MAS Offers Special Fares And Holiday Packages At MATTA Travel Fair

March 14, 2012 20:50 PM

KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 (Bernama) -- Malaysia Airlines System Bhd (MAS) is offering attractive domestic and international travel airfares, MASholidays packages and travel-related products at the MATTA Travel Fair from March 16-18, 2012.

In a statement Wednesday, MAS said all-inclusive discounted airfares for economy and business class would be available through its appointed agents participating in the fair while MASholidays would offer domestic and international holiday package promotional fares.

"Business class travellers can enjoy all-inclusive return air fares from RM1,899 to Phnom Penh, Manila and Hanoi, RM3,699 to both Beijing and Hong Kong, RM4,899 to Seoul and Male and RM10,015 to Los Angeles.

"Similar fares to London start from RM20,999 and passengers will enjoy the travel comfort of the Airbus A380-800 on selected days starting from July 2012," it said.

MAS said its unit, Firefly, would also offer great deals to destinations like Koh Samui, Langkawi, Terengganu, Kota Bahru, Penang, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. MAS said those interested and not be able to make it to the PWTC to grab these deals could get them via its website at www.malaysiaairlines.com, call centre at 1-300-88-3000 and ticket offices nationwide.

-- BERNAMA

Sabah May Host Monsoon Cup Next Year - Azalina

November 30, 2008 17:27 PM

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- Sabah may host the Monsoon Cup Sailing Championship next year, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said.

She said the final decision rest with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The Tourism Ministry has proposed the event not to be held at the same place every year but instead rotated among certain states, Azalina told reporters after holding a dialogue with non-government organisations and Sabah tour and travel agencies at Sutera Harbour Resort here, Sunday.

"Datuk Masidi Manjun (Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister) and me will discuss the proposal with the prime minister at the closing of the Monsoon Cup in Terengganu early next month," said Azalina.

She cited Sutera Harbour Resort as a suitable venue for the event should Sabah host the championship as the hotel could accommodate the participants and visitors.

-- BERNAMA

Firefly stopover service a big hit

Friday November 14, 2008

By CHOI TUCK WO

LONDON: Firefly is tapping the international stopover market by offering its much-touted “low-fare and incredible value” offer for long-haul travellers.

More than 20 international travel firms have registered with the airline to act as agents to provide stopovers in Malaysia.

Marketing and communications head Angelina Fernandez said the stopovers could allow the passengers to take the airline’s direct connecting flights to other domestic destinations or to Thailand and Indonesia.

She said they were overwhelmed by the response from travel agents from countries such as Britain, the United States, Sweden, Germany, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and India.

“One agent from the Maldives even pledged to bring the first batch of travellers for stopovers in Subang and Penang next week,” she said at the four-day World Travel Market at Excel London which ends today.

Angelina said they had provided a new venue for travel agents who faced connecting problems domestically such as high costs, long travelling time and distance.

She also said agents were surprised with Firefly’s 20kg baggage allowance for domestic flights, compared with the usual 10kg or 15kg.

The airline also provided assigned seating and complimentary in-flight refreshments and snacks which were a welcome change for an airline offering low fares.

“We’re not a low-budget airline but we offer low fares at extremely incredible value.” Angelina said most agents requested for popular diving destinations such Redang, Perhentian, Penang, Bandar Aceh, Koh Samui, Phuket and Johor Baru.

She said they also offered competitive pricing where long-haul travellers could fly to any destination within Malaysia for as low as £10 (RM60).

From there, they could take connecting flights to Langkawi or Koh Samui for a few days, before flying to Terengganu or Medan

Source: The Star

Drawing Tourists, Strengthening Economic Growth Through Sports Tourism

October 09, 2008 17:11 PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 9 (Bernama) -- The government will step up efforts to boost sports tourism events to draw more tourists as well as serve as a catalyst for national economic growth, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

He said state governments should promote sports tourism events as they had a major positive impact on the inflow of tourists and the national economy.

"It costs a lot for one minute of air time over paid channels such as ESPN and CNN. However, with sports such as the FEI-World Endurance Championship (WEC) 2008 being broadcast for about 30 minutes, the returns are tremendous," he said.

"Terengganu stands to gain from the huge spillover from this sports and we will carry out such efforts which can contribute to national economic growth," he said at the launch of the countdown for WEC 2008 and the state Hari Raya Aidilfitri reception at the state sports complex in Gong Badak near here.

Najib was accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Also present at the function were Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said and Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Najib said the presence of 150 participants from 34 countries as well as foreign media representatives at the four-day event would have a major positive effect on the people of Terengganu and the rest of Malaysia as well.



"The hosting of this sport will place Terengganu on the calendar of equestrian events. I understand that Terengganu was selected as the host more so due to the keen interest of the nation's No. 1 rider, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, who is the Sultan of Terengganu)," he said.

He also said that Terengganu would have a place among the list of hosts of similar events around the world, including in Germany, France, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and the United States.

Najib praised the efforts of the Terengganu government in obtaining several endurance race horses and adopting several schools in Kuala Terengganu to provide equestrian facilities to promote the sport among the people.

It is hoped that these efforts would make Terengganu a hub for endurance sports and produce a world champion one day, he added.

The WEC 2008 will be held from Nov 6 to 9 at the Terengganu International Endurance Park in Lembah Bidong, Setiu.


Source: BERNAMA

Destiny Of Monsoon Cup Hangs In The Balance

October 08, 2008 18:50 PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- T-Best Events, organisers of the Monsoon Cup have not contacted the Terengganu state government yet, raising speculation on the fate of this year's richest sailing event in the World Match Tour Racing.

Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said T-Best has yet to inform the state government on the status of the premier sailing event held in December every year.

"I have asked Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Za'abar Mohd Adib to check with T-Best on the status of the event again because we have not heard anything from them.

"According to the agreement, the Monsoon Cup organisers have a commitment to fulfill until 2012 and the cost of hosting the event would be borne by the Federal government," he told reporters after chairing the state Exco meeting at Wisma Darul Iman here Wednesday.

However, he added that though no preparations had taken of with regard to hosting the event, staging the event in a short time would not be a problem as all the facilities were in place.

The Monsoon Cup was first hosted in 2005 when T-Best Events and the World Match Racing Tour signed a deal to host the event until 2012.

Through the deal, the state government would have to allocate RM4 million every year to stage the event while the rest of the expenditure come from the Federal government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Tourism Ministry and Finance Ministry, he said.

The Monsoon Cup, held during the monsoon season, attracts top class yachts and world class sailors to the event held at Pulau Duyong in Terengganu and puts Malaysia on the world map through vast coverage provided by local and foreign media.

Source: BERNAMA

Travellers the winners in price war

01 Feb 2007
Lee Shi-Ian, June Ramli and Norazlin Mohd Nor

KUALA LUMPUR: Slurping on a McDonalds’ ice cream, Ahmad Zaki Abdul Rahman grinned as he guided his family towards a check-in counter.

"This is our first time on an airplane," he said.

The medical attendant, his wife and two young children had paid RM135 in total to fly to Kota Baru for the long weekend.

"The cost of travel for my family is almost the same as driving or taking the bus, only less hassle and stress," he said.

Ahmad and his family are just some of the thousands who will take to the skies this year, thanks to budget airline AirAsia.

With cheap fares and free promotional flights, the no-frills airline has had this segment of the market to itself since Datuk Tony Fernandes took over in 2001.

On Monday, national carrier Malaysia Airlines struck back, unveiling unprecedented discounts of up to 70 per cent for international destinations, and four-night holiday packages to London for RM3,096.

It is charging just RM9 for some one-way tickets to local stops such as Kuantan and Langkawi.

The promotion is part of the MAS Travel Fair which began yesterday, and continues until Feb 6.

"Yes, this is the lowest we have ever gone," MAS commercial director Datuk Abdul Rashid Khan said yesterday.

"We have the freedom to set prices. There was no such thing in the past because our prices were regulated by the government."

AirAsia apparently was not about to let MAS push these promotional fares without a challenge, however, and on the same day, began offering "super low fares".

One-way tickets to Penang, Terengganu and Kota Baru, for example, are available for under RM1, fuel surcharge and other taxes not included.

A seat on a flight to Phuket, Thailand, starts at RM19.99 and to Chang Mai from RM59.99.

Its promotion, tagged "the craziest sale in town", ends the day after MAS plans to end its travel fair.

This brewing price war is "music to the ears of all travellers", said a research analyst at a local stockbroking firm.

"I think more kampung folk, who’ve never been on a plane and seen the world, would benefit from the price war," he said.

AirAsia has taken pains to avoid calling this a price war, and so has MAS.

AirAsia senior corporate communications executive Janet Leow said the two airlines were aiming for different types of travellers.

"Our objective is to go for passengers who want a cheap, fast and easy flight to their destination without the services such as meals and drinks," she said.

"Those who want such services normally fly with MAS."

MAS’ Abdul Rashid said: "To put it in perspective, we face competition from more than 300 airlines, everyday, worldwide.

"This is not a price war."

The national carrier, long criticised for its heavy losses, is confident that it will be able to compete for more travellers as it attempts to return to profit this year.

"We cannot control the competition but we plan to shake it up. We are upbeat that we will be able to sell our domestic fares like hot cakes as we are a five-star airline with full service," he added.

His confidence stems from how the travel fair has performed so far.

"In the first hour, online ticket sales for domestic routes reached RM1 million," he said.

And he is betting MAS’ Australian and European routes will sell like hot cakes.

Source: NST

State Governments Line Up Events For VMY'07

January 01, 2007 18:09 PM

PENANG, Jan 1 (Bernama) -- The new year, Monday also marked the start of the Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (VMY'07).

The VMY'07, which is expected to draw 20.1 million tourists and enrich the national coffer by RM44.5 billion through foreign exchange earnings, will be officially launched at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 6.

"At least 240 (national level) tourism events will be held across Malaysia in conjunction with the VMY'07," Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said in an interview at the KL International Airport (KLIA), where he was busy welcoming tourists into the country.

In Penang, Tourism Committee Chairman Cheang Chee Gooi said the Penang government will hold more than 50 events, including four international tourism events, throughout this year.

The four international events are the Penang Bridge Run to be held in June, International Dragon Boat Festival (June), International Music Fest (June) and International Lantern Festival (September).

Cheang was speaking to reporters after welcoming 560 tourists from Singapore, Bangkok and China at Penang's Bayan Lepas International Airport.

Tomorrow, some 400 tourists from Germany are expected to arrive by luxury cruise liner "Star Cruise" at Swettenham Pier and 180 more are also expected to arrive at KTM Butterworth station by E&O Express train from Bangkok.

In KEDAH, Chairman of Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee Datuk Fong Chok Gin said the tourism associations in the State will work hand in hand with similar bodies in Thailand to promote the VMY'07 in Thailand.

"The VMY'07 promotion in Thailand is showing positive result," he told reporters after welcoming tourists at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah, Monday.

He said at least 800 tourists from Thailand are expected to arrive in Kedah daily through Bukit Kayu Hitam entry point.

Thousands more will come by boat through Satun and by air from Bangkok starting from Jan 6.

He said at least 2.8 million tourists are expected to visit Kedah throughout the year, where 70 percent of them will be heading to the tourist island of Langkawi. In TERENGGANU, deputy chairman of Industrial Development and Tourism committee Datuk Mohd Nasir Ibrahim Fikri said at least 2.8 million tourists are expected to visit the state this year compared to 2.3 million last year.

He said the state has lined-up various tourism programmes including 14 major events throughout the year.

Speaking to reporters at Sultan Mahmud Airport here, Mohd Nasir said the Terengganu government has spent RM10 million to promote VMY'07 and to upgrade tourism infrastructure.

He said various major events have been lined up throughout the year including the Terengganu Carnival in February, Bulan Citra Rasa (from June 1-3), Sultan Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge (from Nov 10-11), Terengganu Monsoon Cup in Dec; and Terengganu International Rainforest Challenge (from Dec 1-10).

In KELANTAN, some 500 tourists from Thailand arrived at the main entry point of Rantau Panjang today. They were led by Narathiwat Governor Karan Supkitvilekkarn and his deputy Nipon Nrapitakkun.

They were welcomed by Tourism Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Victor Wee.

In PERLIS, the state government is targeting at least 550,000 tourists to visit the state this year.

The state has lined up at least 13 national level tourism events and 31 state level tourism programmes throughout the year.

Perlis Tourism Action Council director Ahmad Bakri Ali said the state is seeking approval from the Federal Government to allow tourists from Thailand to use the Facilities Letter (FL) to enter Perlis.

"The FL will facilitate a hassle free travel for tourists from Thailand to visit Perlis," he said.

Source: BERNAMA

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