Tourists give city the thumbs up

KUALA LUMPUR: The latest report by Euromonitor International has placed Kuala Lumpur ahead of Paris, Hong Kong and New York in terms of international tourist arrivals.

According to the Top City Destinations Ranking 2009, the Federal capital is ranked fourth out of 100 cities in the world.

New York City, Dubai, Paris and Hong Kong have been placed in the sixth, seventh, eight and tenth spot, respectively.

The report showed that despite the unprecedented drop in international tourists arrivals worldwide which fell by 3.5 per cent, Kuala Lumpur recorded a growth of 5.2 per cent, which saw 9,400,000 tourists entering the country in 2009.

Euromonitor International is a leading independent provider of business intelligence on industries, countries and consumers.

What's attracting visitors to Kuala Lumpur? Streets caught up with some tourists in the city to find out.

Australian Liam Swaaney (left), 29, loves the architecture of the buildings.

"I can't stop shooting pictures of the beautiful buildings in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is a good starting point for a Southeast Asia vacation," said Swaaney.

He said he could see the rich cultural diversity of the country just by looking at the architecture of the buildings.

Megan Cantwell (below), 24, who loves backpacking, said Kuala Lumpur has much to offer in terms of places to visit.

"I've been here for only three days and I've already seen some great places like the Twin Towers, Dataran Merdeka and KL Tower," said Cantwell, a Canadian.

Rupinder Singh, 29, from India, said he's in Kuala Lumpur for a business trip as well as a short vacation.

"This is my first time to Malaysia and I have visited many interesting places," said Rupinder, who visited Dataran Merdeka and Batu Caves, among others, with his wife.

Elena Kozlova, 30, who hopped off from a bus load of Russian tourists at Dataran Merdeka was surprised to see so much of greenery despite the many tall buildings.

"I've enjoyed every moment since I set foot in the country. I'll definitely be back," said Kozlova, who is heading for Borneo for a two-week diving trip.

Iqbal Warsi, 55, from London decided to visit the city after hearing all the wonderful stories about Kuala Lumpur from her son, who was here for his honeymoon.

Iqbal and her husband love everything there is about the city, especially Bukit Bintang.

"It reminds us of Piccadilly in London. We can find all kinds of food and see the different cultures in one small place," said Iqbal. They added that the locals were friendly and helpful.

Frenchman Nicolas Lamballe, 32, who is on his second visit, loves the city.

"Kuala Lumpur is a beautiful place with very nice people. I will definitely come back and bring more friends with me next time," said Lamballe.

Legoland aims for one million visitors

NUSAJAYA: Legoland Development, the operator of Legoland Malaysia Theme Park being built here, expects to see one million visitors passing through its gates in the first year of operations.

Legoland Malaysia Project senior director of operations Siegfried Borst said the company was confident of achieving the target based on the high number of family institutions in the region.

Siegfried Borst (left) and Zainal Ashikin Muhammad Rejab
 looking at a model of pre-war shop houses made of
Lego bricks.

He said unlike in developed countries where the birth rate was declining from year to year, most Asian countries still recorded high birth rate.

“Our theme park targets families with young children aged between two and 12 years old and this demographic serves our business strategy well,'' said Borst.

He was speaking at a press conference after a tour for the media to preview the ongoing development at the Legoland site.

Borst said work on the RM720mil project was progressing well and the theme park was expected to open its doors to visitors towards the end of 2012.

The 26ha theme park will offer 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions. It is located in the centre of a 59ha site in Medini North, a zone dedicated to lifestyle development.

Legoland Malaysia Theme Park is the first component to be developed within Legoland Malaysia Resort. The whole project will also have a retail mall, themed hotel, business hotel as well as office and residential areas.

“We are yet to determine the entrance charges. Our next priority is to talk with potential trade partners to market our park,'' he said.

Borst said unlike other Legoland theme parks which only operated eight months a year and closed during winter, Legoland Malaysia would operate all-year round.

He said the main challenge in developing the park in Malaysia was the “sun and rain”, thus more covered pedestrian walkways needed to be built and trees to be planted.

The other Legoland theme parks are Legoland Billund (Denmark), Legoland Windsor (near London, Britain), Legoland Deutschland (Germany) and Legoland California (the United States).

Legoland Malaysia will have miniature replicas of iconic buildings and structures from across Asia. These include Petronas Twin Towers and India's Taj Mahal.

IDR Resorts director Zainal Ashikin Muhammad Rejab said Legoland Malaysia would create about 1,000 jobs for locals and bring spillover effects to Nusajaya. IDR Resorts is part of Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB).

IIB had, in December 2008, signed an agreement with Merlin Entertainment Group, which will design and operate Legoland Malaysia.

Zainal said with the opening of Legoland Malaysia, IIB would position Medini North as a tourism hub in the 9,712.45ha Nusajaya.

“An indoor theme park is also coming up at Puteri Harbour just a few kilometers away from Legoland Malaysia and both parks will complement each other to attract visitors,” he said.

The government-backed IIB was formed on Nov 3, 2006 to drive commercial initiatives in Iskandar Malaysia via joint ventures and by offering its land.

By ZAZALI MUSA
zaza@thestar.com.my

Hotel bajet ada kelebihan tarik pelancong

JITRA - Hotel-hotel bajet memiliki kelebihan untuk memikat pengunjung khususnya pelancong asing dan membantu kerajaan mencapai matlamat menarik lebih 36 juta pelancong ke Malaysia menjelang tahun 2020.

Naib Presiden Persatuan Hotel Bajet Malaysia (MBHA), Ir Mohamed Hassan KB Hamzah berkata, kelebihan itu kerana pengusaha hotel bajet sentiasa berhadapan dan melayan pelancong yang datang dan sekaligus dapat memikat mereka.

Beliau berkata, kedudukan strategik kebanyakan hotel bajet yang berdekatan pelbagai kemudahan awam dan dengan pengetahuan pengusaha mengenai asal usul dan produk-produk pelancongan tempatan, membantu mereka memberi penerangan kepada pelancong.

"Kelebihan-kelebihan ini tidak terdapat pada hotel-hotel bertaraf empat bintang ke atas, malah untuk bertemu pemiliknya amat sukar sekali," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan kursus sehari pengurusan dan pemasaran untuk kakitangan hotel bajet peringkat zon utara di Hotel Bustani di sini hari ini.

Menurut beliau, kursus itu selaras dengan rancangan kerajaan memperkenalkan Pelan Transformasi Pelancongan Malaysia yang mensasarkan pendapatan sebanyak RM168 bilion daripada lebih 36 juta pelancong berkunjung ke negara ini pada tahun 2020. - Bernama

Tourism boost for hotel operations

Higher international tourist arrivals to contribute towards improved hotel occupancy rates

PETALING JAYA: The sustained recovery in the business and leisure tourism markets in Malaysia, on the back of improving global economic conditions, augurs well for the local hotel and resort operators.

Industry observers told StarBiz in general, the number of international tourist arrivals in Malaysia was set to grow further, and local hotel and resort operators were well-positioned to benefit from this favourable trend.

Latest data from the Tourism Ministry showed that international tourist arrivals between January and September this year grew to 16.18 million from 15.38 million in the same period last year.

The number of international tourist arrivals for the whole of 2010 is expected to touch 24 million, up from 23.65 million in 2009.

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation recently said the increasing government support and rising promotional activities would continue to boost international tourist arrivals in Malaysia.

The international body, which listed Malaysia among the top 10 tourist destinations across the globe for 2009, projected international tourist arrivals in the country to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of around 8% between 2011 and 2013.

Providing further impetus to the Malaysian tourism market is the growing number of domestic travellers or interstate tourists.

"Such encouraging trend will contribute to improved hotel occupancy rates in the country going forward," an analyst said.

Statistics from the Malaysian Association of Hotels showed that the overall hotel occupancy rate for the nine months to September this year stood at 62%.

That's a slight improvement from the average 60% for the same period last year, but still below the average of 65% for the first nine months of 2008, before the effects of the global financial crisis were felt in Malaysia.

"With improved business and consumer sentiments following the recovery of the global economy, it won't be surprising to see local hotel and resort operators chart strengthening operating performance over the medium term," the analyst said, pointing to the encouraging results of Shangri-La Hotels (M) Bhd as an example.

Shangri-La is among the few hotel and resort operators listed on Bursa Malaysia.

Announcing its financial results on Tuesday, the company said its net profit for the third quarter ended Sept 30 grew to RM26.7mil on group revenue of RM111.95mil, compared with a net profit of RM15.89mil on group revenue of RM93.06mil in the previous corresponding period.

In its statement, Shangri-La attributed its stronger financial performance to extensive renovations to the guestrooms and facilities at both its Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur and Golden Sands Resort late last year and better operating performances of its Rasa Ria Resort in Sabah and Golden Sands Resort in Penang, as a result of good improvements in both occupancy and average room rates.

"On the whole, market conditions for the company as well as the industry have only gotten better; and that will be reflected in the results of the company and ultimately, its share price," an analyst said.

Shangri-La's share price has been rising steadily since the start of the year. From RM1.80 to its closing price at RM2.84 yesterday, the counter made a year-to-date gain of 58%. The average target price for the stock is RM3.

How Johorean are you?

 How well do you know Johor? On facebook there is a quiz that asks several questions to prove how Johorean one is.

I am not a Johorean but have been based in Bandar Baru Uda in Johor Baru for almost five years. I took the quiz and found out I am 98 per cent Johorean.

So, how well do I actually know Johor?



The Johor State New Administrative Centre
 (above) is also known
the Jewel of Johor while Danga Bay
 (below) is JB’s premier waterfront city.



I know that it's known as the Southern Getaway of Malaysia, is known for its zapin and kuda kepang dances, and is blessed with beautiful beaches.

And its Jalan Wong Ah Fook is also famous.



But on a recent assignment to Endau-Rompin Johor National Park to cover and participate in Tourism Malaysia-Johor Office's Media-Tourist Agent Eco-Challenge, I realised that what I knew of Johor is just the tip of the iceberg.

It was my first trip to the park, also known as Peta, because of an Orang Asli settlement called Kampung Peta located along the route into the area.

Because there is no proper road into the park, I had to endure a bumpy ride in a four-wheel-drive as it made its way through the pothole-riddled muddy road.

Still, it was lots of fun and an unforgettable experience.

One of the brain-teasers posed by the organisers was to name the 10 tourism icons of Johor.

Mind you, as a journalist, I though it would easy and I zealously jotted down 11 of them.

My team was the third to cross the finishing line out of the 10 that took part.

However, later that night we found we were at eighth place.

This was because the challenge was not based on time, but rather on points given for answering questions correctly.

We finished our physical tasks at record time but fared badly when it came to the questions comprising 60 per cent of the total score.

Unfortunately, we only knew this when the winners were announced. All that rushing was to no avail!

It was an eye-opener. We arrived at the finishing line more than five hours earlier compared with the last team to finish. What a shock to learn that last team was the one who won the challenge!





Though they were slow at the physical tasks, they won because they had all the answers right.

Upon returning to Johor Baru, I surfed the Internet to learn more about the state that I was tested on. I was amazed at how much I didn't know!

So, just you know, the 10 tourism icons in Johor are:

The Sultan Ibrahim Building on Bukit Timbalan. It is perhaps the most distinctive structure symbolising Johor Baru.

Then there is the Sultan Abu Bakar Royal Museum at Istana Besar. It was commissioned in 1864 by the Father of Modern Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar.

Kota Iskandar, that was named after the late Sultan of Johor, Sultan Iskandar, comes next.

It was formerly known as the Johor State New Administrative Centre. Now it is fondly known as the Jewel of Johor and is the current administrative centre for the state government in Nusajaya.

Tanjung Piai National Park is home to many species of birds and mangrove flora and fauna, while Tanjung Kukup is the world's largest uninhabited mangrove island in the world.

Pulau Rawa is renowned for its beautiful beaches and offshore coral reefs, while Pulau Sibu is a an island of lush tropical rain forest.

Danga Bay or Teluk Danga is often referred to as the vision city of the south for being JB's premier waterfront city and the largest recreational park.

Endau Rompin National Park is one of the remaining large tracts of pristine lowland tropical rainforest.

Gunung Ledang or Mount Ophir is shrouded in mystical legends and folklore.

According to the legend of the Princess of Gunung Ledang, the Sultan of Malacca wanted the princess's hand in marriage and she, not wanting to marry him, demanded that the Sultan present her with seven jars of women's tears, seven trays of mosquitoes' hearts and seven bowls of the blood of the sultan's son.

After he was unable to meet these impossible requests, she fled to the mountain and continues to live in a hidden cave to this day.

Desaru boasts 25km of inviting beaches fringed by palms and casuarinas.

Kluang has the biggest dragon fruit orchard, organic vegetable farm, organic padi field, and pineapple and tea plantation.

To Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board Johor Office acting director Nizam Abdul Wahid, thank you, sir for making me more of a Johorean!

Hotel Penaga: A unique fusion

HERITAGE conservation and hospitality are about to take a novel turn in George Town's historic enclave in Penang by the end of the year.

This is when owners of a new hotel raise the bar in luxury boutique accomodation with retail and artistic spin-offs.

The RM15 million job involved the puchase of 15 pre-war terraced houses and shophouses, and restore them into Hotel Penaga.

The hotel is slated for opening by the middle of December.

It is set to see its owners, international architect Hijjas Kasturi and his wife Angela offering a residency programme for artists, and a shop selling most of the materials, fixtures and furniture found in the hotel.

"We have had a lot of fun over the project in sourcing for materials from all over the region and we will open a shop selling most of these things, in particular mirrors and lights from Indonesia, reconstructed antique furniture from China, and contemporary art works from the region," Hotel Penaga Sdn Bhd director Angela Hijjas told Business Times in Penang.

Angela said she and Hijjas will also provide a link to others interested in restoring old buildings for materials like tube line decorations, wall tiles and second-hand timber.

"With all the experience we have garnered over the last two years, we can virtually be a one-stop shop for people trying to source appropriate materials and fittings," she added.

The project, when completed, will boast a spa, a restaurant, a bar and garden.

"Officially we are three-star but this is mainly because we do not have many outlets and lack the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhbitions facilities," Angela said

"Our rooms in terms of size and finish, however, will be equal to anything provided by the five-star hotels, and service will also be the highest priority." Angela said although Hotel Penaga cannot market itself as a five-star hotel, its owners will position it as a luxury boutique hotel "at the doorstep of the old city, where a fusion of heritage and cultures, art and green buildings merge."

With Singapore as it primary target market, Angela says the hotel is banking on the fact that there are currently 70 flights a week into Penang from the island republic.

"Singaporeans are in the free, independent travellers (FIT) category, who make their own arrangements without the need for an intermediary, especially as Penang is so familiar even if they have never visited the island before.

"Most come for the food, but they also expect to find an interesting place to stay and they may well economise by flying on a budget airline, but accomodation is something they may want to splurge on a bit," she added.

Angela added that the company is looking to acquire more buildings in George Town, but contended that it is not easy.

"Many are held in multiple names or by family trusts and although they may be decrepit, they are not on the market.

"We would like to extend our role within the MICE industry, as there is a great shortage of venues with an old-town heritage character," she added.

Singling out the recently-restored Suffolk House by reknowned architect Laurence Loh, as one such venue, she pointed out that there is still demand for more.

"So we are on the lookout but with no luck so far. Even through we only have 50 rooms to sell, having an affiliated venue would be beneficial in broadening our appeal," Angela added.

Habib Jewels gears to open more hotels

HOMEGROWN jeweller Habib Jewels Sdn Bhd, which recently ventured into its first hotel business in Kota Baru, is ready to open more hotels locally and abroad.

Habib Holding general manager Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir said the company is looking at Kuala Lumpur, Penang and even overseas if there are opportunities.

"We started moving away from our core business last year when we opened an Ar-Rahn outlet in Ampang, Selangor.

"We see the hotel business as a property investment which pays good returns if managed properly.

"The other reason is that we have at least eight senior executives in the company with vast experience in the hotel sector and we can rely on their expertise," he said when met at the Habib Hotel in Kota Baru yesterday.

The hotel, which had its soft opening on August 31, is offering a special promotion for travellers during the Hari Raya period with the superior room at RM130 and deluxe room at RM150.

Abdul Razak said Habib had bought one-third of a row of shophouses in the centre of town in Jalan Maju and spent more than RM12 million to renovate the building into a 32-room hotel.

He said the hotel will also house a Habib Jewel outlet and a jewel factory, which has already started operations with 60 workers.

"We are looking to October for the official opening simultaneously with the Habib Jewel outlet, which is expected to be ready by the end of this month," he said.

Abdul Razak said the Kota Baru Habib Hotel, which has 26 superior and six deluxe rooms, has been branded as a boutique budget hotel targeted at business and local travellers.

On choosing Kota Baru as its first hotel, Abdul Razak - who has about 20 years in the hotel industry - said the company did a study two years ago and found that there was a market for rooms in the one- to three-star hotel category in the town.

He said Habib Hotel currently has a staff of 18, but plans to increase this to 28.