Other than gamelan groups from Malaysia, the festival from July 23-26 will also feature groups from Indonesia, Japan and Europe.

Mazlan who is also chairman of Terengganu Museum said the gamelan festival would give people the opportunity to learn more about the traditional music.

Terengganu had lined-up ten activities for 2010 in an effort to attract some 200,000 visitors to the museum this year.

They include a painting contest, ‘batu bersurat’ seminar, keris market, motoring exhibition, traditional games contest, oil lamp contest, dangerous wildlife exhibition and the World Gamelan Festival.

Mazlan said the H1N1 virus and cholera outbreak had restricted visitors to Terengganu Museum to only 155,000 last year.

About 11,000 people visited Terengganu Museum during the three day break for the Chinese New Year.

Three more museums namely the Hulu Terengganu Museum, Kemaman Museum and Besut Museum will be opened this year.

Source: Bernama

India’s major ayurvedic company, Birla Kerala Vaidyashala (BKV), is preparing to open a holistic ayurveda medical spa in Kuala Lumpur by next month once the Malaysian authorities gave the go-ahead.

“Kuala Lumpur is part of our global expansion venture, it’s the right investment place for the company. We are dealing with a local partner and our centre should be in operations within a month,”

said Harshjeet Kuroop, BKV’s Managing Director, told Bernama.

Spurred by the demand for alternative traditional treatments worldwide, the company was on an aggressive overseas expansion drive, with Kuala Lumpur and Colombo on its regional radar at the moment, while Singapore would be its later destination.

Kuroop said the company would offer a range of ayurvedic rejuvenation therapies, similar to the ones found in Kerala, at its Kuala Lumpur centre, which would be managed by experts from India.

In India, besides rejuvenation therapies, BKV offers a gamut of treatments for lifestyle disorders such as obesity, arthritis and diabetes. Treatment for chronic ailments like asthma and rheumatism are also available.

At BKV centres, doctors blend exotic herbs and traditional healing methods to cure these ailments.

“Ayurveda is known for prevention of diseases and it is gaining popularity, we are trying to offer a range of wellness treatment for Malaysians.

“For a start, we will send one doctor and four therapists. Our future expansion in Malaysia will depend on market responses,” added Kuroop.

Currently, the company has 25 treatment spas in India and plans to open another 200 more this year.

Source: Bernama

Taking place on March 13th and 14th, the weekend is an annual celebration of bird of prey migration and is billed as the most important nature tourism event in Malaysia.

Over 4,000 people attended last year’s event and the organiser – the  Malaysian Nature Society – is expecting a similar turnout for 2010.

The weekend is scheduled to coincide with the spring migration of birds of prey, which begins in mid-February and lasts until April.

According to the event’s official website, Raptor Watch represents an opportunity for people to experience “one of nature’s most exquisite offerings”.

Visitors can enjoy games, performances and guided walks as hundreds of birds circle overhead on their way back to Siberia and other northern regions.

The Tanjung Tuan forest, which is situated about ten miles away from Port Dickson in the state of Negeri Sembilan, is the focal point of the weekend.

Negeri Sembilan is on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, south of Kuala Lumpur.

People staying in Langkawi may like to visit the region before going on to explore the Malaysian capital.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the project, which was expected to boost the state’s tourism industry, would be built on the 12.5 hectares belonging to the Penang Water Corp (PBA).

“If all goes well, we hope to finalise the project before Chinese New Year so that work can start, the latest by second quarter of this year,”

he told reporters after meeting representatives from Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House and Sim Leisure here Tuesday.

Lim said PBA selected Penang-based Sim Leisure through open tender.

The company was involved in the design and construction of the Universal Studios Theme Park in Singapore.

He said GFH has also shown a keen interest in the venture.

GFH executive director, Andrew Payne, said the company had work together with Sim Leisure to set up theme parks like the Wahoo Waterpark in Bahrain.

“We are here today to see the size of project and its proposal before making any decision to invest here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sim Leisure managing director, Sim Choo Kheng, said the theme park would have five components.

“There will be a fun hotel, water park, active park, animal farm and jungle adventure to ensure that visitors come and embrace the beauty of nature,”

he said, adding that Sim Leisure’s intention was not destroy nature but to utilise and harness its beauty.

Source: Bernama

Mountain Torq

A via ferrata (‘iron road’ in Italian) is a route built using a series of steel rungs, rails and cables embedded into a rock face. Mountain Torq’s world’s highest via ferrata, and was established in 2007 for climbers and hikers to experience a route that had previously been accessible only to veteran rock climbers and mountaineers with specialized equipment.
Mountain Torq’s via ferrata enables climbers and non-climbers to experience the thrill of via ferrata climbing in complete safety, while taking in the spectacular mountain surroundings and summit views offered by east Malaysia’s Mount Kinabalu. This via ferrata’s lowest point is at 3,411 metres above sea level and reaches the highest point of 3,776 metres above sea level.

Witnessing the event, Tengku Zainal Adlin, Chairman of Sabah Tourism Board said,

“Sabah Tourism congratulates Mountain TORQ Sdn. Bhd.’s   Via Farrata’s certification by the Guinness World Records as the world’s highest via ferrata at 3,776 metre located on Malaysia’s first World Heritage site Mount Kinabalu. Sabah is branded Sabah Nature’ally … The Best of Borneo. The “Land Below The Wind” is being promoted as A Premier Nature Adventure Destination with adventure that encompasses soft, medium, hard and extreme. Mountain Torq’s via ferrata on Mount Kinabalu fits very well with an adventure destination with few equals and Sabah Tourism’s philosophy to shine among the best as being epitomized by the globally unique highest via ferrata in the world and the first in Asia. Our congratulations also to Sabah Parks in facilitating Mountain Torq to be certified in the Guinness Book of Record.”

Receiving the award, Sabah Park’s Deputy Director, Dr Jamili Nair  said,

“This recognition will be a value add both with respect to conservation effort and tourism attraction at Kinabalu Park, Malaysia‘s first World Heritage Site.  Sabah Parks believes that it will boost the attention and appreciation for outdoor lovers throughout the world.”

Presenting a copy of the Guinness World Records certification to Sabah Parks at the press conference today, Wilfred Tok, founder of Mountain Torq, said: “This is an honour and a privilege to be recognised by the global authority on world records. Since the inception of Mountain Torq, our team has been working hard to create a way for people to experience adventure differently on the beautiful and mysterious Mount Kinabalu. Our via ferrata and mountaineering activities are based on internationally recognised service standards. We are also deeply appreciative to Sabah Tourism Board for their kind support and active promotional drive across Asia. Going forward, we plan to build on this certification and to create more exciting adventures in Asia.”  

Key highlights of Mountain Torq’s via ferrata:
Location:    Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
Highest point of via ferrata:    3,776 meters above sea level on Panar Laban rock face
Lowest point of via ferrata:    3,411 meters above sea level  
Length of via ferrata:    spans 1.2 km (approximately); duration between 4-5 hours
Point of interest for climbers:   Negotiating a 22 meter foot bridge suspended 3,600 meters above sea level

Mountain Torq operates two via ferrata routes. For the seasoned climber, the company offers its Low’s Peak Circuit whereby climbers with above average fitness levels climb to the highest point of Mt Kinabalu called Low’s Peak located 4,095 meters above sea level. On their descent, they will take the via ferrata detour starting from 3,776 meters above sea level in order to see stunning views and explore hidden corners of the mountain plateau.
The other via ferrata route, known as Walk The Torq, has been designed for novice climbers and family groups with members aged 10 years and above. This route takes climbers on Mt Kinabalu’s via ferrata at 3,521m above sea level with opportunities along the way for sight-seeing and photo-taking.

Mount Kinabalu, the highest accessible mountain in South East Asia, is located in East Malaysia on the island of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Mount Kinabalu itself is situated in a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its rich biodiversity and lush rainforests.

Mountain Torq manages the world’s highest and Asia’s first via ferrata (verified by Guinness World RecordsTM) located on a world heritage site, Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. Created for mountaineering enthusiasts and the adventurous spirit, climbers and hikers between the ages of 8 and 70 have scaled Mountain Torq’s via ferrata since its inception in 2007.

In addition to the via ferrata, Mountain Torq is also South East Asia’s first mountaineering training centre, offering other mountaineering activities such as sports/rock climbing and rappelling courses.

Source: PRLog.org

“It was my childhood ambition to see the PGA Tour brought to Malaysia and now it will become a reality…and today, I am proud to announce that next year Malaysia will be hosting the PGA Tour.

“We will be the first nation in the South East Asian region to host such a prestigious golf competition. It is a great honour to be given the opportunity,”

said Najib in his speech at the official launch of the Asia Pacific Golf Classic Malaysia, here Monday.

The inaugural tournament will be held at the Mines Resort and Golf Club in Seri Kembangan, near here.

At the ceremony, Najib also announced that the golf competition offers a total prize money of US million and the winner of the competition will walk home with US million.

“I was not quite sure then that it could happen and I didn’t know what it takes to be able to host the PGA Tour event in Malaysia.

Because it certainly requires a full agreement of the PGA Tour. Fortunately, we have Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, an entrepreneur who has the courage and vision to do things that are difficult or almost impossible to do.

“The competition (the Asia Pacific Golf Classic) will also be the largest prize purse tournament in South East Asia. And, there is a commitment in place to guarantee the growth of the purse,”

said Najib.

He noted that the competition would further boost Malaysia’s revenue through tourism and enhancing the country’s standing in the international sporting arena.

“It will be a boost and very positive. It will make the Mines golf course more popular as one of the major golf courses in the world. It will also make Malaysia as the favourite golfing destination,” said Najib.

He said that over the four-day competition, over 400 million households and in 200 countries around the world would be watching the prestigious competition and this would be a good avenue not only for golf but also Malaysian tourism.

The inaugural Asia Pacific Golf Classic Malaysia will feature an international field of 40 players competing.

The top 25 players from the PGA Tour’s final FedExCup standings will automatically qualify, as will the top-10 available players from the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit and at least one Malaysian professional will be guaranteed a place in the field.

Source: Bernama

He said the theme park in Iskandar Malaysia would be the first in Asia, and the fifth in the world.

“This Legoland park is built under a concept suitable to its location in a tropical country like Malaysia,” he told reporters after attending the ground-breaking ceremony at the Legoland Malaysia project site, here on Wednesday.

Also present was Iskandar Investment Bhd president and chief executive officer Arlida Ariff and Legoland Development Merlin Entertainment general manager, John Ussher.

Source: Bernama

Although the achievement is difficult to measure in terms of statistics, it is cannot be denied that since the event was introduced in 2004, various sectors in this east coast state have benefited either directly or indirectly.

The most obvious difference can be seen in Terengganu’s flourishing tourism industry, whereby local and foreign tourists alike flock to the state all year round.

Monsoon Cup director Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh said certain intangible objectives were also achieved a result of the state staging the Monsoon Cup, among which were breaking the psychological barrier where many considered Terengganu as not suitable to be visited during certain seasons.

“Hotel accomodation records have shown that before the event was introduced, there was a lack of tourists during the monsoon season. No one was interested to visit Terengganu during the rainy season. However, since the Monsoon Cup started, hotel bookings have been encouraging. This year I was told that most of the hotels are fully booked,”

he told Bernama here recently.

In terms of the economy, Wan Hisham said there were also positive indications, although it had been said before that organising the Monsoon Cup was a waste for the state government and unbeneficial to the locals.

He said Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said had also admitted that the state government profited from advertisements when the championship was watched by over 1.2 billion viewers worldwide.

Meanwhile, former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the event also generated long-term investments to help the growth of the state economy.

Idris said several years ago a Dutch company, Conoship International B.V, invested RM1 billion to build 20 luxury cruise ships in Terengganu for the European market.

Commenting further, Wan Hisham added that the bazaar held each time during the championship presented lucrative opportunities to local traders.

“A traditional cakes and cookies seller who sold chocolate and strawberry flavoured ‘buah rotan’ raked in RM1,000 daily throughout the event.

“Two years ago a Monsoon Cup spectator spent RM200,000 to buy Terengganu songket. We cannot see this in statistics, but these are among the benefits enjoyed by the locals due to the event,” he said, adding that although the income of fishermen was affected during the rainy season, there were other ways to compensate for it.

According to the agreement reached upon with the organiser, T-Best Events, and the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), the annual event will be held until 2012.

“Our hopes to see more local participants in the sport is also becoming a reality as we are seeing more new teams taking part each year.

“In time, it is not impossible that this sport will be as popular as other sports in the country with its own sets of fans and followers,” said Wan Hisham.

Wan Hisham said the development of the sport was also clearly seen, with improving quality and increases in number of prizes offered.

The championship’s adviser, Datuk Peter Gilmour, said the Monsoon Cup 2009 to be held from Dec 1 to 6 will offer the biggest purse ever offered in any world sailing event, reaching USD454,000 (RM1.57 million).

The event will once again see the participation of international sailors such as Adam Minoprio from New Zealand, Ian Williams (Britain) and Torvar Mirsky (Australia).

Source: Bernama

Travel agents from Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne will take part in the event at the picturesque Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club at Point Cook, 27km from here.

Tourism Malaysia Melbourne director Putra Hilmy Elias said Australians had found playing golf in Malaysia enjoyable and interesting.

“There is a niche market for holidaying golfers and we are aiming to lure them to Malaysia,” he said.

“Australian golfers have come back with good reports of golfing facilities in Malaysia and we are pleased about this.”

Putra, himself a keen golfer, said many Australians had found playing golf at night a novelty and enjoyed the experience.

“They can either go sight-seeing or shopping during the day and relax with a game of golf at night,” he said.

Source: Bernama

Organized annually by Tourism Malaysia, the 16th season of the WAITGC attracted some 160 international teams and over 600 amateur golfers in the six qualifying rounds that kicked off in Pulau Pinang earlier in March.

As part of the plan to promote Malaysia to the world as a major golfing destination in Southeast Asia, the qualifying rounds brought international golfers to some of the best golf courses in Malaysia, including those in Selangor, Langkawi, and Kuala Lumpur.

With over 200 exotic golf courses—some exquisitely built in the cool hills and some by the sea—Tourism Malaysia has been aggressively promoting the country’s fairways and greens.

This promotion despite the economic slowdown and the outbreak of H1N1 influenza that have hampered Malaysia’s tourism promotional efforts this year, said Tourism Malaysia Director-General Datuk Mirza Mohammad Yaiyab.

Mirza, who was at the press conference of the grand finals of the WAITGC, said tourists, particularly from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Japan, have declined for the past months and reasoned that tourists from these countries, including golfers, could be more cautious about the H1N1 scare than others.

Nevertheless, he expressed confidence that sports tourism is heading in the right direction, and initiatives by the Golf Club Managers Association of Malaysia and organizers of the WAITGC are able to attract regional and international golfers back to Malaysia.

Encouraging Clubs to Promote Golfing
Concurrent efforts to promote golf activities in the Eastern Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo Island have paid off. Home to the some of the country’s most exotic resorts, Sabah has generated some 1.2 million in golf tourism revenue last year.

Since April, the state’s government has sent strong encouragement to golf clubs and resorts to promote golf as part of the state’s sports tourism agenda.

“I urge golf clubs to utilize their resources to attract golf enthusiasts from around the world to come to Sabah as we have world-class golf courses,”

said State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun as reported in Daily Express.

“We have the most beautiful yet challenging golf courses to offer golf tourists.”

According to Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli, chief executive officer of Tanjong Puteri Golf Resort, golf courses in Malaysia are magnets for regional golfers, especially Singaporeans, who enjoy cheaper and more luxurious alternatives.

Datuk Abdul estimated that around 75 percent of the resort’s patrons come from Singapore and added, “They come all year round, despite the traffic jams.”

“Many golfers from Singapore come to Johor and KL [Kuala Lumpur],” said Abdul, who attributed the frozen club memberships and the limited golf clubs in Singapore as reasons that turn walk-in golfers away.

“Many of our Singaporeans golfers are men, women, amateurs, and professionals, and many of them come on a weekly and even daily basis,”

he said.

Kenny Liu, 41, an avid golfer who crosses the border every weekend to hone his skills, agrees.

“To casual golfers like us, practicing on the course seems almost unfeasible without membership at golf clubs,”

he said.

“While we do have some golf range at civil clubs here, it’s a difference experience all together to play on the course.”

Source: The Epoch Times