving, fishing, snorkelling etc.

The Majestic Hotel, Majestic Malacca, Cameron Highlands Resort and Sama-Sama Hotel, in Kuala Lumpur, Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa and Four Seasons Resort in Langkawi, Miri Marriot Resort & Spa, Mega Hotel, Grand Palace Hotel and Imperial Palace Hotel in Miri, Seven Terraces, Yeng Keng Hotel, Museum Hotel and Hotel Panega are also wonderful places to stay in Malaysia.

As far as meal is concerned, you can have it in restaurants, western hotels , cooking own when living in camping or as a street meal and just have to pay $1 to $3 USD /head for street meal, $4 to $6 USD/head in restaurants while western food is a bit expensive. Malaysia is a Muslim country that's why drinks are expensive here. Anyways, here are some suggestions of restaurants for you.

Dining in the Dark, located on Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, is an amazing restaurant deeply into darkness and offers delicious food including soups, desserts etc.

Black Forest, located on Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, offers German cuisine.

Kebaya, located on Stewart Lane, Georgetown, Penang Island, offers good services and food.

Living Room Cafe Bar & Gallery, located on Batu Ferringhi, Penang Island, is a good place for families, lovebirds, special occasion or groups. You can enjoy Bar, Asian and Eclectic cuisine here until late night.

Top Spot Food Court, located Bukit Mata Kuching, Kuching is a family restaurant, offers best seafood and opens until late night.

Jambu Restaurant and Lounge, located on Crookshank Road, Kuching is a restaurant offers best pasta in town. It also deals with Bistro, Bar for cocktails and Tapas etc.

Black bean, The Heritage, Tribal Stove and Bella Italia are also superb restaurants in Kuching with the fantastic setting near river.

La Casa Kuantan, Crocodile Rock Pizza & Grill Restaurant, Satay Zul, and Dallah Restaurant in Kuantan offer great services with superb cuisine.

Malaysia is a country with many attractions or points of interests and more exciting thing is those are quite cheap. Here're some suggestions, and you must visit those places once you are in Malaysia.

Birch Memorial Clock Tower, located in one of the biggest cities of Malaysia named "Ipoh". Here're plenty of attention-grabbing sights such as museums, temples and historical buildings.

Galeria Perdana, Rice Museum, and Padi Langkawi, in Langkawi, are amazing places with precious stuff and collection, to visit. Langkawi is a beautiful island with lovely beaches and plenty of interesting sights. Ave Stella Maris Catholic Chapel is a beautiful church. Langkawi Wildlife Park and Underwater World are educational and exciting places with lots of fun.

The Islamic city "Kota Bharu" is a great city with royal places, museums, and plenty of other eye-catching sights.

Taman Negara National Park is a beautiful park in oldest rainforest Taman Negara. It's a place with lots of activities like trekking, safaris, and canopy walks.

Islamic Art Museum, Petronas Twin Towers, Putrajaya Bridge, Petrosains Science Discovery Centre, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Thean Hou Temple, and Lake Garden Parks are some suggested amazing places to visit in Kuala Lumpur.

Mount Kinabalu National Park, is the best choice for hiking, this Park is full of fun and will never disappoint you on your visit.

Malaysia is a land of festivals and celebrations as multicultural people exist here. Tourists or vacationers can enjoy these festivals almost every month of the year. Here are some suggestions for our visitors.

Tamil Community celebrates festival named "Thaipusam". It's a unique festival that is worth seeing. It can be best observed at Batu Caves in Selangor or Penang, in Januanry.

Chinese New Year is celebrated in February and last for 15 days. You can enjoy lion dances, fireworks, and delicious Chinese meal.

In April, Good Friday and Malaysia Water Festival are celebrated.

Wesak Day, and Harvest Festival are celebrated in May.

June is a month with amazing festivals like Hari Gawai and Dragon Boat Festivals.

July and August are the months with festivals such as the Rainforest World Music Festival, Independence day, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hungry Ghost Festival.

September becomes more colorful with Malaysia Day and Mid-Autumn Festival.

Hari Raya Haji, Deepavali Festivals of Lights, and Christmas are celebrated in October, November and December.

Malaysia is not less than a heaven for shopaholics. Super international brands have covered Malaysian market and have luxury stores here. Sales at shopping mall attract many tourists every year. Mega Sales held on Christmas and Independence Day and last up to two months.

Utama, BB Plaza, Fahrenheit88, Lot10, Plaza Low Yat, Suria KLCC and Sogo are some remarkable shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur.

ICT@Komtar, Island Plaza, Midlands One Stop, Plaza Gurney, Prangin Mall, Queensbay Mall and Straits Quay are some suggested shopping centers in Penang.

Langkawi Fair is a beautiful place for a shop in Langkawi.

Malaysia is a country with beaches. Therefore, beach holidays can be enjoyed all around the year. Summer season is mild, and usually climate is pleasant in Malaysia so you can visit it in all seasons. Anyhow, December and January are two peak tourists' seasons. From June until August is also a good time to enjoy beaches activities.

I assure you, your vacations to this country holding natural beauty, would be a treasured and unforgettable experience.

Hotel in Sarawak Blog

Friday 21 March 2014