SEMINAR ON MM2H

A seminar on "An Update on the Malaysia My Second Home Program" by Pn. Siti Nana Shaarani, Director of MM2H Centre, Ministry of Tourism will be held on May 8, 2012 at MICCI Training Room @ 9.00 am. If you have further enquiry, please call Ms. Nurul at 03-6201 7708. Kindly forward your registration forms as soon as possible as Seats are Limited. please contact Chitra Devi Kothandapani Manager, Human Capital, Infrastructure, Corporate Responsibility & Tourism --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MICCI) C-08-8, 8th Floor, Block C, Plaza Mont' Kiara, No. 2, Jalan Kiara, Mont' Kiara 50480 Kuala Lumpur Tel: (03) 6201-7708 Fax: (03) 6201-7705 www.micci.com

TOURISM BLOGGERS EVENT

Social media has become a key tool in telling the world about Malaysia’s tourist attractions, said our clever Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen. “If promotions are not done over the social media, you are quite a dinosaur,” Dr Ng said at a press conference on the Malaysian International Tourism Bloggers Conference & Awards (MITBCA 2012). The event, which is organised by the ministry in collaboration with the Malaysia Social Media Chambers, will see a gathering of tourism bloggers and industry players here on May 8 and 9. Dr Ng said the inaugural Malaysia International Tourism Bloggers Awards would also be held in conjunction with the conference. Sixteen awards will be presented in categories such as lifestyle, duty-free shopping, travel, food, music, entertainment, destination blogs, micro blogger and tourism blog of the year. TV host and personality Jojo Struys and cookery show host and chef Anis Nabilah, who are avid bloggers, will be among those speaking at the conference. Details can be obtained from http://www.mitbca.com .

MAS/AIRASIA DEAL IS OFF

As expected the swap deal between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia is off. This is to confirm earlier rumours that a combination of union pressure, concerns over conflict of interest and the upcoming general election would force the national carrier’s hand over the issue. Trading of MAS and AirAsia shares has been suspended to make way for an official announcement later today. The dissolution of the comprehensive collaboration framework signed last August is likely to see AirAsia’s Tony Fernandes and Kamarudin Meranun exit the MAS board. On the flip side, the cooperative spirit of the agreement is set to continue, with MAS and AirAsia expected to persist in collaborations on procurement, pilot training, and maintenance support and repair services, in an attempt to secure cost savings. The carriers are expected to establish several joint venture companies to facilitate this collaboration. Corporate figures seem to forget that running airlines is not only about putting planes in the air. It is more about motivating the human resource so that they can feel proud of their airlines and will put every effort to make it a success.

LEARNING FROM MALAYSIA

Instead of going to Bali the Riau Islands province is keen to learn how to develop its tourism sector from Malaysia. The Riau Islands Tourism Division head Rahman Osman said they would increase cooperation with Malaysia in order to realise their aim. "The same sun shines over both places but how is it that Malaysia can attract more than 18 million tourists annually and Indonesia only about seven million. According to my observation we have more tourism products, so we need to study Malaysia's method of promoting their products," he told Bernama at Daik, Lingga here. The Riau Islands, situated east of Sumatera, is more than 75,000 km square and has a population exceeding six million. He also invited private companies from Malaysia and other Asean countries to invest in tourism in Pulau Benan, which is considered the gateway for Lingga's tourism sector. This is perhaps a better option for our tourism investors.

PRESS STATEMENT

The Malaysia Tourism Federation welcome the move by the Tourism Minister to give bigger role to taxi drivers in providing local tours. The Minister had said yesterday that taxi and hired car associations have been urged to offer attractive packages to tourists to strengthen the tourism industry. In making the call, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said the tour packages should be made available to local and foreign tourists. Under the programme, tourists can choose a day trip package to various hotspots via taxi for a single charge. “The drivers will double up as tour guides too, but they have to attend a day-long course with the ministry to participate. The drivers will be given a RM100 monthly allowance each and they can earn more through the taxi tourism package,” said Dr Ng. Dr Ng said she hoped to start similar programmes in other districts. The taxi stand that was built over four months has a unique roof which comes with a self-cleaning technology which is the first of its kind in Malaysia. The Federation feels that upgrading the taxi drivers will make them better and responsible members of the tourism industry. MOHD TAIB WAHAB Secretary General MALAYSIA TOURISM FEDERATION mobile: 012-2992911